It’s really more of a brownish dwarf than a star
A CANADIAN ASTRONOMICAL survey has led to the discovery of several extraterrestrial bodies called failed stars. These less-than-successful masses of matter have been hanging out in space for eons, unable to grow enough in size to shine like our sun or other visible stars. The study has uncovered new evidence as to how these failed stars form and why they are able to grow to the size of a planet without igniting. Is the discovery of these two dozen not-quite stars one of the most masterful accomplishments of modern space science, or is this study just a massive drain on our country’s limited financial resources?
iPhone 4Million
APPLE IS IN for a weekend of record sales, according to financial analysts eyeing the popularity of the tech giant’s latest release. The vast majority of interested parties say Apple can expect upward of two million sales of the iPhone 4S on opening weekend. The recent death of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to boost the 4S to a new record for the company. Would hitting a sales record attest to the technological triumph of Apple’s latest invention, or is this just a bad case of bandwagon syndrome exacerbated by the untimely death of the long-time face of Apple?
Ottawa HIV outbreak?
CITY OF OTTAWA chief medical officer Isra Levy has sanctioned the delivery of 6,800 letters to area residents warning them to get tested for both HIV and hepatitis. According to Levy, a “lapse” in procedure under an Ottawa-based physician could have led to the infection of patients treated over a 10-year period. While anyone who receives a letter should make their way to a testing facility pronto, city officials are assuring the public the likelihood that anyone has been infected is extremely small. Is this action on the part of Levy and the city a successful means of handling the large-scale risk of infection, or is this a frightening example of the failure of our local medical system?
Canada can stop complaining, says Flaherty
CANADA’S FINANCE MINISTER Jim Flaherty thinks Occupy Ottawa participants can pack up and head home. He argues Canadians have little to stand up for in terms of economic issues. Vehemently defending the country’s impressive ability to weather the financial storm still plaguing U.S. citizens, Flaherty explained here in America’s hat we are enjoying a stable and responsible banking system, commenting about the senselessness of the Occupy movement’s manifestation in Canadian cities. Is Flaherty right: Is Occupy Ottawa symptomatic of a society that can’t see how good things really are, or is the finance minister merely defending his own approach to an ongoing crisis?
—Jaclyn Lytle
