Spring Mixer
Spring is for gardeners, returning birds and, of course, putting the spring issue of The York University Magazine to bed. It is also – at least this year – a time for polar vortexes (whatever they are), ice storms and electrical outages. So when Mark Twain said about this unpredictable season, “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours,” he wasn’t too far wrong.
Looking at this issue’s lineup, it’s odd how certain patterns emerge, either entirely unplanned or at least not too consciously. And maybe that’s how the best story mixes come about – that is, from a kind of fortuitous happenstance. We have a piece about the latest research on urban raccoons (see “Home Invasion,” page 32) and one about “green” theatre (see “Greening Up Their Act,” page 12). We also have an in-depth article on the fascinating world of nanosatellites (see “Small Wonder,” page 22). Although it’s a science piece at its core, it is also about how we can harness space technology to tackle climate change – again, a green theme.
Another feature story deals with an aspect of York University that few of us have seen in its entirety: York’s permanent art collection (see “Off The Wall,” page 28). If it comes as a surprise to you that the University owns works by such eminent artists as Jean-Paul Riopelle, Jack Bush and Andy Warhol, that’s good!