Anthony Burton
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postdoc @UvA_Amsterdam media studies. phd @SFU. wrote algorithmic authenticity (meson press 2023). I research how people (ab)use data, masculinity, and theory
Articles by Anthony Burton
Letter: Faith Evans obituary
Faith Evans in Ireland, 2007 Photograph: none requested When Ed Victor and I shared an office at Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the 1960s we advertised for a secretary. Faith Evans came for an interview, but we felt that she was too highly qualified, hoped to have a more appropriate job later, and suggested she keep in touch. The secretary we hired did not last long, but neither of us could find Faith’s address. While we were frantically searching, the phone rang.
RIP: Bishop Charles Arthurson
When Charlie Arthurson was elected the first indigenous bishop in Canada in 1989, he retired to his church in LaRonge, where he locked the doors and spent the day weeping uncontrollably, as he took the measure of the historic responsibility that had overtaken him. On August 30 at 8:15 in the evening, 36 years after that tearful retreat, he passed peacefully into the near presence of God, his loving wife, Faye, at his side, as she had been throughout their marriage.
The Brunels, Father And Son By Anthony Burton
This Book looks at the work of one of Britain’s great heroes and engineering geniuses, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and his less well-known father Marc Brunel. Published in June 2022 by Pen & Sword and written by Anthony Burton, this hardback book measures around 16.3 cm x 24 cm, has 232 pages and 64 black and white illustrations. It has a published price of £25, although at the time of writing Pen & Sword has it available online for £18.75 and it can be obtained online from Amazon for £18.74.
The launch of a social justice coalition
In a bid to fulfil their commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, the Victoria College Student Administrative Council (VUSAC) is embarking on an exciting new journey with the launch of the Social Justice Coalition (SJC). This groundbreaking initiative, spearheaded by the Vice President External, Cameron Miranda-Radbord, attempts to usher in a shining new age for equitable initiatives on campus.
Vic’s new force for change
The Strand: You are the first person to hold this new position of Director of Equity, Inclusion & Transformative Practices at Vic. What does that title mean to you? Lesa Williams-George: First, can I talk about what those words mean? So the words to me mean: they’re equity, equity is inclusive of all the human rights pieces, all the accessibility pieces, all the belonging pieces, […] inclusion is a part of the belonging that the university should be a place where everyone feels they belong.
VCAA moved from Goldring space by the Dean's Office
At the start of this fall term, the Victoria College Athletics Association (VCAA) was moved from their office space in the Goldring Student Centre by the Office of the Dean of Students. They will now share office space with the Vic Records recording studio and the VUSAC boardroom. The student levy will also be allowed to share storage space in a to-be-built shed on the Marg Ad field along with other storage areas in the student centre.
The vanishing Jack family
Throughout its history, Halloween has always been a holiday interested in folk tales and the supernatural. The celebration of what is known today as Halloween is connected to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain when people believed that the boundary between the living and the dead was weaker. Halloween today has little in common with those roots, but through horror movies, true crime podcasts, ghost stories, and costume parties, we’ve kept our fascination with the mysterious and macabre alive.
The art of healthy scepticism
As we navigate an age characterised by an abundance of information and the rapid dissemination of content, scepticism has emerged as a crucial tool for navigating the vast amounts of data that surrounds us. However, scepticism can function as a double-edged sword. While it serves a purpose for critical thinking, it can easily tip into cynicism if not wielded judiciously.
Victoria University announces plans to sell oil well
After many years of student lobbying, Victoria University announced to The Strand on September 6th that the Board of Regents (BoR) has voted to move forward with selling the Weyburn Oil Well.
The sceptic's role in social change
Scepticism is a tool for questioning and challenging the information we encounter, but it is also a powerful force for driving social change. In a world rife with social and political issues, sceptics play a crucial role in promoting progress by scrutinising the status quo and demanding accountability. This article delves into the relationship between scepticism and activism, highlighting how scepticism’s critical lens can be harnessed to affect meaningful change.
Those Who Need Rent Control, and Those Who Control Rent
A high cost of living in the biggest city in the country is not something particularly surprising in theory, but what it looks like in practice has created great difficulty in Toronto. This summer, tensions have exploded in a rent dispute between the York South-Weston (YSW) Tenant Union and multibillionaire landowning company, Dream Unlimited. Two of Dream’s properties in South Toronto along King Street have undergone more than the usual rent increases of 2.5%.
At least we can all agree about aliens
In late July, David Grush, former US military intelligence officer-turned-whistleblower, appeared before the National Security Subcommittee of the House of Representatives. He testified that not only were UFOs real, but also their existence has been actively concealed by the United States government. The allegations were shocking, but they were made more credible by Grush’s sterling credentials.
Toronto community rallies for trans rights and autonomy
Community members gathered in solidarity outside the US Consulate in light of recent anti-trans legislation On Friday, March 31—Trans Day of Visibility—students, activists, and community members gathered outside the US Consulate to rally for trans rights, autonomy, and existence. The rally was organised by Students for Queer Liberation in solidarity with marches across the US, primarily in response to the recent wave of anti-trans legislation across the country.
UofT students begin occupation of Victoria College
‘All Eyes on Vic’ to divest from fossil fuels On Monday, March 27, a group of UofT students began an occupation of Victoria College. According to the occupants, the occupation, currently held in Old Vic, is a call to action for Victoria College to divest from fossil fuels, and is being organized and led by Climate Justice UofT (@climatejusticeuoft). For a breakdown of Victoria University’s investment in fossil fuels, see The Strand’s “Vic’s sp(oil)ed reputation,” published in the Futuristic Issue.
Satire: UofT student protests to free Andrew Tate from prison
It was 7:42 pm on December 29 of last year. A 21-year-old UofT engineering student was scrolling through TikTok looking for ‘NYE at home ideas for singles’ when he discovered the most devastating news that would ruin 2023 for him—Andrew Tate, his inspiration and sole guiding light in life, had been arrested. “I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Satire: Government spy pigeons go on strike
Just this week, an informant from the government’s special surveillance department, employing hundreds of spy pigeons in major cities, leaked that the pigeons have unionised and are now going on strike. The Strand asked local union members for their thoughts and opinions. “It’s really ****ing cold out here” said one member; “These bread crusts just aren’t cutting it anymore,” nodded another. Others are considering switching careers: “There’s only so much to report on the average Toronto mans.
Satire: The anti-pasta antipasto
BREAKING! Utter chaos erupts in UofT as two first-year philosophy geniuses in PHL100, William and Devarya, declare lasagne and spaghetti to be “not pasta.” We hear about this as their friends ache in panic over their seeming descent into madness, fearing that they have acquired the disease of the learned, but they deny this and say “modern problems require modern solutions.” In a charming, captivating, and assertive delivery, they had this to say: “It’s simple.
Satire: VUSAC election results
Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council’s (VUSAC) new President, Georgina Bush, promised to invade University College (UC) to “free the UC people” from the authoritarian regime of fraternity brothers, while also disarming them of their stash of weapons of mass destruction (Axe body spray). While public support is generally on Bush’s side, one angry student launched their shoes at Bush during last Friday’s town hall.
John Tory’s resignation leads to upcoming by-election in Toronto
How Ford and Tory’s connection affects Toronto politics The City of Toronto experienced unexpected political upheaval when Mayor John Tory resigned on February 17, several days after announcing his intention to do so. This decision was prompted by what Tory referred to as a “serious error in judgment”—a consensual relationship between him and a younger staffer in his employ.
Student journalists meet at NASH85 conference in Hamilton
Annual conference brings together student publications from across Canada 149 student journalists from across Canada took part in the NASH85—Revolutionise conference in Hamilton from February 17 to 19. The Canadian University Press (CUP), a cooperative of student publications, organises this annual gathering along with a different member every year.
An interview with Professor James Reilly
Reflections on research in the Middle East and teaching at the University of Toronto for over three decades The Strand sat down with James Reilly, Professor of modern Middle East history in the Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations (NMC) department on the occasion of his retirement, to discuss his research experience in the Middle East, teaching at the University of Toronto, and his views on new developments in the field of Middle Eastern studies.
High profile acts of violence on TTC create fear among riders
Increased police presence causes mixed reactions In late January, a series of violent incidents on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) system occurred in quick succession. On January 23, a woman was pushed down the stairs and robbed at Broadview Station. The next day, another woman was stabbed on a Spadina streetcar, leaving her with life-altering injuries.
Ontario expands One Stop Talk service and Youth Wellness Hubs
How the province is responding to widespread need for mental health services One Stop Talk is a virtual walk-in program for children, youth, and families seeking low-barrier access to mental healthcare. The program started in November 2022 with six participating mental health organisations, and the province is now investing $4.75 million to expand it.
Toronto mayor John Tory announces resignation
Why Tory is stepping down and what happens next On Friday, February 10, Toronto mayor John Tory announced his resignation from office. Earlier the same day, the Toronto Star broke the news of his relationship with a former member of his staff.
Stop! Look! And Vaccinate
A look at the Gardasil-9 HPV vaccine If you’re a Toronto commuter, chances are you’ve been seeing the Gardasil-9 advertisements on your daily travels. Young adults raised in Ontario may be looking at these posters thinking, “Hey, I got that in middle school!” In fact, roughly 60 percent of seventh grade children in Ontario have received a full course of a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. What is HPV and its vaccination?
Housing in 2023: What to expect
Learning from recent changes in property values With Toronto real estate prices being so hard to predict, what should commuter students expect when looking for places to stay? Toronto’s housing market has taken multiple unexpected turns in the past few years. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for new real estate increased drastically largely because people were spending more time in their homes. Following this jump, property values were stable for most of 2021.
Here’s what you need to know about Canada’s new alcohol guidelines
The latest stats are in on drinking—and they’re pretty dire. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) kicked off the new year by delivering a long-awaited report on the risks of alcohol consumption. The report updates Canadian medical guidance in accordance with new evidence on the risks of alcohol consumption since the CCSA’s previous report established guidelines in 2011.
Victoria College clubs spent less than half their fall-term budgets. What happened?
“Systemic issue” of Vic student fees not being spent Kayli Boyle is a social media hair queen. A growing creator with over one million combined followers on the holy trifecta of social media: TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. She posts weekly on achieving trendy hair, makeup, and nail looks. At the end of her ‘get ready with me’ videos, her hair is always styled with loose bouncy curls and fluffy voluminous layers framing her face.
Desire for Profitability Drives Twitter’s Steep Decline
Musk announces more political advertising and other measures. How far will he go? Ever since Elon Musk acquired the social media platform Twitter in October 2022, there have been frequent headlines about his perceived mismanagement and lack of vision for the company’s future. His documented missteps have included firing roughly half of the company’s 7500 employees and then failing to pay them severance, which has led to four lawsuits, as of January 6.
Students struggle with waiting for final grades
UofT won’t admit to delays in Fall term grade posting; students suspect otherwise Olivia Dans was happy to have completed the first semester of her sophomore year, barring one lingering stress: waiting for her fall term marks. “They definitely took longer to come out compared to last year,” said Dans, majoring in Psychology and Cinema Studies.
The library is closed
A retrospective on the fallout from Z-Lib’s seizure two months on On November 4, 2022, the United States FBI seized the popular file-sharing site Z-lib, which is self-described as the “world’s largest ebook library.” More than two months after the fact, both faculty and students at U of T continue to express mixed reactions to the takedown.
Frontiers | First experience with 224 Radium-labelled microparticles (Radspherin®) after CRS-HIPEC for peritoneal metastasis in colorectal cancer (a phase 1 study)
Stein G. Larsen1, WILHELM GRAF2, Anthony B. Mariathasan3, Olaf Sørensen3, Milan Spasojevic3, Mariusz A. Goscinski3, Silje Selboe4, Nadja Lundstrøm5, Anne Holtermann3, Mona-Elisabeth Revheim6 and Øyvind S.
Vic University welcomes new president Dr. Rhonda McEwen
Dr. Rhonda McEwen has been appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of UofT’s Victoria University and is set to complete a five-year term, which she began on July 1 2022. She will be the 14th president in the University’s 186-year history following Dr. William Robins, who stepped down in October 2021. As senior executive officer, the President and Vice-Chancellor is responsible for the academic and administrative operation of Victoria College.
A COVID update for fall 2022
On July 1, 2022, the University of Toronto lifted its mask mandate. As students begin to approach the fall semester, not much has changed in terms of UofT’s official COVID-19 strategy. What—if any—precautionary measures will the University be taking to reduce the spread of the coronavirus?
Events around campus to start the school year right!
It’s that time of year again! Although it might feel like summer’s barely begun for some, the fall term is back once more. Don’t despair, though—there are a number of fantastic events coming up on campus to help make the transition back to school that much easier. Did we mention they’re all free?
What you need to know about the June election
On June 2, voters headed to the polls to elect the 43rd Parliament of Ontario. Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives won for the second time, with a parliamentary majority of 83 seats. Ontario’s New Democrats, currently led by interim leader Peter Tabuns, formed the Official Opposition with 31 seats, while the Ontario Liberal Party won eight seats, regaining official party status. MPP Jessica Bell of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) was re-elected in UofT’s riding of University-Rosedale.
Signed First Edition: Footprints - David Farrier
Foyles Notes Signed First Edition Synopsis What will the world look like ten thousand or ten million years from now? In Footprints, David Farrier explores what traces we will leave for the very deep future. From long-lived materials like plastic and nuclear waste, to the 50 million kilometres of roads spanning the planet, in modern times we have created numerous objects and landscapes with the potential to endure through deep time.
Bouch’s Other Bridges - The Railway Magazine
“It could not be diffidence in his own powers which led Mr Bouch to ... [propound] a scheme for bridging the Firths of Forth and Tay, and expressing his determination, if he lived, to carry it, or something analogous to it, into execution.” This remarkable statement — from the 1878 book by Albert Grothe, an engineer on the bridge — is hauntingly prophetic.
Burton: Cure or heal?
Sometimes people ask me, “Does energy therapy cure/heal (insert your illness of choice here)?” I usually take a deep breath and try to figure out how to address the difference between “cure and heal.” Unfortunately, because most people want a short, simple answer, some think I am trying to deceive them. First, what is curing? Curing a person means the restoration to health of a person afflicted with a disease or other disorder.
Retro Gaming: A Byte-sized History of Video Games - From Atari to Zelda - Mike Diver;
Synopsis Take a trip down memory lane with Retro Gaming, and relive the glory days (and not so glory days) of your old retro tech favourites. Packed with all the characters, games, consoles and franchises that you used to love (and possibly still do), this is a compact, conversational compendium of all-time highs - alongside just a handful of humorous (in hindsight) lows - from over forty years of arcade, computer, console and handheld hits.
Financial planning becomes critical
For Cary List, president and CEO of the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC), advisors’ increasing attention to financial planning comes as no surprise. “We’ve seen a big turn during the past five years toward financial planning as something that’s going to distinguish the human advisor from technology,” List says.
2018 Advisors’ Report Card main chart
Although many of the basic demographic metrics were relatively stable year-over-year, advisors experienced growth in AUM and productivity, thanks to solid equities markets and stronger...
Praise for firms' marketing support
Furthermore, the overall average performance rating for the category increased to 7.7 from 7.3 year-over-year. Advisors praised their firms for providing financial support for marketing, helping advisors create their marketing strategies and providing client-friendly materials for advisors to use. Toronto-based PPI Advisory and Calgary-based PPI Solutions Inc. received the two highest ratings, 8.8 and 8.7, respectively, in the category.
Training offerings meet expectations
This result is evident in the performance ratings advisors gave their agencies in this category. Calgary-based PPI Solutions Inc. (9.3), Toronto-based PPI Advisory (9.1) and Mississauga, Ont.-based IDC Worldsource Insurance Network Inc. (IDC WIN; 9.1), received the highest ratings in the category.
Advisors focused on core business
This decline in average AUM, coupled with a slight uptick in average client household figures, also resulted in a dip to average advisor productivity (as measured by AUM/client household) to $73,121 this year from $84,732 in 2017. This productivity trend was evident for both advisor segments in the industry: the top 20% of advisors (in terms of AUM/client household) and the remaining 80% of advisors.
Advisors are split on their back offices
In contrast, all five managing general agencies (MGAs) in the survey received strong ratings in the back-office categories. In fact, four MGAs were given ratings that improved by half a point or more year-over-year in at least one of the three categories. Ultimately, the cause of advisors’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their firm’s back office came down to staffing.
Change in fortunes for three firms
Hub’s improved ratings are a result of the firm’s new “know your broker” process, which was implemented in response to last year’s Report Card and focuses on increasing the level of communication and collaboration between management and advisors. “What we’ve changed is our outbound activity to advisors: who we reach out to; how we reach out to them; and the follow-up, too,” says Terri Botosan, president of Hub.
2108 Insurance Advisors’ Report Card main chart
The ratings for the five MGAs in the survey were very strong, whereas those for the dedicated sales agencies and the sole PPGA were less... Although average AUM and productivity declined, advisors' attention to life insurance has increased Advisors with Hub Financial were much more pleased with their firm this year the same cannot be said for GWL or Sun Life One set of firms received lower ratings in the three back-office categories, but another set of firms were praised for their efforts
Growing divide in advisors’ assessments
Specifically, advisors who work through one of the five MGAs in the survey rated their MGA very highly this year; in fact, many of the ratings for the MGAs rose significantly (by half a point or more) year-over-year. In contrast, the majority of advisors at the dedicated sales agencies or at GWL were less enthusiastic about their firms.
Banks' reputations holding up well
The FCAC’s ensuing report, delivered in March, stated that the banks had “insufficient” controls to prevent sales of financial products that may be misrepresented or unsuitable for clients. The report also concluded that the banks’ sales-oriented culture increases the risk that bank employees may disregard consumer protection rules.
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