Sunday Sundries

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography
The East European Genealogical Society has just published the third and final volume, covering 295 settlers who arrived in what is now Saskatchewan between 1892 and 1904, of Vladimir J. Kaye’s Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography. The work, which was completed in 1965 but remained unpublished for over half a century, is now issued with added indexes of surnames and ancestral place names. The volumes previously issued were for Manitoba (1975) and Alberta (1984). Thanks to Fred Popowich for the suggestion.

We MAY finally know what causes Alzheimer’s – and how to stop it
If you bled when you brushed your teeth this morning, you might want to get that seen to. We may finally have found the long-elusive cause of Alzheimer’s disease: Porphyromonas gingivalis, the key bacteria in chronic gum disease.

Brace for the Polar Vortex; It May Be Visiting More Often
This article from the New York Times suggests cold outbreaks from more frequent polar vortex breakdowns can be tied to climate change via a warmer Arctic Ocean as less summer ice cover means more heat absorbed.
As a former meteorologist I'm often asked about climate change. While I no longer closely follow the evolving science I do know that adding additional greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere will mean extra energy in the earth-ocean-atmosphere system which is so complex that the exact nature of the changes to be expected is problematic — but change there will be.

Data breaches are inevitable – here’s how to protect yourself anyway
1. Keep your software up-to-date.
2. Use long but not necessarily complex passwords.
3. Use multi-factor authentication.

Francis Bacon: the 17th-century philosopher whose scientific ideas could tackle climate change today
Four idols of the mind – false notions, or empty ideas – that don’t just occupy men’s minds so that truth can hardly get in, but also when a truth is allowed in they will push back against it.

Indigenous Rights and Building Pipelines