Op-eds
Stapleton, P. (Jan. 23, 2022). It took Covid 19 for hamsters to be treated the same as their rodent cousins. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2021, Oct. 22). Critter vs. commodity: the cognitive dissonance behind the plight of Hong Kong’s wild pigs. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2021, Aug. 22). Expat quarantine drama: Hong Kong gov’t caught with its eyes wide shut over Nicole Kidman scandal. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2021, Jul. 27). Sensitive souls: the map that supposedly hurt the feelings of 1.4 billion Chinese. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2021, Jun. 10). Incentives must be in place to spur vaccinations. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2021, May 14). Prevention, not cure, key to fight climate change. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2021, May 4). Collectivist Asia fares better than individualist West during pandemic. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2021, Feb. 1). Traditional Chinese Medicine as a Covid cure: do we believe in magic? Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Nov. 22). Why Hong Kong being overrun by conspiracy theories is not surprising. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Nov. 2). Sacrifices needed for turnabout on climate. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Sept. 27). Covid-19: Existential threats put our pandemic problems into perspective. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Jul. 23). Hong Kong Airport’s third runway – a white elephant folly in the Covid era? Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Jun. 29). I was wrong, the evidence is clear – masks work. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton P. (2020, Jun. 22). An international player who flouts the rules: Time to show China a red card. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, May 23). Coronavirus: Are women better leaders during crises? Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, May 3). During virus lockdown, let’s remember China’s Canadian hostages: Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, May 2). In the US and Hong Kong, tribal loyalty trumps truth. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Apr. 14). Aside from masks, many factors are helping to stop the coronavirus. China Daily.
Stapleton, P (2020, Apr. 9). Overpaid and tone-deaf: Carrie Lam’s pay cut stunt says it all. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Mar. 31). Why do Americans support Trump? Because their society is polarised… like ours. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Mar. 20). Lessons from COVID-19. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Mar. 15). Raise gasoline prices while crude’s down to fight global warming. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Mar.6). As we queue for masks, a chance to ponder the vastness of the universe. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Feb. 21). Fake news and the coronavirus: let’s develop a more critical mindset. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Feb. 6). Hysteria over shortage of face masks in city is unbecoming. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Feb. 2). Coronavirus outbreak: China should ban wildlife markets for good. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2020, Jan. 21). Polarised societies like Hong Kong are hotbeds for conspiracy theories. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, Jan. 3). Academic conferences: a scholarly pursuit, or a tax-funded assault on the environment? Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, Dec. 10). The climate cost of flown asparagus: time for more careful food choices. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, Dec. 8). As Canadians languish in Chinese jails, Meng Wanzhou blogs about her ‘hardship’. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (Nov. 8, 2019). Conflicting narratives of Hong Kong protest: we need to rediscover shades of grey. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, Oct. 27). Electric vehicle charger subsidies may be good for the rich, but not for the environment. Hong Kong Free Press.
, P. (2019, Sept. 3) The climate crisis requires sacrifices, and real change must begin with the G7 leaders. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, Aug. 29). Google Translate may transform teaching of international students. Times Higher Education.
Stapleton, P. (2019, Aug. 18). Dealing with Hong Kong’s other serious ‘hot’ problem. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2019, Aug. 15). Climate change should dampen the enthusiasm for luxury hotel stays for pets. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2019, Aug. 10). For Hong Kong’s youth, there’s no hope at home – and so they pour out into the streets. The Globe and Mail.
Stapleton, P. (2019, July 07). From Tung Chee-hwa to Carrie Lam: A string of failed leaders points to a failure of Hong Kong’s system. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, June 16). How protest turnout figures are manipulated on both sides of Hong Kong’s political divide. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, June 06). The misunderstandings about veganism explained. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2019, May 20). The contradiction in Hong Kong’s current approach to climate change: fly before you fry. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, May 20). Plant-based meat can play pivotal role in fighting climate change. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2019, May 13). Want creative self-starters? Free Hong Kong youths from the classroom. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2019, April 19). Why the breakthrough image of a black hole is both mind-boggling and humbling. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, April 09). HK can learn from Shenzhen in fight against air pollution. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2019, March 15). Climate Strike Hong Kong: Gov’t reaction to class boycott is ironic, short-sighted and dangerous. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, February 18). More private composts will benefit waste disposal in HK. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2019, February 10). Breath of suspicion: why is Hong Kong’s air cleaner by local measures… and dirtier according to outsiders?. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, February 02). Record-breaking cold snap does not trump global warming fears … except with Trump. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, January 16). How Google Translate may disrupt English classes, and every other subject, in Hong Kong schools. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2019, January 07). Why we should cut out pork in the Year of the Pig. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2019, January 07). Have rational talks and avoid hyperbole to solve land issues. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2018, December 10). If we don’t act on climate change, we’ll soon be up to our necks in hot water. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2018, November 17). Is Canada going to pot… or is Hong Kong overlooking the merits of a harmless plant?. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2018, November 05). Stop this absurdity of forcing people to retire in their prime. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2018, November 03). Time to consider nature as well as nurture in Hong Kong’s education system. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2018, October 13). Carbon catastrophe: air-freighted fruit at Hong Kong supermarkets is a disaster for the planet. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2018, August 02). Saving the planet through a shift in education priorities. EJ Insight.
Stapleton, P. (2018, July 26). How Chinese consumers can help fight back against US tariffs. EJ Insight.
Stapleton, P. (2018, June 30). A Hong Kong airport fourth runway may be good for business, but it would be terrible for the environment. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2018, June 24). Time to implement a simple idea that could save our planet: stop eating meat. Hong Kong Free Press.
Stapleton, P. (2018, June 12). Traditional or simplified? Debate on Chinese characters should be decided by pragmatics, not politics. South China Morning Post
Stapleton, P. (2018, June 07). Homes on Happy Valley site will make for a joyful place. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2018, June 01). Stacking numbers clarifies the golf vs homes debate. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2018, May 02). Caster Semenya castigated: is the IAAF right to clamp down on the sensational South African over advantageous genetics? South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2018, March 13). English in Hong Kong may be getting better, so forget the nitpicking. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2018, March 12). Breastfeeding is best feeding, whatever TV ads tell you. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2018, March 08). Electric vehicles tax waiver strikes a perfect balance. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2018, February 26). All creatures deserve benign treatment. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2018, February 04). Celebrity golfers should stay out of Hong Kong housing issues. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2018, January 22). Why inching forward on traffic fines and parking fees won’t halt Hong Kong’s congestion woes. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, December 21). Eliminating luxury-EV tax break makes sense. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2017, December 18). Air pollution in Hong Kong looked pretty bad, despite official index. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, December 13). #MeToo and Vera Lui show why Hong Kong needs better sex education classes. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, November 23). Hong Kong’s housing shortage suffers from a lack of low-hanging fruit. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, November 01). Interstellar rock visiting our solar system a reminder of how far we’ve come, and still have to go. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, October 26). Shift in perspective may expand organ donor pool. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2017, October 05). Why Hong Kong should think twice about more electric vehicle recharging facilities. South China Morning Post
Stapleton, P (2017, Sept. 13). Hong Kong's lesson in accountability for Japan's ailing universities. The Japan Times.
Stapleton, P. (2017, August 21). Glass bottles good target for higher government spending. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2017, August 11). Sacked Google worker was entitled to raise gender diversity issues. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, July 27). Can Chinese medicine really deal with the flu. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, May 22). Donald Trump supporters are under the spell of blind faith. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, May 01). Why Hong Kong needs higher, not lower, electricity tariffs. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, March 21). Electric vehicles are not a green option in a city like Hong Kong. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, March 05). Electric vehicles harm the environment and don’t deserve a tax discount. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, February 10). Don't pass on false beliefs such as feng shui to our children - teach them science instead. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, February 05). Be gentler with our chickens in the Year of the Rooster. China Daily Asia.
Stapleton, P. (2017, February 02). Why is Hong Kong Golf Club more precious than our country parks in the search for housing land? South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2017, January 13). Hong Kong’s official air quality index failing to warn on deadly health hazard. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2016, December 17). 電動車推廣計劃：想像中自娛的「低碳生活」. 明報
Stapleton, P. (2016, December 01). Hong Kong students get better grades with breakfast? Why the link is hard to stomach. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2016, November 11). Rurik Jutting: How the fate of a jailed psychopath raises questions about free will. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2016, November 02). Hong Kong universities are already in the top league, whatever their individual ranking shows. South China Morning Post
Stapleton, P. (2016, October 03). Hong Kong shopfronts blasting out cold air reflect a blatant misuse of power. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2016, September 26). The secret of snake oil salesman Donald Trump’s success. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2016, September 13). A tale of two duopolies: HK’s abysmal supermarket chains. China Daily Asia.
Stapleton, P. (2016, August 04). Biased media reinforce negative stereotypes of mainland people. China Daily Asia.
Stapleton, P. (2016, July 08). Human compassion for animals lacks consistency. China Daily Asia.
Stapleton, P. (2016, June 13). Look beyond culling birds to resolve H7N9 crisis. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2016, June 10). 經濟增長永無止境：興建三跑 犧牲環境 (Unbridled economic growth unleashes HK's third runway, planetary health be damned). 明報
Stapleton, P. (2016, June 10). Despite frequent laments about education quality, the kids are all right. China Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2016, April 17). Whether it succeeds or not, the Alpha Centauri project is already a testament to the wonders of life. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2016, April 11). Relax – glum shop assistants don’t necessarily mean the Hong Kong economy is weak. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2016, April 02). We need to change our outdated attitudes to organ donations. China Daily Asia.
Stapleton, P. (2016, March 22). Don’t be too quick to blame school pressure for Hong Kong’s youth suicides. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2016, February 18). How the questioning mind of a scientist can help Hong Kong students discover the truth about beliefs such as feng shui. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2015, December 22). 藍莓、士多啤梨和全球暖化. MingPao.
Stapleton, P. (2015, November 27). China must unblock Google Scholar and keep the internet open for its researchers. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2015, November 08). Are Hong Kong's English standards really falling off a cliff? Don't be so quick to believe the hype. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2015, October 28). Humans are biologically designed to be carnivorous, so how did we get to red meat causing cancer?. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2015, October 05). Go with the flow: Discovery of water on Mars raises fundamental questions about life, the universe and everything. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2015, September 17). Full subsidies for kindergarten education would improve their status and boost learning in Hong Kong. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2015, August 26). Raise the tax on petrol to help clean up Hong Kong's air. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2015, August 16). As the universe begins its fade to black, we should marvel on the miracle of life. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2015, March 14). Students need to learn how to enjoy eating for health. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, November 17). Hong Kong academics must do more to justify taxpayers’ money spent on research. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. & Feng, D. (2014, September 08). Online social networks helping mainland students adapt to Hong Kong life. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, August 25). Death of a dog on the MTR tracks shows up our selective sympathy. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, July 28). Teaching critical thinking helps children develop an open mind. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, July 05). Opponents of runway plan should look beyond the dolphins to see the wider harm. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, June 24). Put Chinese 'medicinal' products to the test, for sake of rare species. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, May 19). Don't let rigid entrance criteria keep talent out of Hong Kong universities. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, April 02). Public ignorance, not trans-fats, the real problem with our daily diets. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, March 14). Addicted to meat. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2014, February 06). Bleak lives (Online Version: The sad lot of Hong Kong's slaughterhouse animals).South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2013, November 23). Truth is out there. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2013, October 01). The misbehaving mainland hordes of our imagination. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2013, July 02). War on waste. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2013, June 18). Critical thinking should be the core of school curriculum. Sing Tao Daily.
Stapleton, P. (2012, August 02). Logic gap. South China Morning Post.
Stapleton, P. (2011, July 11). The far side: Hong Kong's third runway. South China Morning Post.
Travel
Career
2008
JALT2008: Untangling the submission process. The Language Teacher 32 (9). (with Paul Collett).
2004
Recruiting a university English teacher: Raising the standard. The Language Teacher 28 (10).
2001
Working papers: Applying for a university job in Japan, The Language Teacher, 25 (9), 29-32.
Culture
Canadian and American values: Mostly similar but different in important ways.Canada Project in Kyushu Symposium.