Tuesday June 28, 2011

____________________
Ted talks

Joshua Walters: On being just crazy enough

At TED's Full Spectrum Auditions, comedian Joshua Walters, who's bipolar, walks the line between mental illness and mental "skillness." In this funny, thought-provoking talk, he asks: What's the right balance between medicating craziness away and riding the manic edge of creativity and drive?

____________________
Education

Literacy program developed by Laurier PhD student earns major grant

WATERLOO – The Get Ready for School program, created by Iuliana Baciu during her PhD at Laurier and delivered in the last year by Strong Start to Reading, is about to expand thanks to a five-year grant of $389,368 from the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation.

____________________
Leadership

Laurier business students travel to China to host leadership workshops

WATERLOO – Ten senior business students from Wilfrid Laurier University will travel to post- secondary schools in China beginning June 30 to lead workshops in business and entrepreneurship, while also gaining valuable insight into a diverse business environment.

____________________
Budget

Catholic Trustees Approve $246.4 Million Balanced Budget

Waterloo Region – Trustees of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board approved the Board’s 2011-12 school year budget. The operating budget includes the one-time use of $770,000 in reserve funds to mitigate against pressures in special education.

____________________
Appointment

Jim Butler reappointed as Laurier’s vice-president of finance and administration

WATERLOO – The Board of Governors of Wilfrid Laurier University has appointed Jim Butler, vice-president: finance and administration, to a third five-year term. His current term runs until Aug. 31, 2012; his next term runs from Sept. 1, 2012 to Aug. 31, 2017.

____________________
Appointment

New President & CEO Announced

New Hamburg - Vernon Erb, President of The Erb Group of Companies, announced that he has stepped down from his position. His eldest son, Wendell Erb will assume position of President and CEO. Vernon will continue as the Chairman of the Board for Erb Enterprises Inc.

____________________
Growth Survey

Survey Shows Small Business Owners Remain Hopeful About Revenue and Hiring Growth

CHERRY HILL, N.J. and PORTLAND, Maine - Despite a few lingering economic concerns and a slower than expected recovery from the recession, a majority of small business owners anticipate higher revenues and more hiring in the months ahead, according to a new survey from TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank.

____________________
Health Care

Grand River Hospital To Offer High Risk Breast Cancer Screening

Ontario's Government Expanding Life-Saving Screening For More Women

Toronto - Starting July 1, Waterloo Region area women who are at a high risk for breast cancer will have access to services at the Ontario Breast Screening Program High Risk Screening Centre at Grand River Hospital.

____________________
Medical Research

Tiny worms, big job

McMaster team searches for Parkinson's treatment

Hamilton - McMaster researchers from three disciplines are deploying thousands of tiny worms and a homegrown invention to test drugs in a collaborative bid to defeat Parkinson's disease. A team of researchers from the faculties of Science, Engineering and Health Sciences, armed with a $450,000 grant from the Collaborative Health Research Projects program, are to spend the next three years using microtechnology to search for effective new drugs to treat the degenerative neurological disease. The method they are using could speed the process of drug discovery in other areas.

____________________
Drivers

Making It Easier For RV Drivers To Enjoy Summer

Ontario's Government Saving RV Owners Time And Money

Toronto - Starting July 1, drivers can tow recreational vehicles (RVs) if they have a full class G licence. This will make it easier for Ontarians to travel this summer and save RV owners about $200 in initial licence costs. Until now, Ontario drivers have needed a class A licence to tow RVs that weigh more than 4,600 kg.

____________________
Convention

Minister of State Goodyear Attends 2011 BIO International Convention

WASHINGTON - The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), will take part in the upcoming BIO International Convention 2011, underlining the government's efforts to encourage growth and innovation through investments in research.

____________________
Technology

LED Medical Diagnostics to Apply Fluorescence Technology to Dermatology Market

BURNABY - LED Medical Diagnostics Inc., parent company of VELscope Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment system manufacturer LED Dental, announced that it is pursuing an initiative to apply its tissue fluorescence visualization technology to the detection of skin cancer and other dermatologic diseases.

____________________
Education

Carleton University Excels in Prestigious Fulbright Program

Ottawa – Dr. Claudio Aporta, an associate professor at Carleton University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, has been named the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Canadian Studies at the University of Washington. In addition, Carleton will host two distinguished Fulbright scholars from the United States.

____________________
Economy

Study: Economy and the environment

Statscan - Canada's natural wealth, defined as the dollar value of selected natural resource stocks and land, stood at roughly $3 trillion in 2009. In 1990, it was just under $1 trillion.

____________________
Tourism

2010 Annual Tourism Report

Report highlights how CTC's marketing efforts generated $1.9 billion for Canada's economy in 2010

VANCOUVER - The Canadian Tourism Commission delivered a strong return on its tourism marketing investments last year, as outlined in its 2010 Annual Report, which was tabled in Parliament on June 22, 2011 by the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry. Entitled "Seizing Opportunities for New Growth", the Annual Report highlights the CTC's activities in 2010 and shows how every dollar invested in its core campaigns generated $82 for Canada's economy.

____________________
Consumer Survey

Social Media Overrated as Retail Information Sources Majority of Consumers Prefer Retailer Websites for Product Info

TORONTO - Retailers who focus on getting their product and services messages out on Facebook and Twitter are probably spending time and effort in the wrong area. That's the conclusion of data sourced from KubasPrimedia's Major Market Retail Report study - a survey of over 1,500 consumers on their retail shopping habits and store preferences.

____________________
Guest Column

Who Can Lead the Economy to Recovery?

It’s Not the GOP or the Dems – It’s CEOs

Mark Faust is tired of hearing politicians complain about President Obama, Obama complain about Congress and Congress complain about taxes when it comes to the stuttering economic recovery.