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Fredericton production acts as research project around winter sports and aging – CBC.ca

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Stephanie Dotto said the workshops have so far been well-attended and she’s noticing that participants are more willing to step out of their comfort zone the longer they attend. (Submitted by Stephanie Dotto)

A Fredericton-based production is hoping to raise awareness around winter sports and aging, create a sense of community between generations, and build opportunities for seniors to better engage in winter sports. 

A Winter’s Play will see a group of volunteers aged 16 to 25 and those 65 and older collaborate to create a play based on real barriers and stereotypes around sports and aging, specifically in hockey and curling, said Stephanie Dotto, a postdoctoral researcher at St. Thomas University.  

“We wanted to bring these two age groups together because they’re often encouraged to see each other as problems, and younger people don’t typically think much about aging or the fullness of aging,” said Dotto.  

The project stems from sociologist Kristi Allain’s research at STU around aging and winter sports.

People sitting on tables and chairs working together
The Winter’s Play project is currently in Phase 1, where participants collaborate in a series of workshops to create scenes based on their own experiences and to demonstrate Kristi Allain’s research. Pictured (from left to right) is Rylie German, Valerie DeLong, Bruce Valley, and Pat Tozer. (Submitted by Stephanie Dotto)

Dotto, who’s leading the project alongside Allain, received a masters in theatre studies from the University of Guelph and specializes in using theatre as a tool for education and social justice.

“I’m using theatre to dramatize some of [Allain’s] research on aging and winter sports,” said Dotto. 

The project is currently in Phase 1, where participants take part in a series of workshops to create scenes based on their experiences in order to reflect Allain’s research. 

Dotto said an example of a scene might be to display how older people use a stick for support while they curl, whereas younger people poke fun at them for using a stick. 

“[Curlers] have a lot of strong feelings about using sticks for curling. They’re an accessibility device that prevents you from having to bend down when you deliver the rock,” said Dotto. 

“So, it might be a scene where someone doesn’t want to show their age by using a stick.” 

Two people acting out a scene. Two people watching them.
Stephanie Dotto, a postdoctoral researcher at St. Thomas University, said the goal with the Winter’s Play project is to highlight the barriers and intergenerational divide that many older people encounter with winter sports. (Submitted by Stephanie Dotto)

She said a big part of this project is to raise awareness of older people’s involvement and desire to be involved in winter sports. 

Dotto said Allain’s research revealed that older people are encouraged to exercise for their health and to reduce the risk that they burden the health-care system.

“But, when she’s gone and actually talked to older people, their reasons for exercising are a lot more complex and rich and have to do with the enjoyment of moving bodies, joy, socializing and even a competitive drive to win and beat their peers,” said Dotto.

She said when we talk about winter sports in Canada, we often don’t talk about seniors, “but older people are often the backbones of recreational leagues and community sports, both playing and behind the scenes.” 

The hope is to showcase the production at STU’s Black Box Theatre as well as other theatres in the Fredericton area this spring. 

Sports stakeholders and politicians will be invited to attend the production in hopes it can drive some positive change for seniors and increase accessibility to winter sports, said Dotto. 

St. Thomas University sociology student Madison Bird is the research assistant for this project and said she’s loved assisting Allain in her research over the past few years.

“It’s really important work … there’s a large aging population [in New Brunswick] and they’re so often overlooked,” said Bird. 

“We have a wonderful group and it’s been really nice to see everyone engaged in all of the theatre activities,” said Bird. 

She said participants were nervous at the first workshop, but have since started coming out of their comfort zone and working with their co-participants of both age categories. 

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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