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Laurence Leboeuf Talks About The Massive Challenges For Her Character Mags as TRANSPLANT Hits The Home Stretch – Bell Media

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By BILL HARRIS

Special to The Lede

With Dr. Magalie “Mags” Leblanc facing such an emotional journey as the fourth and final season of CTV’s TRANSPLANT barrels toward its dramatic conclusion, Laurence Leboeuf has been walking a fine line with her deft portrayal.

As loyal viewers of TRANSPLANT know, Mags is not an overly emotional character in ordinary circumstances. So how is Mags going to react to the extreme situation that she’s now facing, heading into a crucial new episode, Friday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app?

SPOILER ALERT:  Up-to-date plot details are about to be discussed.

Mags has been dealing with a heart condition her entire life, and now, just when she’s on the verge of the big promotion she has always wanted, the opportunity for a heart transplant has emerged. Of course, time is of the essence, and choices have to be made quickly. At the end of the most recent episode, after intense consideration, Mags gave her consent for the surgery to proceed.

Leboeuf chuckled when it was suggested to her that the writers of TRANSPLANT couldn’t have made her work any harder in Season 4, with Mags going through so much in the home stretch of the show.

“Oh no, it’s a blessing, actually, to finish things this way,” Leboeuf said. “Having to go through such a big range of emotions, and having an arc that moves, I find it was a great gift to have this year. We’re going really deep. This is my favourite season, and I’m not even exaggerating, or lying, when I say that. I really mean it.”

As for the balancing act of processing emotions for a character who isn’t naturally emotional, Leboeuf said, “I don’t know if this has happened to you before, but sometimes, when you have really hard things going on in life, like a critical situation, or something serious with a loved one, it’s as if there’s something that needs to sink in before the emotion comes. That’s probably how Mags internalizes it.”

And there’s also the professional side of it for Mags, too.

“She’s usually the doctor,” Leboeuf agreed. “She’s a doctor, and a really good one, too. So it’s interesting that the show has put her in this position. Now she’s also a vulnerable patient. Which side takes over? Which side dominates the other? That has been a great challenge, but I love it.”

Another one of Mags’ strongest characteristics is her independence, but the walls have been closing in on that front as well. Everyone who is aware of what’s going on wants to help, but sometimes what they consider helpful doesn’t necessarily feel that way to Mags. Even her mom is driving her crazy, with some rogue and unwanted plans for post-surgery living arrangements.

“Isn’t that how we all feel about our parents sometimes? ‘I love you so much, but stop it!’” Leboeuf said with a big laugh. “I think there’s definitely some of that. And she also has Bash (Dr. Bashir Hamed, played by Hamza Haq) in her life. But, Mags still has to learn to soften that part of her. She needs to let people help her, and let them see her in that vulnerable kind of state.”

Does it seem to Leboeuf as if almost four years have passed since the debut of TRANSPLANT back in early 2020?

“I don’t know where the time has gone,” said Leboeuf, who also has a recurring role on SHORESY (available on Crave), playing herself. “Because TRANSPLANT is nearing the end, we were watching a couple of clips from Season 1, and I do feel like we look like babies. So much has happened between the first season and now. We even went through a pandemic! But, that’s the weird thing about time. It’s really strange how fast it goes by, but then you realize a big chunk of your story has happened.”

There are certainly big chunks of story left to be told on TRANSPLANT, for Mags and all the other characters, with only five episodes remaining (one this week, one next week, and then three after the holidays, in early 2024).

“There are still some great complex and emotional medical cases coming our way, that’s for sure,” Leboeuf said. “But, I think we’re coming to the peak of the story that we wanted to tell. I’m really proud of how the show is going to end. I think maybe, finally, our characters are going to somehow find out who they are, and where they belong.”

billharristv@gmail.com

@billharris_tv

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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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