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What is new media and how can it help us: A look back at Elevate 2019

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BY CHRISTINA GWIRA

Anyone taking a look at the lineup, stages and events that occurred during this year’s Elevate Fest (Elevte) will be instantly overwhelmed. Instantly. With over 20,000 guests in attendance, more than 500 media outlets (including Toronto Caribbean Newspaper) and more than 300 speakers, Elevate 2019 really aimed to pack in as much innovation as possible into the Downtown Core. From September 20t – 26th, 2019, various locations across Downtown Toronto were graced with the presence of astronauts and scientists, podcasts and influencers, gathered together to find solutions to our societies tough problems. This is the goal of Elevate, “to unite the world’s innovators to solve society’s greatest challenges”. But how can all of this innovation help us? Full disclosure: I won’t be able to provide you with an answer for that question today. I don’t think it’s an answer I could provide you with tomorrow, or during next week’s issue. However, I will attempt to massage your mind with tidbits of what was learned and shared during my day at Elevate.

First up on the docket are the stages. In total, there were thirteen stages, sprawled across the Downtown Core. The stages that were during this year’s Elevate were: AI, Business, Data Analytics, Digital Transformation, Main Stage: ScaleUp, Money, New Media, Product, Retail, Smart Cities Summit 4.0, Talent, Wellness and Youth. That’s quite a lot. Each stage was represented by a different venue within the City. I hung out mostly at the New Media and Talent stages. New Media took place at the Design Exchange (DX), located at 234 Bay Street. Talent, was nestled deep within the MaRS Centre (MaRS), home to Facebook and many other startups. This was a very cool idea as it allowed you to move and explore the city, while learning about new and interesting advances in technology and business.

Checking in at DX was easy and the volunteers for the event were super helpful and friendly. One of them even took my photo in front of the Elevate sign, which was a nice touch. The first talk that I heard for the day was given by Samantha Barry, the editor-in-chief of GLAMOUR Magazine. Her talk was on, “The Evolution of Women in Power”. The visuals of her presentation were outstanding. She showcased how the magazine had changed its focus from less of a print magazine, to creating content in digital formats, like the “She Makes Money Moves Podcast” – to provide content that is accessible, inclusive and can reach a broader audience. Across the screen, images of women from all backgrounds and sizes entered and exited, a real testament to the content that GLAMOUR creates on a daily basis to uplift and inform their audience. In the age of fake news, bad news and fake views, it was good to see a publication that was putting their coins behind truly making digital media a benefit to all.

The next talk featured Ariel Garten of MUSE. This was a new one for me. Muse is a wearable brain sensing headband. In short, the MUSE headband provides “technology assisted meditation”. Yes, a headband that helps you meditate. Ariel shared with the room her story, which, funny enough, wasn’t really one of a struggle to success, and she was bold in saying so herself. She says that the reason for this is because she has always believed that one can “choose the thoughts in your head”. As such, she wanted to provide a way for people to use the powerful technique of meditation, which she says was a critical part to her success, to help them also achieve their own successes. During her talk, she took us through an exercise on how to deal with our inner jerk. It was an insightful moment, and one that I’ll remember to apply in my own walk of life.

The next talk that I attended at Elevate was one I didn’t plan for. I was busy checking my phone for notifications from home and office, and was looking for a power outlet to charge my phone. Disgruntled with the fact that this particular location didn’t have any charging stations, I wandered back into the green-lit auditorium. I walked into a talk by Jeremie Saunders of Sick Boy Podcast. I had no clue what the heck the talk was about. Come to find out, the talk was about cultivating connection through vulnerability, a very fitting title. At the time, I didn’t know the name of the talk, as it wasn’t one that I had favorited on the super-duper cool Elevate app. However, as I was fiddling with my data (for some reason, it wasn’t working), I was hearing his story talking about “Glamdrew”.

Glamdrew was a guest on the Sickboy Podcast who was living with a terminal form of cancer. Jeremie shared with us snippets from Glamdrew’s podcast episode, including photos and glimpses into the performative art piece that Glamdrew directed and performed, three days before passing away. The talk totally sidetracked me, I didn’t expect it, but it brought to the forefront as to how we can use new media – like podcasting, livestreaming and the like – to create a community that we can become open and honest with.

The next talk was around the world of influencers. The world of influencer marketing is one that is more glitter than gold, and in my opinion, the panel presented before us proved that. I wasn’t impressed with their findings, but I promise you, we’ll get to that in a later article. What would probably be the highlight of my stay at Elevate would be the conversion moderated by Claudette McGowan, who also interviewed Former First Lady Michelle Obama. HXUSE co-founder Ahmed Ismail hammered on the importance of, “getting the bag”, while Erin Alofson of Pinterest made it very clear that when it came to talent, it is the people in sales, that stay around. The question she posed to the audience was this, “how can you bring money to the company?”.

Overall, my experience at Elevate was one that cannot simply be contained in one article. Over the course of the next few editions, I plan to share more about the various nuances and lessons that I experienced and witnessed at this great event. In closing, I do believe that new media can help us, if we are ready and willing to do the necessary work to harness it for our own good, for others are doing, so why shouldn’t we?

Girl boss, Christina Gwira happens to be a technology wiz, and now heads up our Technology Specialist Column. She became her own boss for the first time in 2008. Running her own business provided her with the lessons and experience she needed, and now,she is running three successful businesses, has over 10+ years in business,and 1.5+ million views on Youtube. “My calling is to prevent other millennial entrepreneurs from going through some of the hardships I went through. I am here to equip bloggers, brand builders and business owners with the framework to build a brand, ready to impact this digital age.”

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You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest

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BY MICHAEL THOMAS

According to a new peer-reviewed study funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sixty per cent of young people who were hospitalized with Myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine still showed signs of this disease six months after being injected.

Some 307 out of 333 patients they started with had their health data collected from April 2021 to November 2022. The time between injection and follow-up varied, with a median of 178 days, almost six months.

What is worse is the study authors are said to be making fun of the seriousness of the findings. They are calling the results reassuring and describing these cases of Myocarditis as mild.

Who are these study authors? Why are they acting so recklessly? Critics said that some of those study authors who published their report in The Lancet on September 6th, 2024, also have ties to the government and the big drug companies that may have influenced the research.

One such person is lead author Dr Supriya S. Jain, a pediatric cardiologist and researcher at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York. Daniel O’Conner of Trial Site News criticized the FDA as the study’s funder. “The FDA is not keeping up with its tradition of ‘patient safety first,’” he said.

O’Conner said he believes the outcome is much more severe than is reported, and The FDA study authors do not have the urgency they should, given the vulnerabilities of the population.

Chief Scientific Officer of The Children’s Health Defense Brian Hooker agreed, saying he was “disgusted” by the study authors’ downplaying of cardiac harm caused by the COVID-19 mRNA injections. Hooker is quoted as saying, “You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest for the rest of your life.”

Some of the most vital questions here concerning these injected youths, and the injected population is “What happens as they age?” or “Where do they go from here?”

It is important to know that medical researchers have pointed out that studies show Myocarditis can be life-threatening and can also cause critical changes and scarring of the heart.

“I don’t feel that any incidence of vaccine-induced Myocarditis is reassuring,” Heather Ray, a science and research analyst with CHD told a reputable news source. “Additionally, we have all witnessed several anecdotal, or personal reports of individuals who died from vaccine-induced cardiac issues over the past four years.”

Dr Peter McCullough said, as a cardiologist, he was “Greatly concerned,” that COVID-19 vaccine heart damage in most of the young people studied had not resolved at the time of follow-up. McCullough said that he disagreed with the author’s reports calling this finding mild, “Even small areas of damage invisible to cardiac MRI could put vaccine recipients at risk for a future cardiac arrest.”

It is amazing that with all these findings and recommendations to date, COVID mRNA Injections are still very intentionally and maliciously pushed on the population quietly worldwide, this is especially true here in Canada.

It may interest readers to know that the same people behind these mRNA injections in the Western world have decided to look at Africans as lab rats too. The World Health Organization has approved so-called mpox injections for use in adults and said it can be used for: babies, children, teens, and pregnant women in Africa.

Brian Hooker called the WHO’s approval of the shot for infants and children in Africa “A train wreck in the making.”

Recently here in Canada, Global News is now warning that the CDC is telling folks that COVID injections, and heart inflammation issues between injected teens are related. This is something that Toronto Caribbean Newspaper has been warning Canadians about for years now.

Again, Global News has reported, “Myocarditis is noted by the Canadian Pediatric Society as a possible side effect of mRNA injections.” https://old.bitchute.com/video/EFDWj1rHrX6v/

Now more than ever it is vital that folks think for themselves and quit relying on compromised professionals who are in positions of power but are wolves in sheep’s clothing working for Big Pharma.

A rule of thumb is to question everything because history has shown that liars usually suffer from short memory.

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New course launched that counters narratives and understands Black children’s humanity

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The launch of the new course “Black Childhoods in Canada” in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University is positive and encouraging. Details of the launch of this groundbreaking course were revealed in a post by Clara Wong on May 8th, 2024. For many students it will be the first time formally studying Black experiences; encountering Black scholarship, or even being taught by a Black professor. It was introduced in the winter term of 2024 and was one of the first courses in TMU’s Black Studies minor, which is offered by the Faculty of Community Services.

The course is coded as “CLD540” and details of its content are noted.

“An introduction to Black Canadian Studies in the context of childhoods. Childhoods are considered via Black feminism, Black studies, anti-racism, and de-colonial theoretical and practical frameworks and pedagogy. Students engage in a range of textual, experiential and multi-modal learning opportunities.”

Some of the topics covered include:

  • Black acts and media
  • Black Canadian histories
  • Black families and mothering
  • Black girlhood
  • Blackness and disability
  • Blackness and ECEC and education
  • Black play
  • Black queer activism
  • Global anti-Black racism

Professor Rachel Berman was inspired to enlarge the Black studies content in early childhood studies and reached out to her colleague, Janelle Brady to collaborate on the development of the course. This was financed through the Faculty of Community Services Anti-Black Racism Curriculum Development Fund, which ensured that it was ready.

Professor Berman states, “I’m thrilled now to see the course come to life. It’s long overdue. There’s a deficit assumption about Black children-that Black boys make trouble during play, or that Black girls are made to seem more mature than they are. We need to counter those narratives and understand Black children’s humanity.”

Professor Brady notes, “The course doesn’t resolve everything, but it’s a start in breaking the ‘preschool-to-prison’ pipeline for Black children.”

She observed further that the impact of teaching the course has influenced her greatly. She adds, “It motivated me to do even more and seek more resources. There were so many informal discussions among students inside and outside of class. There’s a real hunger for spaces like this. It was inspiring to see how much students are already engaged in anti-Black racism work, and I feel I was learning just as much as they were.”

There are many testimonials from students who have been enrolled in this extraordinary course. Faizi Ali, an undergraduate student in the early childhood studies program states, “Any forum that allows Black students to lift their voice is cause for celebration. The course provides so much space for us to exchange ideas and thoughtful dialogue. I’ve gained many new perspectives and techniques to better support students.”

Magdalena Grammenopoulos, a media production undergraduate student, talked about the insight that left the biggest impression on her from the course. She states, “The concept of Black ‘futurity.’ It’s about imagining a stronger future for Black children through the ways we live day-to-day-ways that counter the stereotypes and discrimination which prevent Black children from living as freely as others. I want to implement futurity by always taking it upon myself to create safer spaces for Black children, whether it be my friends, family, or strangers.”

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“No! You can’t check my phone.” Border officers are not authorized to search your electronic device

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Each year, millions of Canadians travel abroad, and we carry our personal devices (computers, tablets, and smartphones). These devices contain highly sensitive and private information about who you are, reflecting your: lifestyle, beliefs, relationships, finances, and health.

What you may not know is that even though your personal device is very personal, and highly sensitive because of the information on it, section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act allows Canadian Border Officers to search these devices without any reasonable suspicion. This law was recently challenged by two travelers, Jeremy Pike and David Scott, who were charged with possessing and importing child pornography after their devices were searched. Now, although it is a good thing that this type of behaviour was caught, the key question in their appeal is whether this law is constitutional.

On August 12th, 2024, the Court of Appeal for Ontario released its decision in R v. Pike, 2024 ONCA 608, holding that section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act, which authorizes border officers to search electronic devices without any reasonable basis, is unconstitutional because it violates the section 8 Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. CCLA was an intervener in the case.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is a human rights organization committed to defending the: rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada. CCLA is the pre-eminent voice advocating for the rights and freedoms of all Canadians and all persons living in Canada. They are leaders in protecting rights and have earned widespread respect for their principled stand on such issues as: national security, censorship, capital punishment, and police and state accountability with a fearless voice on civil liberties, human rights and democratic freedoms.

Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, made the following statement, “CCLA applauds this important ruling, which makes it clear the border is not a Charter-free zone. As CCLA argued, standardless limitless searches of electronic devices, which contain highly private information, violate the Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.”

I had a chance to review the decision, and I found direct references of CCLA’s submissions at paragraphs:

  • 63: The Crown’s related counterargument that travelers’ “choice” to travel with digital devices merits a lower threshold also fails. Because digital devices are our “constant companion[s]” (Bykovets, at para. 1), travelers need to bring them across borders to work and communicate. As the trial judge ruled, leaving them behind is not a meaningful choice. Neither is declining to leave and re-enter Canada, which, as the intervener Canadian Civil Liberties Association (the “CCLA”) submits, is not merely a choice but a section 6 Charter Just as “Canadians are not required to become digital recluses” to preserve their privacy (R. v. Jones, 2017 SCC 60, [2017] 2 S.C.R. 696, at para. 45), they also should not have to surrender the ability to enter and leave Canada with an indispensable instrument of modern life.
  • 66: The law’s low threshold increases this risk because, as the CCLA submits, low threshold powers are the easiest for officers to wield to target, whether intentionally or not, racialized and disadvantaged people: R. v. Landry. While the law’s good faith purpose test offers some protection against this risk, its subjective nature makes that risk harder to detect because officers do not have to point to objective facts to justify the search and help negate the possibility of discrimination.
  • 73: Simmons held that the state’s interest in suppressing the trafficking of drugs produced in other countries that had to be transported across the physical border to enter Canada justified the strip search law: at pp. 526-529. In contrast, digital contraband, even when downloaded to a device, is usually also stored on external servers and can be electronically transmitted into Canada, a mode of transmission that the Agency admits it has no mandate to control.

(They refer to Professor Steven Penney’s article “Mere Evidence? Why Customs Searches of Digital Devices Violate Section 8 of the Charter” and an article by Professor Robert Diab “Protecting the Right to Privacy in Digital Devices: Reasonable Search on Arrest and at the Border” (2018)

  • 89: Manual searches can still invade large amounts of highly private information and, if officers invest the time, can be almost as revealing as forensic searches. Further, officers could easily use manual searches as a backdoor to gain information that would meet the higher threshold to conduct forensic searches.

They refer to an article by Bingzi Hu, “Border Search in the Digital Era: Refashioning the Routine vs. Nonroutine Distinction for Electronic Device Searches” (2022)

“Parliament must legislate a stringent standard with clear safeguards for the state to search an electronic device at the border. This reflects the fact that electronic devices are a trove of our most personal, intimate, and sensitive information,” shares Shakir.

The pandemic showed how willing our government is to overlook and ignore our rights and freedoms. This is why the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper will always keep you “In the Know,” when it comes to how to truly live as a FREE Canadian.

REFERENCES:

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2024/2024onca608/2024onca608.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2017/2017scc60/2017scc60.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11/latest/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11.html

https://ccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CCLA-Intervener-Factum-R.-v.-Pike-Scott-COA-23-CR-0023-C70656.pdf

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