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Just how big of a deal is AI? At this year’s Directions 2019, IDC Canada experts will be speaking to a variety of topics that are reshaping the digital visions and tactics modern companies are using to compete. Explore how AI encompasses a huge spectrum of technologies for the enterprise and how at the center of it all is data. On May 02, join Warren Shiau, Research Vice-President with IDC Canada as he presents a highly anticipated talk on AI: Process Animation at 11:20 AM. Warren will look at what’s being adopted by Canadian enterprise under the banner of AI; and why AI can generate significant business value even in the absence of large data science teams and enterprise-wide high-quality data. Deep learning may rule the future but “small AI” targeting things like process automation rules the day. Organizations are rethinking digital transformation – join us May 02 to learn more. Location: St. James Cathedral Centre: Snell Hall, 65 Church Street | Toronto Date: May 2, 2019 Time: 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM - Registration & Networking Breakfast | 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM Conference Program Register Today before it's too late! If you're a member of the media and would like to attend this event, please contact Cristina Santander at csantander@idc.com
It’s time to talk about death and dying – let our experts explain
It’s a fact – we are all one day, going to die. For doctors and frontline health care providers death is just part of the job. However, talking about death with patients, care givers colleagues and families of patients – is another thing. Bed side manner is one area, but for most doctors the concept of diverging from fact-based conversations beyond treatment, diagnosis and prevention are sometimes foreign territory. The good news is times are changing. As our populations age and as we all become more familiar with the journey towards end of life, comfort levels are easing, and more and more clinicians are becoming familiar with how to talk about dying. Those conversations are never easy, and neither is covering such topics in the news – but that’s where our experts are here to help. Dr. Dennis Sullivan serves as professor of pharmacy practice and director of the Center for Bioethics. His research and writing interests include biomedical ethics, moral philosophy, and end of life issues. Contact him today for your story! Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
Notre Dame Fire Marks ‘Dark Day,’ But Beauty Will Emerge, Baylor Architectural Historian Says
In the wake of a massive fire that devasted Paris’ iconic Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday and captured eyes and prompted tears across the globe, a Baylor University expert in architectural history said beauty can emerge from the ashes. Elise King, M.I.D., M.A.,, assistant professor of interior design in Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, is an architectural and design historian. “Something I find comforting is that when you study architecture and design throughout history, there are numerous examples demonstrating that destruction, chaos and loss can beget inspired beauty. No matter the damage, this will not be the end of Notre Dame’s story,” King said. “Architecture isn’t static; it’s designed to adapt and change. The more significant the structure, the more likely its legacy will continue in some built form,” she said. “Whether it’s reconstruction, preservation and restoration, new construction or, more likely, some combination of strategies, Île de la Cité will not be without its cathedral.” French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that he hopes the 850-year-old building could be rebuilt within five years. “We will rebuild the cathedral and make it even more beautiful,” Macron said, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal. King said that the Notre Dame the world has come to know from pictures or personal visits is not the Notre Dame of the 12th Century. “The beloved gargoyles, for example, were added in the 19th century during Viollet-le-Duc's controversial ‘restoration' of the cathedral,” she said. “There is no doubt that today will be remembered as a dark day in Notre Dame’s history. But already there is light, as groups of Parisians came together tonight to sing ‘Ave Maria’ on the sidewalk in front of the smoldering edifice. And if the damage is severe, I hope the destruction will inspire new and innovative design solutions.” ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
Transparency from charities about how funds are used builds trust and increases giving
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Charitable and humanitarian organizations are increasingly tapping into a $30 billion crowdfunding market, not only to raise funds but to build donors' trust by being more transparent, according to research from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. Certified charities like the American Red Cross regularly use crowdfunding after hurricanes and wildfires. But other, often local, organizations that are quickly created after emergencies can compensate for their lack of government certification by posting frequent updates about how funds are being used. Authors of the paper are Jorge Mejia, assistant professor of operations and decision technologies; Alfonso Pedraza-Martinez, associate professor of operations and decision technologies and Grainger Faculty Fellow; and Gloria Urrea, a visiting scholar of operations and decision technologies. Mejia, the paper's lead author, noted its timeliness in light of several recent fraud cases involving charitable giving, such as the college admissions scandal and questions about the charitable status of politicians' private foundations and religious organizations. "Our paper tackles some of these challenges head on by providing a way to increase the transparency of these organizations online," he said. The paper's findings also have implications for donors, who need to pay attention to how charities are using donations, as shown through regular operational updates and other communication and certification. "Our results indicate that individuals and humanitarian organizations willing to start crowdfunding campaigns benefit from transparency," the researchers said. "As updates have a positive effect on donations, organizations can increase funding by keeping donors informed on a regular basis about the campaign's progress." The process of receiving approval from the Internal Revenue Service as a certified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization can take months, long after the immediate needs of a disaster have passed. In the meantime, local organizations accept donations to help with recovery efforts immediately using crowdfunding. "Donations increased both when campaigns provided frequent updates about the work of the charity and when campaigns were certified," the Kelley professors said. "Strikingly, we found that the size of the positive effect derived from operational transparency -- from communications work -- is much greater than the size of the effect of conventional transparency, from being a certified tax-exempt charity. "But not all updates are the same. Operational transparency increases the financial benefits of updates," they added. "Campaign organizers should focus their efforts on posting work-related updates to describe how the campaign is achieving its objective." Researchers collected data from a large online platform for charity crowdfunding and analyzed nearly 108,000 emergency campaigns over a seven-year period. Just over half of the campaigns posted at least one campaign update, and just 9 percent of the campaigns were certified. Each work-related word in updates increased donations on average by $65 per month, while being a certified campaign raised funds on average by $22 a month. The research article, "Operational Transparency on Crowdfunding Platforms: Effect on Donations for Emergency Response," appears online in the journal Production and Operations Management.
Is it Time to Rethink Digital Transformation? Join our experts May 02 to Find Out!
Organizations are rethinking digital transformation. After some high-profile failures, innovation being treated as a sideshow, and elusive ROIs, organizations are reshaping their digital visions and their tactics for getting there. With greater clarity about what the future enterprise will look like and what it will take to compete in redefined industries, companies are pivoting away from digital for the sake of innovation to digital for the sake of the business. Join us and catch Dave Pearson, Research Director and Team Lead for IDC Canada's Infrastructure Solutions Research Group presenting: ‘The New Infrastructure Data World ’ at IDC Directions 2019 in Toronto on May 02. Data growth and capacity concerns continue to the be the number one stress on data centers in Canada. At the same time, IT is expected to support Digital Transformation (DX) and new business initiatives at nearline speed. What will your next generation of infrastructure need to look like to support the variety of workloads, applications, and data sources your organization requires, from core to cloud to edge? Find out in Dave's breakout session at IDC Directions in Toronto Location St. James Cathedral Centre: Snell Hall 65 Church Street | Toronto Date May 2, 2019 Time 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM - Registration & Networking Breakfast 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM Conference Program Register Today before it's too late! If you're a member of the media and would like to attend this event, please contact Cristina Santander at csantander@idc.com
Will Apple shine or is a little too late to be dipping its toe into the streaming game?
It was the big unveil a lot of tech insiders, analysts and Apple followers had been anticipating. With Oprah, Steven Spielberg and other members of the entertainment elite on-hand to lend a hand – Apple TV Plus was finally revealed. The service, coming this fall, will be subscription based and will bring exclusive original shows, movies, and documentaries to rival the likes of Amazon, Netflix and Crave. While it is unlikely Canada will see the inclusion of "Apple TV Channels" in all its US-like glory, it is certain that Apple's arrival to the streaming space would further put the squeeze on traditional TV service providers. With yet another premium content streaming service to choose and a finite budget, consumers will have to start making tougher choices between letting go of something or shaving off cost somewhere – unfortunately, the traditional TV cord may be the first in consideration. Here are the questions some insiders are pondering: Will a loyal customer base and strong partner relationships prove advantageous in luring content creators and viewership alike as Apple TV Plus breaks through the boundaries of Apple hardware? Where does the real opportunity lie for companies like Apple? How will they fare as consumers are challenged to make tougher decisions on who gets a share of their wallet? Will it be traditional TV or OTT Video service that gets the boot? According to Manish Nargas "Currently, consumer intent to continue to subscribe to TV services remains relatively stable year over year in Canada and consumers are happy to complement TV with other OTT video services". IDC's latest survey, Canadian Consumer Survey Indicators, 2019: Wireless, Internet, TV, and OTT Video Services shows that "those who do plan to reduce or stop their TV service, do so in order to save money, not on account of dissatisfaction in quality of service." There are a lot of questions to be answered between now and when Apple TV Plus launches and that’s where our experts can help. Manish Nargas is a research analyst specializing in consumer and mobile research. He is an expert in emerging consumer technologies with a focus on usage trends and adoption. Simply click on Manish’s icon to learn more about this survey or to arrange an interview.
The amazing story of General Casimir Pulaski and the secret the war hero took to the grave
He’s a person who has intrigued Americans for centuries and will be the subject of a documentary airing Monday. Scientists have confirmed that legendary Revolutionary War hero and famed General Casimir Pulaski took a secret to the grave. The General was intersex. News of this was enough to inspire an episode in Smithsonian Channel's "America's Hidden Stories" documentary series. Georgia Southern University’s Virginia Hutton Estabrook, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology, was recently contacted by media for expert perspective and comment. In the documentary — “The General Was Female?” — which premieres Monday, scientists use skeletal remains and DNA testing to make a case that the skeleton was Pulaski’s and that the Polish-born general was intersex, or what used to be known as a hermaphrodite.“That’s pretty much the only way to explain the combination of features that we see,” said Estabrook, who participated in the most recent effort to identify the bones, and appears in the documentary.“He was so important as a touchstone for the Polish community. And it’s kind of cool that in the 21st century, Pulaski can be a touchstone for a different group of people: That, hey, there were intersex people in history, too, and here’s this one who had this really amazing life: heroic, resourceful, all of the features in the American narrative that we value and treasure.” – Chicago Tribune This discovery unearths questions about what this might mean as we all look back at history and the real people who helped write it. Are you covering this story and need to expert perspective, insight and information? That’s where the experts from Georgia Southern University can help. Virginia Hutton Estabrook is an assistant professor of anthropology and played an integral role in this discovery. She is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.
Same Ole’ Song, Different Chorus
Within the President’s 2020 education budget request, Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos gave testimony to a House appropriations subcommittee last week in Washington DC. Within a short back and forth between Devos and Katherine Clark, United States Representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district, DeVos unapologetically stood behind non-black research used within a recent report justifying the removal of Obama-era school discipline guidance. The Obama guidance was beseeched to not only inhibit the national disproportionate Black v. White suspension rate, but it also attempted to curtail the school-to-prison pipeline countless education researchers, such as myself, have studied. The report DeVos submitted is nothing but a product that essentially is a reproduction of systemic racism. In order for a reproduction of systemic racism to transpire, and “subsequent measures of control to be not only in place but legitimized, an entrenchment of inferiority directed toward the marginalized is needed.” The use of systemic reproduction of racism is what created and maintains the establishment of two separate worlds—one White and one deemed Black. DeVos and the research she used as the foundation for her misguided justification for the removal of said guidance dates back much further than DeVos can count. During the late 19th and early 20th century, White so-called intellectuals William Shockley to Charles Murray have attempted to depict Blacks as less intelligent, more violent, immoral, sexual monsters, and on and on. DeVos and her findings are nothing but 21st-century scientific racism. https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-04-01/rep-katherine-clark-calls-for-betsy-devos-to-resign-citing-racist-research
A study conducted ahead of CAA’s Worst Roads campaign underscores how Ontarians feel about the state of their roads. Seventy-one per cent of those surveyed say they are concerned about the condition of roads, while 60 per cent of respondents don’t believe that roads are being repaired in a timely manner. The data reinforces the campaign’s importance, says Raymond Chan, government relations specialist for CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO). “The simple act of participating in the CAA Worst Roads campaign can help various levels of government understand what roadway improvements are top of mind for road users, and where improvements could be prioritized.” The study also found that while most regularly see roads in need of repair, 67 per cent of respondents stated they took no action to get them repaired. The CAA Worst Roads campaign is designed to be an easy forum for Ontarians to engage and take action on issues that impact them. “We want to know what roads are seen as pain points for Ontarians. Whether the issue is congestion, potholes, road signage or challenges around pedestrian and cycling safety, CAA wants to hear from you," says Chan. Investing in infrastructure improvements, including the proper maintenance of roads and bridges, is important to the vitality of local communities. CAA continues to advocate for longer-term dedicated infrastructure funding to help municipalities prepare, plan, budget and execute on repair backlogs and capital projects. Repaving and repair work has been completed on many of the roads that have appeared on Ontario’s CAA Worst Roads list. Some examples include: Burlington St. E., Hamilton This Hamilton road has appeared on the annual list since 2008. It received the dubious honour of Ontario's Worst Road in both 2017 and 2018, thanks in part to potholes and crumbling pavement. A total of $3.3 million has been allocated to resurface and replace the lower part of Burlington St. E. with fresh pavement in 2018/2019. Duckworth St., Barrie This Barrie roadway claimed the third spot in the 2018 campaign. The first phase of a $10.3M reconstruction of Duckworth St. began last fall and the second phase will begin this spring. Improvements of Duckworth St. between Melrose Ave. and Bell Farm Rd. are planned for completion in 2020. Dufferin St., Toronto Topping the list from 2012 to 2014, Toronto’s Dufferin St. has continued to appear on the Top 10 list of Ontario’s Worst Roads. As part of the City of Toronto’s Capital Works Program, Dufferin St. from Dundas St. W. to Bloor St. W. was repaved and sections of damaged curb and sidewalk were replaced. CAA SCO is calling on Ontarians to vote for their Worst Road today and join the community of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians committed to improving Ontario’s roads. Nominations for CAA’s Worst Roads can be cast at caaworstroads.com until April 26. To encourage participants to act on their concerns, they will be entered into a grand prize draw to win free gas for a year, or one of 10 secondary prizes. Once voting closes, CAA will compile a list of the 10 worst roads in Ontario, along with the worst roads in regions across the province. The regional top five lists will help shine further light on the state of local roads in municipalities across Ontario. CAA will present the list of 2019 Worst Roads to local and provincial officials to help inform future funding and planning decisions. About the Survey This study was conducted online by Campaign Research between February 15-20, 2019 among a sample of 1,515 Ontario residents who were 18 years of age or older. A probability sample of this size would have a margin of error of +-2.5% 19 times out of 20. About CAA South Central As a leader and advocate for road safety and mobility, CAA South Central Ontario is a not-for-profit auto club which represents the interests of 2 million members. For over a century, CAA has collaborated with communities, police services and government to help keep drivers and their families safe while travelling on our roads.
Deal or no deal – is Britain about to go bust with Brexit?
It’s pretty much deal or no deal. After a couple of years on negotiating, glad-handing, spinning and voting – Britain is now looking down the barrel of leaving the European Union with no deal in place. With two years to figure things out, it seems infighting and politics have help Theresa May and Britain in a stagnant stalemate when it comes to agreeing on any sort of term for the U.K. to leave the E.U with some semblance of a trade agreement in place. So, what can we expect in the days before April 12? What’s the hold-up now? Is the economy really in jeopardy and what will that mean globally? And is it a big deal? Is it a matter of renegotiating after the deadline or does Britain risk leaving an enormous amount of trade leverage on the table? There’s so much up in the air right now with Brexit - and that’s where the experts from Cedarville University can help. Dr. Glen Deurr's research interests include nationalism and secessionism, comparative politics, and international relations theory. Glen is available to speak to media regarding the rise of extremism – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
