Nearly half of Canadians approaching retirement consider their legacy….
Investors Group poll finds

Family still first in line for inheritance

WINNIPEG, Dec. 4 /CNW/ - Nearly half of Canadians 55 and older have thought about leaving a life legacy as a way to affect positive change, according to a new poll by Investors Group. Forty-seven per cent indicated they had either thought about leaving a life legacy (26 per cent) or had plans in place for a legacy (21 percent).

"Approaching the retirement years is a main trigger point for planning to leave a legacy and give back to the community," said Richard Irish, Vice-President, Community Affairs, of Investors Group. "Canadians of all ages have core values of generosity and a willingness to help others - in fact, according to Statistics Canada, 85 per cent of people over the age of 15 give a financial donation to a charity or other non-profit organization. The next logical step involves planning for the future to ensure that their legacy comes true."

Estimates of intergenerational wealth transfers over the next 20 years have ranged as high as $1 trillion. Poll results indicate 68 percent of Canadians plan to leave their estate to family members. However, one-in-five Canadians (21 percent) of all ages said they plan to leave a family inheritance and provide a financial legacy. The legacy Canadians plan to leave to charitable and non-profit organizations will average about 28 per cent of their financial assets according to the Investors Group poll, regardless of age. Among Canadians 55 and older, 42 percent said they plan to leave up to one-tenth of their financial assets while another 49 percent said they would donate between one-tenth and one-half of their wealth.

"Planned giving is an important part of financial and estate planning, as well as a great way to help important organizations and their work," said Irish. "Charities have lots of room for growth in the estate planning of the nation and the potential rewards have never been greater." In envisioning their hopes for leaving a legacy, nearly half (46 per cent) of those 55 and older are motivated by helping to make the world a better place, and 43 per cent want to help those less fortunate. Twenty-eight per cent want to help their community grow and improve. Some Canadians of all ages are planning to establish a scholarship or bursary (15 per cent), or donate a permanent fund that will regularly disburse money (13 per cent). At 27 per cent, young people between the ages of 18-24 are most likely to plan to establish a scholarship. "There's great potential for individuals to leave a legacy in a
thoughtful, meaningful manner, but Canadians might not realize all the options that are available to them," said Irish. "If charities, financial advisors and investors start to have conversations early in the financial planning process, the foundation for the future will be laid."

Future GTA jobs rest on interpersonal skills and experience: study

Employers most value graduates with communication, work ethic, teamwork and customer service skills

TORONTO, Dec. 4 /CNW/ - Faced with chronically low productivity levels and an urban economy in flux, GTA employers are more inclined to hire post secondary graduates with workplace-ready skills acquired through a combination of classroom theory and job-related learning. According to a recent Northstar Research Partners report commissioned by Toronto's George Brown College, the most attractive graduates for hiring have a strong focus on interpersonal skills - especially the ability to communicate with people of different cultures, teamwork, customer service skills, oral communication skills and a strong work ethic. Half also ranked job related experience such as field or co-op placement as extremely or very important. Contrary to longstanding stereotypes about college education, almost 80 per cent of employers also said they felt college graduates were equally or better prepared for the workplace compared to university students, including 27 per cent who said college graduates were better prepared.

These numbers come on the heels of recent reports showing low worker productivity levels in Canada compared to its G8 counterparts. They also come at a time of an economic downturn, an under-employed immigrant population and a projected vacuum of qualified workers as baby boomers exit the workforce. "Canadian colleges, like George Brown, have been closely aligned with industry and business in developing curriculum that meets the current and evolving socioeconomic realities facing many municipalities," said Anne Sado, President of George Brown College. "Industry partnerships are of utmost importance to us and with nine out of 10 George Brown College graduates successfully landing full-time employment within six months of graduation our focus is obviously paying dividends for employers and students alike." Asked how colleges could best meet their needs, the vast majority of employers called for an increase in field education or co-op with more emphasis on English literacy, oral and written communication, areas in which colleges such as George Brown have excelled at delivering.

"Supplementing applied learning with internships, co-op placements and field placements is critical to developing curriculum designed to get students the jobs they want and employers the professionals they need to maximize productivity," said Sado. "An academic strategy that integrates these skills will enable graduates to be truly workplace ready, rather than focusing exclusively on either technical or theoretical preparedness."

Ontario Government Implementing Poverty Reduction Strategy

TORONTO, Dec. 9 /CNW/ - Ontario is taking action to ensure that temporary help agency employees are being treated fairly and have better opportunities to move to sustainable employment. The Government plans to introduce legislation today that will, if passed, amend the

Employment Standards Act to deliver more fairness for low-income workers by:

• Making sure that they are not unfairly prevented from accessing permanent jobs when employers want to hire them from agencies

• Prohibiting temporary help agencies from charging fees to workers for things such as resume writing and interview preparation

• Guaranteeing that employees have the information they need about their assignments including pay schedules and job descriptions

• Ensuring that employees have access to information about their rights under the Employment Standards Act.

The government has already passed a regulation that will ensure that "elect-to work" employees like temp workers will have the same rights to public holiday entitlements as other workers, effective January 2, 2009. The legislation introduced today would also, if passed, allow the government to enact regulations so that "elect to work" employees also have the same rights to notice of termination and severance pay. Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy is designed to build a stronger
economy by creating more opportunity for all low-income families and children. The strategy sets a goal of reducing child poverty by 25 per cent in 5 years - lifting 90,000 children out of poverty.

Picking Your Way Past the Eggnog and Pecan Pie: A Real Challenge You Can Swallow
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008
By Jennifer Huget
Tuesday, December 9, 2008; HE03

We all know that the holidays are not the time to try to lose weight; that's why the Holiday Challenge calls simply for maintaining our weight and not gaining that pound that the average person packs on between now and early January.

But can we enjoy the season's treats and still meet that challenge?

Monica Reinagel, the Baltimore-based chief nutritionist for Conde Nast's NutritionData.com, says we can. By identifying our overall approach to holiday eating and by tweaking a few of our favorite foods, Reinagel argues that we can indeed indulge without increasing our bulge.

"There are two lines of thought" regarding holiday eating, Reinagel says. And the approach to choose "depends on your personality," she adds. "You might say to yourself that Christmas comes but once a year and that trying to produce a low-fat version of a butter cookie is kind of a fool's errand," she explains. Such an approach requires you to "exercise self-restraint -- and to savor every bite," Reinagel says.

But if tasting Uncle Bob's gingerbread cookies inevitably leads to your gorging on ginger people, Reinagel offers a different approach: seeking more-healthful alternatives to seasonal sweets in foods that satisfy body and soul without triggering overeating and weight gain. "Try to emphasize foods that seem seasonal and very festive, that don't feel austere, but that help to balance heavier treats," Reinagel suggests. For instance, an elegant spread of colorful dried fruits such as mission figs, golden figs and apricots, plus special fruits such as the crated clementines that appear this time of year and an assortment of nuts in the shell has a "seasonal connotation," she says, delivering plenty of holiday spirit -- not deprivation.

I love the nuts-in-shells idea. They are festive, especially when, as Reinagel suggests, you set them out with Grandma's silver nutcracker. "Nuts are fun, they look beautiful, they're a novelty, a tactile and communal activity, and cracking them yourself is a leisurely and mindful way to enjoy them," Reinagel says. Plus, she adds, they're generally unsalted, they're cheaper by far than canned or jarred nuts ("Fifteen dollars' worth of nuts will last you the whole season," she says), and, best of all, "you can't go through them very fast," the way you can scarf down a bowl of salted cashews.
"Salty foods taste like 'More!' " Reinagel says. "One handful of salted nuts leads you to the next one."

Here are Reinagel's other ideas for healthful alternatives to holiday standards:

Instead of a bowl of M&Ms, set out an assortment of individually wrapped squares of dark chocolate. "It feels deluxe, and because you have to unwrap each one, it takes time" and limits the opportunity to pig out.

Choose a small piece of cheese over a cracker loaded with hot, cheesy dip. "Spinach and artichoke dips sound great, like tons of vegetables," Reinagel says. "But they're treacherous -- hot mayonnaise on a spoon! They're full of cream cheese, mayonnaise or other high-fat binders, and it's very difficult to gauge your portion."

But no need to feel cheese-deprived: Reinagel says you can even go for a decadent-tasting bit of a soft cheese such as brie or chevre, which is a mildly better choice than a chunk of hard cheese such as cheddar or gruyere. "Hard cheeses have been pressed so the liquid is removed," she explains. "That makes them a denser bunch of fat and calories" than a softer cheese. (The bad news: A single serving of cheese, about an ounce, is only as big as two dice.)

Opt for olives over mixed nuts. Both are full of healthful fats, but olives are much less caloric and easier to stop eating after a few. Reinagel recommends huge Cerignola olives, which she says are "very meaty and delicious but less salty" than smaller varieties.

Swap eggnog for cocoa. "Almost anything is better than artery-clogging eggnog," Reinagel says. Cocoa made with milk (choose skim for even less fat and calories) and real cocoa supplies Vitamin D, calcium and flavinoids that might help prevent heart disease and cancer.

Or try hot mulled cider or wine instead of a cold cocktail. They might have the same number of calories, "but you drink them much more slowly," Reinagel says. "And the cinnamon and cloves make it so flavor-intense, so satisfying," she adds. Extra benefit: "Cinnamon can help control blood sugar and modulate the effects of those sugar cookies," she says. (For more on better-for-you holiday cocktails, see today's Checkup blog.)

Pick pumpkin pie over pecan pie. There's no contest here: Reinagel notes that a slice of pecan pie has at least 200 more calories than pumpkin pie, which also contains nutrients such as beta carotene, potassium, iron and vitamins A, C, K and E. "Pecans are 20 percent higher in fat than walnuts or cashews," Reinagel adds. And in terms of sheer calories, she says, "you couldn't design a more high-calorie dessert than pecan pie if you tried."

But "if the holidays just aren't the holidays without pecan pie," Reinagel advises, "indulge a little." Or experiment by using phyllo dough for your crust. "Phyllo is not a short dough, so it's very low in fat. It's a nice complement [to pie fillings] in texture and richness."

Whatever you choose to eat this holiday season, Reinagel urges, make every bite count. "Lots of calories come at us this time of year," she says. "Some might be worth it. Others aren't. There's no use in wasting calories on foods you don't particularly enjoy."

"Those doughnut holes your office manager brought in? They're not worth it," Reinagel reasons. "But the homemade Christmas cookies? Yeah, they might be."

Scared Of Technology? You're Old!
Written by Sarah Perez / November 17
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/scared_of_technology_youre_old.php

Apparently, growing up digital doesn't just mean being used to technology - it means not being scared of it when things go wrong, either.

Do crashing computers and busted Blackberries completely freak you out? Does a cryptic error message on your screen leave you feeling defeated or discouraged? According to a new study from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, your age might have something to do with your attitudes and emotions surrounding technology. The study, based on a survey of over 2000 U.S. adults, took an in-depth look at how people felt and reacted to problems with technology whether that meant a down internet connection or a broken gadget.

Researcher John B. Horrigan points out: electricity was once new too. But now we flip on light switches without a second thought. And when the telephone was taking off in the early 1900's, people were given specific instructions on how to make a phone call - something we now do every day. Over the passage of time, each new generation of users becomes more savvy and more adept at using the new technology until it no longer exists as some odd new-fangled invention, but simply part of the world as we know it.

The same holds true for our computers, our internet connections, our gadgets and our cell phones. When these things fail, it's the younger users that are generally much more optimistic about the situation. Although young adults age 18-29 years old are no more likely to be able fix devices on their own, they were significantly more likely to be confident that they were on the right path to fixing it, and they were significantly less likely than older adults to feel discouraged or confused about fixing devices, says the study.

In fact, 85% of 18-29 year olds reported being confident about solving their device problem, while only about a third of them said they were discouraged or confused. Meanwhile, over half (52%) of adults age 30 and older reported being discouraged, 44% said they were confused, and about two out of three (67%) said they were confident. Adults age 30-49 were somewhat less likely than older adults to be confused, as just 39% said they were. There was some variation among gender lines, too, with men being more likely than women to be confident about problem solving (76% vs. 68%), but they were just as confused, discouraged or impatient during the course of trying to solve the problem.

What this means is that, given time, our idea of a "mainstream user" will have to change. No longer will they be the slightly fearful, easily frustrated, computer novices. Instead, they will be much more at ease with technology. They may never be as tech-obsessed as we are, but they will have no problem adopting a new technology if it delivers value.

Sleep well to improve memory
http://doctor.ndtv.com/news/news.asp?id=3534

Apart from providing rest, night sleep helps students to consolidate the things they learn during the day.

Consolidation of memory is widely believed to benefit from sleep. However, recent findings have questioned the extent of sleep-dependent consolidation. To figure out the whether or not sleeping helps the memory to consolidate things better, researchers from America recruited 200 college students. Most of them were not familiar with playing video games, so they were taught to play two games, which required players to attack their enemies.

Some of the participants learned how to play the games in the morning, while others learned in the evening. The researchers then tested the participants on the video games 12 hours later and 24 hours later. It was found that those who took part in the morning training sessions showed an average eight-percentage-point improvement in their performance immediately after training. They performed more poorly - scoring four percentage points better - 12 hours later. But they scored 10 percentage points better the next morning. The students who took part in the evening training sessions performed better the next morning after sleeping, than they did after being trained.

This indicates that those who learned how to play a video game in the morning or evening did a better job the next day after a night's rest, apparently because their brains were actively absorbing what they'd learnt as they slept.

The above findings show that sleep is not just a passive state but is important to improve long-term memory, and therefore it pays to be well rested before an exam.