In this issue...
• Another day, another unfortunate ad that evoked racism
• Australia cracking down on smart glasses in public places for safety and privacy reasons
• By the numbers X 10 + 1
• More Canadian men and boys seeking urgent help for gambling addiction
• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news
• Trivia: Did you know?
• Quotes of note
• The 5-Minute Executive Devotional: Quick Devotions for Christian Women Leaders to Defeat Burnout and Align Ambition - NEW RELEASE!
• Check out the completely revised and updated Rose Michaels line of colouring books!
• Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night: Monday, September 28
• Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
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Another day, another unfortunate ad that evoked racism
This is another "What the hell were they thinking??" moment in the world of advertising. The Converse shoe brand recently published an ad that - at first glance - sure seems like a lynching scene to me and many others.
The black sneakers floating in the air like someone who has been hung. The shadowy arm looks like a black leg. The light on the white garment (an odd choice) made to look like a triangle reminiscent of a Ku Klux Klan hood. I mean, c'mon! This was a clearly deliberate design done by a too-cute-for-school creative team that didn't think anyone would notice.
Article excerpt: "It's been called disgusting, harrowing and racist.
Now, after intense backlash that included a U.S. congressman, several celebrities, marketing experts and a wide swath of the internet, Converse has pulled the sneaker ad critics have accused of evoking Ku Klux Klan imagery, and apologized.
'We're sorry,' Converse, which is owned by Nike, said in a statement to CBC News Monday.
... The ad, posted on social media Sept. 3, showed a model - KPop singer Karina - holding a pair of Chuck 70 X high top sneakers. Many people have pointed out online that the lighting on Karina's skirt, which created a white triangle, resembles a KKK hood. And the placement of the sneakers made them look like dangling feet, evoking for many a lynching victim."
For the millionth time: How in the world did this make it through the approval process? A huge brand like Converse would have had multiple pairs of eyes on this ad before publishing it. No one saw something that was apparent to the public within minutes?
I find that hard to believe.
Read: Converse apologizes, pulls ad that critics say evokes KKK and lynching imagery.
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Australia cracking down on smart glasses in public places for safety and privacy reasons
If you're not sure what smart glasses are, they're glasses that record video and sound - and many other things. The glasses shown are smart glasses. Do they look a bit chunky? Yes, but that could just be their style, right? If you saw someone wearing these in a changing room at a gym or pool you probably wouldn't even think that they were recording people secretly, would you?
Well, they are. And governments are taking notice.
Article excerpt: "Local government councils and public schools across Australia are continuing moves to rapidly ban the use of smart glasses in public areas, following the federal government’s announcement that use of the devices will be prohibited in government-run workplaces, services centers, laboratories and local council buildings.
The City of Sydney, whose jurisdiction covers a population of approximately 240,000 within Sydney’s central business district and surrounding inner suburbs, is the latest local government council to enforce the ban, following the City of Yarra in Melbourne, City of Brisbane and Canterbury-Bankstown council in suburban Sydney.
The ban covers public pools, gyms, childcare centers, libraries and town halls, and the council will update signage and guidance to enforce it.
'There is a policy in place at our pools that covers the use of recording devices, including smart glasses,' a City of Sydney spokesperson told TechRadar.
'Recording without consent is not permitted and recording devices are prohibited in change rooms and other areas of our aquatic facilities.'"
Without proof, I'd estimate that 98% of people using smart glasses are doing it for reasons that are not nefarious, but for the 2% of people who are doing it to hurt people, it's clear that legislation and/or rules are needed in order to protect people of all ages from exploitation.
Read: "We don’t want what’s happening in the U.S. to happen here": Australia’s smart glasses ban extends to even more public areas. Related: ZuckOff is a free app that sees Meta glasses before they see you.
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More Canadian men and boys seeking urgent help for gambling addiction
If the explosion in online sports betting - and betting on anything and everything happening in the world - is any indication, this should not be a surprise to anyone.
Article excerpt: "Teddy Wojtowicz hasn't gambled in about three years, after his betting habit cost him his career and enough money to have bought a house, and left him with a criminal record.
He says his addiction escalated from spending $20-$40 on a night out, to wasting his paycheque every two weeks, to getting payday loans - and writing $22,000 in cheques to himself from his workplace.
'When you're gambling and you see that you keep losing and you know that you're losing, there's some part of you saying, 'Well, the next time I'm gonna win,'' Wojtowicz said.
The former accountant, who also had an alcohol addiction, admitted himself to a hospital in Dauphin, Man., in April 2023, after he began to think about suicide, and went through weeks of treatment to deal with his gambling. It was the second time he had sought help in the past decade.
Wojtowich is one of a rising number of men and boys who are turning to hospital emergency departments after reaching rock bottom with gambling and related addictions and disorders, according to a new study published Wednesday in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Researchers in Ontario found a dramatic increase in emergency department visits in just the past few years, following the rapid growth of online gambling in that province and the legalization of betting on single sports events."
Emergency department visits for gambling? This is quite alarming because you don't visit an emergency department for a paper cut. Serious things are happening because of this growing problem... very serious.
Read: More people are seeking emergency care for gambling, a new study says - and it's mostly men and boys.
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Trivia: Did you know?
If you faint when you see a beautiful painting, you may suffer from Stendhal’s Syndrome, a disorder that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when exposed to an experience of great personal significance, particularly viewing art.
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Quotes of note
• 1. "None of us can be liberated if other groups are not."
- Gloria Steinem (1934-2026), American journalist and social activist (see photo)
• 2. "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."
- Aristotle
• 3. "Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small."
- Lao Tzu
• 4. "We suffer more often in imagination than in reality."
- Seneca
• 5. "What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
• 6. "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
• 7. "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
- Dr. Seuss
• 8. "Friends are the siblings God never gave us."
- Mencius
• 9. "One advantage of talking to yourself is that you know at least somebody's listening."
- Franklin P. Jones
• 10. "If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"
- Abraham Lincoln
Photo credit: Lynn Gilbert
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The 5-Minute Executive Devotional: Quick Devotions for Christian Women Leaders to Defeat Burnout and Align Ambition - NEW RELEASE!
You are not failing at your quiet time because you lack discipline - you are failing because standard devotionals are built for an unhurried lifestyle, not the high-pressure reality of senior leadership.
As a corporate Christian woman, you often feel torn between career ambition and faith values, splitting yourself to fit the boardroom and the church pew.
The 5-Minute Executive Devotional: Quick Devotions for Christian Women Leaders to Defeat Burnout and Align Ambition by Emily Virginia is a daily devotional that treats executive burnout as a spiritual alignment issue, not a time-management failure. It provides rapid scriptural grounding to help you navigate workplace pressures with integrity.
Inside, you'll find:
• "The Morning Surrender" to help you hand over your calendar and decisions before checking your email.
• "The Pre-Meeting Pause", a sixty-second reset to anchor your identity in Christ right before high-stakes moments.
• "The Evening Reflection", featuring two gentle questions to help you release the urge to replay workday mistakes.
• Lessons from "Nehemiah Under Pressure" on making conviction-led decisions without overexplaining.
• Devotional insights from "Elijah Under the Broom Tree" and "Joseph in the Pit and the Prison" to reframe career exhaustion and plateaus.
This book is for ambitious Christian women in leadership who want to lead with confidence while remaining spiritually anchored. You will walk away with a sustainable daily rhythm of biblical encouragement that fits into a packed schedule.
Grab your copy today to align your ambition with God's calling.
Available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover and ebook.
• Amazon Canada: amzn.to/4dI1wCv
• Amazon USA: link.amazon/B0hAAjEK5
... and in many more international markets.
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Check out the completely revised and updated Rose Michaels line of colouring books!
Visit the Rose Michaels website at www.rosemichaels.com to check out a large array of colouring bbooks for young and old alike. Whether you like cars and trucks, owls, suns, moons, fashion, silly monsters or even scary demons, there's something for everyone. Links to purchase the books via Amazon are available on the Rose Michaels website noted above. And there's great news because most of the series was updated this summer with a variety of new interiors, new covers, new books and new pricing!
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Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night: Monday, September 28
The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is back for the 2026-2027 Rotary Trivia Night season with a NEW LOCATION!
Join us for Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night at L'Igloo Beverage Room and Steakhouse, 300 Elmwood, Moncton, on Monday, September 28, beginning at 6:30 p.m. $10 per person at the door or $12.23 on Eventbrite (price includes Eventbrite fees): www.eventbrite.ca/e/1994871481301?aff=oddtdtcreator
Participants may play as teams or individuals. The winning team gets 50% of the door receipts as their prize.
It is strongly suggested that participants arrive by 5:15-5:30 p.m. for a seat and to eat. Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m. sharp and is usually over by 8-8:15 p.m. Everyone welcome! (Please note that seats purchased on Eventbrite will be reserved.) Limited seating.
Participants may bring an optional non-perishable food item (box of granola bars, Kraft Dinner, cereal, canned goods, etc.) for distribution at Krista Richard's Community Sports Program events, of which the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is a sponsor. Any donations will be gratefully received and provided to Krista for distribution to her program participants (school-aged children from Moncton-area schools).
Since Rotary Trivia Nights began in 2016, the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club has donated more than $20,000 to Atlantic Wellness, Karing Kitchen, Ray of Hope Kitchen, Salvus Clinic, The Humanity Project, BGC Moncton (Moncton Boys & Girls Club), Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Children's Wish Canada, Krista Richard's Community Sports Program and Bicycle Program, Diabetes Canada's D-Camps for kids, Anglophone East School District's School Supplies Drive, Youth Quest Central, Ronald McDonald Family Room at The Moncton Hospital, and Shelter Movers, among others.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a no telephone rule at these events. The answers cannot be researched except among discussion with your team members.
See you then! Click here for the Facebook event listing.
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Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
In September, the group walks on the Riverview riverfront trail. Meetup at the gazebo on Coverdale Road.
In October, the group starts its 22nd year when it moves to Centennial Park in Moncton. Meetup is in the parking lot just off St. George Boulevard.
The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.
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About this newsletter
Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.
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