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Snowboarders and POP (‘People of the
Planet’)
What does a snowboard company based in Vancouver have
in common with Cambodia’s kids? From the Zion website: “We have
come up with something pretty epic and it’s called the ZION POP
Program (People of the Planet). The POP Program is people driven and is all
about Social Justice. We have made it our mission to help out our fellow
humans who have been dealt a bad hand. Zion is stoked to announce that our
first partnership for the POP Program will be the Ratanak Foundation! ZION
will be donating 10 percent of the sale of POP Products sold in our
Flagship Online Shop to the Ratanak Foundation’s New Song Project.
The New Song Project is dedicated to fighting child sex trafficking in
Cambodia. We had a chance to meet up with Brian – the Founder of the
Ratanak Foundation – and we literally had our jaws on the floor after
hearing about what was going on in the brothels in Cambodia with children
as young as five years old.” The Ratanak Foundation is a non-profit
Christian organization based in Vancouver, dedicated to bringing help and
hope to the Khmer people of Cambodia. Ratanak means precious stone or gem
in the Khmer language and is headed by Brian McConaghy, who recently
retired as a forensic scientist with the RCMP. blog.zionsnowboards.com/?p=117 | www.ratanak.org| www.canadianchristianity.com/intheworld/22ratanak.html
Bibby’s new book on teens
Reginald Bibby, a sociologist and prof at the
University of Lethbridge, as well as a recipient of the Order of Canada, is
about to release a landmark study of youth early in 2009, titled The Emerging Millennials. Bibby
told options,
“I am putting the finishing touches on the national survey itself. We
now have some 4,400 teens from across the country – our largest
sample ever.” Bibby has written extensively on matters relevant to
faith in Canada.
Canadian designer creates chocolate haute couture
Top fashion designer Paul Hardy (pictured), an
outspoken Christian and designer known for his biblical themes, took
fashion to new heights by creating a dress made from Bernard Callebaut
Chocolate for the annual Salon du Chocolat Fashion Show in Paris. “I
am excited to be working with Paul – he brings a very dynamic design
esthetic to this project,” says Bernard Callebaut. In order to
qualify for the Salon du Chocolat Fashion Show, the dress had to include a
significant amount of chocolate. Paul, who is based in Calgary, dyed
and painted fabrics with different varieties of chocolate and included raw
elements, such as cocoa beans and Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut’s
signature copper packaging. His inspiration for the design was drawn from
Mayan culture (representing the origins of cocoa and chocolate),
Bernard’s Belgian heritage and Bernard’s focus on
sustainability and the environment. www.paulhardydesign.com
Mennonite universities visit Iran
A delegation from six American and Canadian Mennonite
universities visited Iran in October to explore opportunities for academic
collaboration. The delegation was warmly welcomed by Iranian educators and
students, according to delegation members. The visit was part of the
Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) ongoing effort to build
relationships between people in Iran and the West. MCC began working in
Iran in 1990 by providing relief after an earthquake killed more than
30,000 people. For the past 10 years, it has co-sponsored a student
exchange program with Iran’s Imam Khomeini Education and Research
Institute. Through this exchange, two Iranian scholars have done doctoral
work at the Toronto School of Theology, and four American couples have
studied Farsi and Islam in the city of Qom, Iran. The delegation visited 12
universities and research centres and laid plans for a conference involving
Mennonite and Shia Muslim scholars in Qom, in May 2009.
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Straight A’s!
The Globe and Mail’s 7th annual ‘Canadian University Report’
returned top marks for several Christian schools. Redeemer University
College, The King’s University College, Concordia University College
and Trinity Western University – all members of Christian Higher
Education Canada (CHEC) – received high marks in The Globe & Mail’s University
Report Card released October 23. The four institutions, ranked in the
‘very small category,’ received A and A+grades in all areas
under consideration.
www.globecampus.ca
Two new facilities
Ontario’s Tyndale University College has
expanded to utilize an impressive complex on the 56.3 acre (22.8 hectare)
Morrow Park property purchased in 2006 from the Sisters of St. Joseph of
Toronto. As part of a succession plan put in place by Tyndale’s board
of governors several years ago, president and CEO Brian Stiller will retire
in June. He will continue as president of the Tyndale Foundation.
www.tyndale.ca
Calgary’s Ambrose University College celebrated
the opening of its new campus in November. Located on 40 acres, the
130,000-square-foot facility includes an academic centre, a gym that
doubles as a performing arts centre, a 146-bed student residence and an
extensive library. Ambrose, founded by the Christian & Missionary
Alliance in Canada and the Church of the Nazarene Canada, has about 600
students.
www.ambrose.edu
Options Winter 2009
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