Good news, bad news – Macleans.ca

Young entrepreneurs give big. A new strain of norovirus sickens cruise passengers.

February 12, 2014

Good news

Power to the people

The Harper government unveiled a retooled First Nations education plan this week that will see Aboriginal communities oversee their own schooling. Central to the plan will be the inclusion of traditional culture in the curriculum, as well as standards consistent with off-reserve education in the provinces; in other words, a much-needed marriage between Aboriginal heritage and mainstream practicality. The Prime Minister also promised an additional $1.9 billion for Aboriginal education. It’s an important, overdue first step in empowering First Nations to take control of what for too long has been a crippling crisis.

Young and generous

The rich may be getting richer, but also more charitable. The 50 biggest donors in America last year gave a combined $7.7 billion, the most since 2008, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Most impressive is who topped the list: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, who gave nearly $1 billion to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF). With Zuckerberg’s donation, the SVCF raised a total of $1.4 billion in 2013. Philanthropy has long been the domain of old money, so it’s a welcome shift to see the under-30 tech crowd not just playing a bigger role in giving, but leading the way.

Read more: http://www2.macleans.ca/2014/02/12/good-news-bad-news-16/