This weekend, members of the Commonwealth will take a minute of silence to remember those who have fallen in the line of duty. Remembrance Day will be marked by poppies, parades and somber reflection.

In Canada, the lead up to Remembrance Day is Veterans’ Week, and it is a week of action. To begin that week, Billings Bridge shopping center holds an annual event to start the week and honor Canadian veterans. This year marked the 17th annual Veterans’ Appreciation Day.

The Ottawa Sun attended the event, which was headed up by Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs. Blaney sought the opportunity to reach out to youngsters, building a bond between the veterans and the youth, to pass the torch of remembrance on to a new generation.

From the Sun,

“When it comes to carrying on the memory of Canada’s war vets, it’s all about the kids.

That was the message from Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney, who spoke during a veterans appreciation event at the Billings Bridge shopping centre on Thursday.

Blaney spent almost all of his time addressing the crowd interacting with a group of students, quizzing them on everything from the significance of specific war medals to what the different colours of veterans’ uniforms signified.

…

Students Kiley and Sarah said they were fascinated by the stories of the different veterans, with the two 10 year olds branding the whole experience as “awesome.” Sarah said it was important to learn as much as possible about the vets “because they (risked) their lives to keep a lot of people safe.”

Remember Retail Means Jobs? The National Retail Federation is back with the flip side of its coin: Retail Means Votes. The former was an attempt to remind the rest of America that retail has a vital role to play in the economy. The latter reminds retailers that a prosperous future requires them to actively participate in the upcoming election.

“With an election largely centered on the economy and jobs, it’s important to make sure America’s 3.6 million retailers and their employees know what’s at stake for the industry,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Retail supports one in four American jobs, generates a quarter of GDP, and is at the foundation of the consumer-based economy.”

“Retail Means Votes seeks to increase the retail industry’s presence and participation on the campaign trail, and beyond,” said Shay. “It is one piece of NRF’s efforts to frame the national debate around retail’s pro-jobs, pro-growth agenda, and drive candidates’ attention to the retail industry’s public policy priorities and their effect on the economy.”

Retail Means Votes is non-partisan, of course. It breaks down candidates’ positions on major priorities like labor, tax reform, and trade. More than anything, though, it’s about encouraging everyone in the industry to take part in the political process. And with less than a month left until the election, it’s a message worth spreading.

There may be no true psychics or mind readers out there (certainly, no one’s collected on the millions they are due if there are), but there are a number of very talented cold readers. These people make an art of convincing other to tell them everything about a deceased loved one without ever realizing what they’re giving away. It’s an interesting skill, one that’s becoming less and less necessary in this era of over-sharing. Why jump through the hoops when you can learn everything about a person on Facebook, Twitter and Google?

That’s the point of this week’s viral video, which has amassed millions of views in the past week. If your entire life is online, how easy would it be for a criminal to get access to your banking data? Is it protected by your address? Your mother’s maiden name? Your birth date? And can you say with confidence that you’ve never shared that information with any unreliable website or service?

Hence, the safer online banking campaign, created by the Belgian Financial Sector Federation. And this video, which is definitely a bit of a fright.

Are you the sort of person that likes to plan ahead? If so, registration is up for 2013’s edition of Retail’s BIG Show and you’ve actually squeaked in just under the wire: the preview deadline is August 10th.

If you manage to register before the deadline passes, you’ll save one hundred dollars off the next lowest rate. The early rate ends in October and then things climb further, so you should get going on it either way. As usual, you can register for the full conference or simply for the EXPO.

The programme isn’t up yet so we don’t have all the details, but we can tell you that the conference is taking place from January 13 – 16 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. It looks like the schedule will be jam packed, including an opening night reception sponsored by Microsoft and all the breakout sessions, networking events and keynotes one could hope for.

Up for it? You can find out more and register at the conference website.

Last weekend, Northumberland Mall hosted Malls of Science, a free Scientists in School community event. It was part of Science Rendezvous, a national day for the promotion of science.

“Northumberland Mall is excited to be selected to host the Malls of Science event this Saturday,” commented Northumberland Mall marketing manager Alexis Smith prior to the event. “There will be a lot of different interactive displays, exhibits and experiments throughout the day that are sure to pique the interest of shoppers of all ages. It’s always fun to bring events to Northumberland Mall that shoppers wouldn’t normally find at a shopping centre.”

The day was spent igniting a passion for science and technology in kids of all ages. They had opportunities to create chemical concoction, build hovercrafts to learn about air and flight, take a close look at the microscopic world, and more. The hope with the event, and every other event thrown by Scientists in School, is to make science accessible to thousands of people with engaging, informative and interactive events and to encourage a better public understanding of the tremendous impact science and technology has on our lives.