Musicians are better multitaskers

York University psychologists Linda Moradzadeh, Galit Blumenthal and Melody Wiseheart report musicians appear to have “superior ability to maintain and manipulate competing information in memory, allowing for efficient global processing,” reported the Pacific Standard Oct. 23. To put it another way, their minds can efficiently process information from a holistic perspective. Read full story.

Aboriginals, women ready to serve on corporate boards
The Diversity 50 list is one way of trying to close the gap by helping companies connect with non-traditional pools of talent, reported the Financial Post Oct. 16. The list is composed mostly of women, but also includes visible minorities, aboriginals and people with disabilities…. Carmine Rossiter, program director for the Centre for Governance, Risk Management & Control at the Schulich Executive Education Centre, made it onto this year’s list. Read full story.

‘We gave it everything we had’: Former Nortel chief moves on, promoting Macedonia economy
A “proud” U.S. citizen, Mike Zafirovski, Nortel’s 60-year-old former CEO, still has family in Macedonia and co-founded the group Macedonia 2025, along with Toronto businessman John Bitove, to raise awareness about trade, investment and defence opportunities in the region, reported the Financial Post Oct. 22…. The group has linked up with York University’s Schulich School of Business to provide executive MBA programs and internships for a generation of business leaders in Europe, which only emerged from decades of communism less than 25 years ago. Read full story.

Gamergate: Videogame industry speaks out against harassment
The controversy, which stemmed from questions over whether a female developer’s relationship with a male game journalist influenced coverage of her game, has expanded into a full-blown firestorm…. Media critic and York University alumna Anita Sarkeesian – an Ontario expat who left her home after her criticism of the industry’s depiction of women prompted violent threats this summer – said Tuesday [Oct. 14] that she would cancel a speech at Utah State University after someone threatened a shooting at the event, reported the Toronto Star Oct. 16. Read full story.