A student at King Edward School in Kitchener, Ont., places a crowdsourced medal on Junio's neck for selflessly giving up his spot in the 1,000 metres at the Sochi Olympics in May 2014.

As Gilmore Junio attempts to reach his third consecutive Olympics, some things haven't changed.

"My whole career, it's always been motivated with trying to create moments that Canada can celebrate and be proud of not only what I do on the ice, but what I do off of it. So hopefully I have a couple more of those moments in the back pocket," Junio told CBC Sports recently.

The 31-year-old long-track speed skater burst onto the scene at the 2014 Sochi Olympics for one of those off-ice moments, when he gave his spot in the 1,000-metre race to teammate Denny Morrison, who'd failed to qualify after a fall in trials.

Morrison wound up with a silver medal.

Nearly eight years later, Junio remains mindful of targets beyond personal success.

"I've been on the national team now for 11 years, and there's no reason why another Filipino kid shouldn't be able to come up and be inspired and push towards being on the national team," Junio said.

Junio said he reconsidered his role with the team during the pandemic, concluding that he could be an inspiration for Asian children who may never have heard of speed skating.

"And it doesn't have be speed skating. I'm just speaking to the broad sense of getting more diversity to all the national teams and across all sports," Junio said.

The Calgary native, whose parents are both from the Philippines, said he hoped to reach the Filipino community in his hometown specifically. As of 2016, Alberta was home to a greater percentage of the Canadian Filipino community than any province besides Ontario.

The alleged inhumane treatment of ethnic minorities by 2022 Olympic host China has led to calls from human-rights groups for a full boycott of the Winter Games.

Canada announced Wednesday it would follow in the American approach.

"It's definitely a big concern but that's something that, it's tough," Junio said.

"When I was first learning about the Olympics, the Olympics were about peace and bringing nations together. And that's something I've held on to and that's the romanticism of the Olympics is that everyone's coming together."

It was chance that led Junio to begin his Olympic journey, after his dad saw a TV ad for a speed skating identification camp when he was 13.

"I was a hockey player at the time and I was a pretty good skater and I think maybe fearing for my safety I was a pretty small kid my dad suggested I try it out. It was just in the summer and I had nothing else to do."

Junio will return to the Olympic Oval in Calgary for the final World Cup stop of the season this weekend. Live coverage on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem and the CBC Sports app begins Friday at 2:20 p.m. ET.

Junio originally started as a short tracker, but an on-ice accident at 19 led to a pair of fractured vertebrae and had the emerging Olympian contemplating his athletic future.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics reeled him back to the rink.

"Through the years there were definitely points where confidence has waned. ... But I think it's just reminding myself of why I speed skate or why I do all the training and all the competitions," Junio said.

"It's to represent the people that believe in me and it's so much bigger than just myself."

Junio went on to collect 10th- and 17th-place finishes in the 500m at the 2014 and 2018 Olympics, respectively, along with seven career World Cup medals in the distance.

His 2022 Olympic fate will be determined by results in Calgary and at the Canadian Olympic skate-off at the end of December.

CBC Sports analyst Anastasia Bucsis, a former speed skater who trained alongside Junio for nearly a decade, said she believes Junio will make the Olympic team.

"He is best when he's having fun, enjoying the process, and living his values. Gilmore is so technically sound, and he's a very smart skater. He's mature. He's lived highs and lows," she said.

Bucsis added that coming off the pandemic-affected 2020 season, it's taken time for Junio to rediscover his "race legs," but that he's working through those issues with the goal of peaking in February.

"He's already inspired so many kids with his results as one of the country's top sprint speed skaters of all time let alone the sportsmanship he showed in 2014 that although the pressure is building, he is a true pro, and I would never bet against Gilmore," she said.

It was the previous Canadian speed skating generation that Junio credits with shaping his career particularly Morrison and Jamie Gregg.

"Both me and my wife [former speed skater Danielle Gregg] kind of took him under our wing. He's like our fifth child. I guess my first child. But then we had four others," Gregg said.

Gregg said he was drawn to Junio, who was later named godfather to one of his four kids, because of his willingness to accept advice. Gregg would show him the little things on tour, like how to dress and what to eat.

The two remain in constant contact, and the Gregg family gathers around the iPad to catch each of Junio's races.

"I think he's doing well because his openers right now are incredible. He just needs to translate that to a good last lap and then he could be up there with the best in the world," Gregg said.

Gregg, Morrison,Bucsisand Junio were all part of the same training group in the lead-up to Sochi that fostered what Morrison called a "diamond culture," since diamondsformunder pressure andtake"relentless hours of honing and polishing and cutting." The diamond-like performances on the ice were saved for when it mattered most.

The group referred to Junio by the nickname chipotle because he was a "spicy little firecracker," Morrison said.

Morrison called his 2014 medal one of the greatest memories of his life, thanks to Junio, adding that heencompasses what it means to be Canadian.

"He loves hockey. He's just an all-around great guy,nice guy. He wears flannel. Herepresents diversity. And he'scome here and he's doing things to help promote that and make it a better place than it may have been without the involvement of him and his family," Morrison said.

Morrison said Junio is his closest connection to the speed-skating world these days. He's been encouraging him to simply enjoy the ride ahead of Beijing.

And he knows Juniowill get right back up if he falls citing a story from when the two were in Istanbul getting late-night eats together.

"He was on a highrise stool and I think reaching for hot sauce or something like that. And the stool just [collapsed]. He just rode it all the way down and fellso hard and then just pops back up on his feet, dusts himselfoff and was like, 'Nothing happened,what?'Hejust played it off. Totally cool," Morrison recalled with laughter.

Through it all, the hockey player in Junio never quite went away, either.

There's the superstitions, from putting his left skate on first to listening to the same Fall Out Boy album, beginning with the second track, on the way to each event.

But Junio claims he's trying to grow out of those one ritual he's ditched is the pre-competition steak dinner, in part due to the absence of good steak in World Cup cities such as Stavanger, Norway.

There's also his Flames fandom, which continues to burn bright. Jarome Iginla, Junio's favourite player, was recently inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"He was measured by what he did on the ice and not the colour of his skin. And that's something that I've always held on to," Junio said.

Iginla spent parts of 16 seasons with the Flames, including nearly nine as captain. Despite plenty of personal accolades, he never won a Stanley Cup in Calgary. He spent the final years of his career elsewhere in hopes of that elusive championship, but ultimately came up short.

In a way, Junio's career is a mirror to Iginla's. His actions led directly to team success in his first Olympics, but he was never able to reach the podium beyond the World Cup circuit.

Junio said Canadian speed skating legend Clara Hughes' bronze medal in Vancouver was a race he'd like to emulate.

"It was a race she described as a race of peace where she was just completely happy despite the result of whatever had happened, and that's something that I've kind of been chasing.

"And so that's my biggest goal is to go to the Olympics to have a performance that I'm proud of, that other people are proud of. And if it results with a medal, that would be great. But the mindset is just perform, but exemplify what it means to be Canadian and push the boundaries of what we can achieve as an older skater, an Asian-Canadian and a Canadian."

The rest is here:
Gilmore Junio wants speed skating career to be defined by more than personal success - CBC Sports

Andre Burakovsky cannot be stopped.

The Avalanche winger scored a hat trick Sunday night, the first of his NHL career, for a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Burakovsky has accounted for five goals over his past two games. He downplayed that personal success.

Im just happy to be producing, Burakovsky said. Today was a lucky day for me.

The Avalanche (16-7-2) put on a defensive clinic to start the night. Floridas first shot on goal didnt arrive until 12:15 into the game. But the hard-charging Avalanche offense with goals in 14 consecutive regulation periods entering Sunday finally stalled out.

The second period began scoreless with a frightening sequence for Jacob MacDonald.

The Avs defenseman was knocked out and motionless on the ice after taking a brutal hit (shoulder-to-chin) from Florida winger Ryan Lomberg. MacDonald was removed from the game on a stretcher by athletic training staff and did not return. The Avalanche later announced MacDonald was alert, responsive and has full movement while undergoing further medical evaluation.

A scary moment. But hes seen our trainers and everything is going good, coach Jared Bednar said. I think (the hit) might have been clean. Physicality is part of the game but I dont love seeing guys go down, especially when they cant get up.

Colorado broke through on its 18th shot of the night with 22.5 seconds left in the second period when Burakovsky buried a feed from Mikko Rantanen on a power-play chance. It marked the 200th career NHL assist for Rantanen. Burakovsky netted another goal in the third to lead 2-0.

The Panthers clawed back. Florida tied the game midway into the final period, over a stretch of less than three minutes, with goals from Joe Thornton and Brandon Montour.

Burakovsky scored the game-winner later in the third with a snipe from the high slot. He now has 12 goals on the season.

(Burakovsky) has an unbelievable shot and he was obviously using it tonight, Avalanche starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. Its great to see him get rewarded. Those were all great plays. Whenever you score three goals in a game, youre doing something right. That was huge for us.

Kuemper finished the night with 31 saves. His biggest test was a hectic final sequence under heavy pressure. Defenseman Erik Johnson laid out for a critical stick-save in the last seconds to preserve the win.

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Andre Burakovsky hat trick propels Avalanche to victory over Panthers - The Denver Post

Story Highlights

Great leaders know that development is a necessity -- not a "nice to have." They're obsessed with personal growth and relentlessly focused on growing their leadership abilities.

But too often, leaders struggle to build leadership strength because they use development "solutions" that are based on a faulty premise: that becoming a better leader begins with correcting weaknesses. Other leadership development offerings teach skills that aren't actually connected to outcomes.

This sad reality shortchanges not only leaders, but also organizational performance, resiliency and agility. Poor leadership development inhibits your company's potential -- and it becomes a risk factor when unexpected change arises.

Great leaders know that development is a necessity -- not a "nice to have." They're obsessed with personal growth and relentlessly focused on growing their leadership abilities.

This begs the question: How can you become a better leader, exactly?

Gallup has spent decades answering this question. We've conducted in-depth research about the talents, experiences and development leaders need to inspire people, make razor-sharp decisions and spark lasting organizational growth. As part of this work, Gallup completed the largest study of its kind (covering more than 14,000,000 employees, 2,000 organizations, 559 job studies and 360 general job demands) to identify the most essential competencies leaders need to achieve excellence.

Whether you're a CEO, team leader or entrepreneur, Gallup's science uncovered seven universal behaviors that directly affect performance and big-picture outcomes. In fact, these seven behaviors apply to many roles -- they are crucial behaviors that define a high-performance workplace.

Doing these seven things well can be the biggest differentiator between average leaders and exceptional ones -- which is why Gallup recommends that you make them central to your leadership development.

Whether you're a CEO, team leader or entrepreneur, Gallup's science uncovered seven universal behaviors that directly affect performance and big-picture outcomes.

These seven behaviors are a guiding light for ongoing leadership development. You will find that you easily excel in some areas, while others might not come as naturally. The best way to improve is to focus on what you're already good at.

When you emphasize your natural patterns of excellence, you can understand why you lead the way you do and how you lead best. Self-awareness enables focused, outcome-oriented development as you lean into your natural abilities and use them to grow in areas where you struggle.

For example, perhaps building relationships and communicating clearly are second nature to you, but you struggle to recognize others' development needs. How can you use conversations to coach others, recognize their good work and discover how to help them grow?

Whether you're a team leader or an executive, your time is best spent developing what you're good at, not worrying about what you're bad at. Understanding your strengths is the most effective way to grow in the seven behaviors -- and it's a proven way to become a better leader.

Bailey Nelson is a writer at Gallup.

More here:
Great Leaders Have These Behaviors in Common - Gallup

It seemed like Marcus Morris Sr. chose to only make the most difficult shots Monday night.

With the shot clock running down in the fourth quarter, Morris took a pass from backup point guard Eric Bledsoe at the top of the key. Morris had missed two wide-open 3s and one of his three free throws, but the LA Clippers starting power forward was otherwise in his duffel bag all night.

Morris started right, went behind the back to get to his left toward the paint and then backed down Suns forward Cameron Johnson at the right elbow. Suns forward Mikal Bridges helped off Bledsoe, who had spaced to the left wing to discourage Morris from getting into the middle of the floor. Morris wound up circling back to his right and launching a fadeaway over Johnson that beat the shot clock and gave the Clippers a 21-point lead over the team with the NBAs best record.

Morris bucket capped a season-high 24-point night for him, with eight of those points coming during a 26-13 fourth-quarter run that eliminated any comeback opportunities for Chris Pauls Suns. In a game that did not feature Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, Paul George,

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How Marcus Morris Sr.'s success correlates to the Clippers' best version: 'My rhythm is there' - The Athletic

Effective Fundraising: The Trustee's Role and Beyond

F. Warren McFarlan

208 pages, Wiley, 2021

Buy the book

An unglamorous but absolutely essential activity for a successful social enterprise is the securing of revenue streams to support its activities and programs. Repeatedly, social enterprise CEOs report spending up to 50 percent of their time on development activities. Unfortunately, without success in this domain, even the most compelling propositions can fail or fall short.

This book focuses on why assembling the right board of trustees is an invaluable resource to social enterprise CEOs in helping them achieve success in development and what individual trustees can do to be effective in this domain. The board is, of course, firstly responsible for defining the organizations mission and the strategy for its execution. Secondly, the board is responsible for recruiting, supporting, and evaluating the CEO. Thirdly, however, the board plays a vital role in securing necessary financial resources and is ultimately responsible for conceiving and executing the fundraising strategy. This book is aimed at improving that process. It provides both direction and easy to relate to practical examples of organizational approaches that have achieved success.

This books audience is board chairs, heads of governance committees, and most importantly, new board members. The boards development role is the most significant difference between a social enterprise board and a for-profit board. The role of nonprofit trustees is particularly complicated because most people do not like to ask other people for money, even for causes they believe deeply in. The following excerpt makes the case for active trustee involvement in development as a giver, a connecter, or asker, and describes the steps an individual takes to be more effective.F. Warren McFarlan

* * *

This book is based on three propositions. The first is that most people do not like asking other people for money. (There are fortunately exceptions that are real treasures). They feel solicitation somehow transforms them into beggars, which they find demeaning. They also worry about being seen as abusing relationships as well as being subjected to requests from the prospective donors for future requests to support their charities. The second proposition is that the most effective advocates for an institution are its supporters. Accordingly, every trustee must give according to their means and in so doing be motivated to fully internalize the mission of the organization and become passionate about it. An inner passion and commitment to its mission appropriately harnessed, transforms them into very powerful sales agents. They have already voted with their time and treasure, giving instant credibility to the listener to their pitch. Often the most powerful part of a donor ask presentation is the moment when the solicitor describes how and why they have personally supported the organization. Thirdly, there are things that can be done to relatively easily transform someone from being reluctant to making the ask into someone who, as a sales advocate, can effectively and enthusiastically make an ask. Over time, they can move from easy things, like hosting events to making annual fund asks, capital campaign asks, or even becoming a campaign chair. We simply have to change their mindset for this task.

Solicitation is of enormous importance to most social enterprises regardless of size and type. The parish church or temple, for example, lives almost completely on members' donations. It is not unusual for 90% of all funds for the year to come from an annual stewardship campaign. Additionally, the funds for special projects for the church, like an elevator acquisition or rebuilding of a bell tower, come from capital campaigns rooted in members' philanthropy. Members must ask other members to make this happen.

In a different vein are schools and universities which have operational cash flow streams such as student tuition, sports contest admission fees, art museum and theatre admission fees, and so forth. These streams are normally inadequate to cover all operating expenses. Large schools and universities (like Exeter and Harvard, for example), therefore, often have large endowments (the result of philanthropy of previous generations) plus large development departments to raise current funds. Endowment income plus annual gifts are how these institutional budgets are balanced. Additionally, these institutions have very active planned giving programs, which extend the reach of the institution plus periodic multi-billion dollar capital campaigns. Survival of the institution often depends on growing these sources of funds. Alumni and trustees, of course, are critical to the effective making of asks bolstered by both the institution leadership and their development professionals. The lay solicitors who believe deeply in the organization's mission, however, add a special credibility to the fundraising effort.

Similarly, institutions like Boston's Museum of Fine Arts have both annual fund campaigns and capital campaigns. In addition, however, they also have potential donors of individual pieces or collections of art who must be courted. Someone who has given objects to a museum has a credibility that few administrators can have. A final example, nonprofit hospitals depend on capital campaigns for new facilities and research funds. Grateful patients make very useful trustees and are invaluable for making the ask.

Some social enterprises are prosperous like well-endowed schools, whereas others, like small house museums, already cash strapped, are currently seeing philanthropy dropping at a 7% rate per year because of the difficulty in developing a persuasive sales pitch in this new charitable unfriendly tax world. For some institutions, this funding shortfall is so severe that it means bankruptcy or forced merger. For example, all across New England, small colleges and museums have been closing or merging over the past decade, driven by cash flow shortfalls both in the face of new tax laws and being out of favor with the donors as a charity of choice.

The same consolidation has been going on in the nonprofit hospital sector for the past 30 years. Overlay a map of the hospitals in New England 30 years ago on a map of today's hospitals and one sees a war zone with massive casualties and few survivors. Philanthropic success can literally ensure survival in one's current form or be a key to major transformation or strategic alliance. The ask, in short, is a vital function and people must be willing to be trained to do it. A social enterprise board needs many skills to exercise its responsibilities effectively. Fundraising skills of its members as givers, connectors, and askers, however, often are critical ones. Consequently, the timeworn phrase GGG (giveget or get off) is still operative for the board members of many social enterprises. Both givers and connecters at the very top of an organization are essential to the health and survival of many social enterprises. The author was recently accused wryly of being a shameless proponent and advocate of stewardship at the top. It is a sin he will readily confess to.

How to get started as a new trustee or solicitor in your philanthropic activities? The first thing a new social enterprise trustee or solicitor who is beginning on the path of philanthropic engagement must do is to take the time to truly internalize the mission of the organization in all its nuances. Until you can accurately and passionately describe its mission, you cannot sell it. In my previous book, Joining a Non-Profit Board: What You Need to Know, the entire book was devoted to mission and the board's role in developing and executing it. The second thing that the trustee and donor must do commensurate with one's personal resources is to aggressively support the organization (translation: write a personal check large enough that it hurts). Nothing gives you more credibility in selling an organization's mission and needs to future donors than the fact that you are personally supporting it in a meaningful way. When you are talking about your gift and how you thought about it, you add a priceless note of authenticity to your pitch. A neighbor of the author, when taking over her church's annual stewardship campaign, looked carefully at her previous years' donations and made a stretch gift from her perspective. In the ensuing months, the making of this gift gave an underlying passion to her presentations (both public and one-on-one) which rang with the authenticity of the true believer. This passion was critical to the campaign's ultimate success. Enthusiasm and passion are vital tools in the fundraising tool kit. A good fundraiser has many of the attributes of an evangelist.

A recent leader of a hospital's capital campaign shows the importance of donor longitudinal engagement. Twenty years ago, the individual had been chair of the hospital's board. After serving his term and making a significant seven-digit-figure gift to the hospital's first capital campaign, he had remained involved with the hospital as a corporator and then as its liaison to another medical organization. He also continued being a patient of the hospital, using many of its doctors over the years. As a fundraiser, the 20+ years of experience and involvement with the hospital underscored his deep commitment, which came through in the various solicitation calls and visits he made for the current campaign (including his self-solicitation) to which as a campaign co-chair, he had first pledged generously.

What the preceding example shows is that a trustee's fundraising skills can be valuable to an organization long after the trustee's term has expired. Former trustees properly engaged are real assets as solicitors in campaigns ranging from those of bricks and mortar to planned giving. Preparation for this role begins when one first becomes engaged as a solicitor and is then successively nurtured and deepened over the years of one's service in many ways. When you recruit trustees, you are engaging their services for the organization not just for their terms as a trustee, but for a very long period of time during which the individual will pass through many roles with the organization beyond that of trustee. Their historical memory of past donors and prior campaign issues, plus their deep commitment, provides invaluable context for today's and tomorrow's campaigns.

Excerpt from:
Effective Fundraising: The Trustee's Role and Beyond by F. Warren McFarlan | Trustees Capital - Stanford Social Innovation Review

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

When launching a company, the desire to grow quickly can be overwhelming, but successfully moving a company to the next level means carefully stabilizing a business model as well as proving viability. Without attention to these necessary details, along with finances, intelligent hiring and other operational needs, you run the risk of becoming one of the 50% of startups that fail by their fourth year.Focusing on being intentional in scaling a startup will help ensure that you tackling all these tasks appropriately, which then allows you to laser-focus on product development and other elementals.

But what does it mean to be intentional in this process?

Every new business faces hurdles, from development of an initial idea, to scaling, to hitting growth goals, but it can be easy for budding entrepreneurs to resist constructive criticism while addressing them to believe they are wunderkinds who simply dont face what others do. Some may feel their startup will grow easily and quickly simply because their idea is so good, because they have a strong online following and/or believe the world needs their service immediately.Learning the art of being humbleto absorb and apply constructive criticism or lessons from missteps whether in finances, supply, operational process or hiring can help you avoid mistakes.

Related: Why Some Startups Succeed (and Why Most Fail)

Even if your idea is solid and your plan is ironclad, change is a given, and embracing it will allow you to thrive. This last year we have seen how unforeseen events like a pandemic can foster new technological advances along with new business challenges.Successfully scaling a startup involves curating technology to fit your mission, organizational makeup and end goals, so don't run from change, even at the beginning of your startup journey. Those who accept its inevitability also learn to weave it into the fabric of business, and will be more able to weather storms to come.

Paying close attention to those you engage with, and how you are engaging with them, helps a startup tap into who their customers are and how they relate to a company, but its a process that takes time. This brand of communication awareness also applies to employees; growing a business too quickly can result in poor morale, or at least a loss of staff focus. Try to embrace serenity, simplicity and self-care, in yourself and your staff, and keep your ears open at all times.

A brand of engagement to be wary of, meanwhile, is excessive comparison to other startups in your niche. It can be tough to turn off this "comparison radar", to ignore what your competitors may be doing to scale their businesses, but to succeed in your first year and beyond, emphasize being authentic from the get-go, not an iteration of someone else. The simple truth is that trying to replicate what another company may be doing virtually never results in long-term success, and consumers and social media followers can spot a copycat from a mile away. Make engagement personal to you and your company, and growth will follow.

Related: How to Get Out of the Comparison Trap

A winning brand of entrepreneurial intentionality also comes from knowing an audience and what they want to hear from you.What problem is your business solving? How are you solving it? Why does anyone want your solution, and why do they want to pay for it? Where are these people who want what you're selling, and how do you reach them? Without knowing how to answer these questions, scaling will be difficult akin to just throwing things at the wall hoping something sticks. Scaling will happen more fluidly if you intentionally consider who is following your startup, why, and how to best serve them.

Its vital to hire for productive capabilities, to be sure, but also for temperament. Pay close attention, for example, to employees' appetite for groundbreaking. Do they bring ideas to the table or slink away to the fringes? Openly communicate regularly with staff about mission and goals. Keep them abreast of changes, triumphs and even losses, so they are invested in scaling the business as much as you.Finally, onboard intentionally, making sure to bring on people who align with what you are trying to accomplish. And the obverse also applies: scaling can mean losing people not aligned with your vision. And by all means, hire smart rather than fast.

Related: 9 Ways to Recruit the Best Talent for Your Startup

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The Benefits of Intentionally Scaling Your Startup - Entrepreneur

From the return of Taco Bell potatoes to vegan celebs, the hottest vegan grocery store finds, eye-opening health studies, and monumental legislation, 2021 has been a headline-making year, to say the least. To celebrate the end of this incredible year, and to gear up for a promising vegan future, weve compiled the stories on VegNews.com that kept our readers coming back for more. We present the most talked-about stories of 2021!

Thanks to a new study, we now see the increased risks associated with a keto diet, including heart disease, kidney failure, Alzheimers disease, diabetes, and cancer. Read it here

Hollywood star Olivia Newton-Johnknown best for her starring role as Sandy in classic film Greaseis dabbling in a plant-based diet to help her battle cancer. Read it here

After the release of undercover videos documenting extreme animal abuse at its farms, dairy company Fair Oaks CEO resigns, and its COO and CSO positions are terminated. Read it here

From Fruit by the Foot and Thai-inspired Doritos to old-school cult classics like Swedish Fish and Uncrustables, you can find these accidentally vegan snacks on practically any store shelf whenever a snack attack comes on. Read it here

After turning down an offer of $1 million from ABCs hit show, Deborah Torresfounder of vegan fried chicken company Atlas Monroemaintains 100-percent ownership of her company and has even sold one million pounds of chicken this year with the opening of a new, multi-million-dollar manufacturing facility. Read it here

Musician and entrepreneur Jay-Z is now an investor in plant-based chicken company SIMULATE, which recently raised $50 million to make vegan nuggets and patties. Read it here

Theres a reason vegans flock to this popular grocery store chain. Between the brands offerings of vegan chocolate chip cookies, cashew cheese, frozen novelties, and major finds from Impossible Foods and Miyokos Creamery, this handy guide lists all the must-haves for your next grocery trip. Read it here

According to a new study, eating just one animal-based hot dog shaves minutes off a healthy life. However, eating plant-based foods such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is beneficial for health and the environment. Read it here

How much is too much for seasoning? Vegan influencer Tabitha Brown released her limited-edition Sunshine All Purpose Seasoning with spice brand McCormick, which sold out in minutes. Before a restock could happen, a black market of sorts formed, selling the seasoning for as much as $120. Read it here

Beyond Burgers! Vegan cinnamon rolls! Alpha Foods Mac and Cheese! Our favorite warehouse store continues to add even more vegan goodies. Read it here

A Panda Express and Beyond Meat partnership meant the creation of Beyond The Original Orange Chicken, a fully plant-based chicken entre at the fast-food hotspot. Read it here

As new variants of COVID-19 emerge, could dark chocolate help provide an answer? Read it here

The United Kingdoms welfare laws surrounding lobster, octopuses, and crabs are changing after a new government report found that these beings all experience pain. Read it here

Take all our money, Trader Joes. The grocery retailer released a slew of vegan products this year including Boursin vegan cheese spread, pumpkin oat milk, and pumpkin cashew yogurt. Whats next? Read it here

The popular fast-food chain outraged fans last year for dropping its beloved potatoes from its menu. Luckily, thanks to the national outcry from fans, potatoes are back and even more vegan options are on the horizon. Read it here

World-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay used to be a huge critic of veganism, but hes seen the light and even shared a vegan bacon recipe on his TikTok, stating that hes turning vegan for lunch. Read it here

Forget boring Espresso, Strawberry, and Caramel, weve got all the hacks to make Chocolate Cinnamon Dolce, Rocky Road, and Cake Batter Frappuccinos. Youre welcome. Read it here

Vegan singer Billie Eilish answered questions posed by 23 celebrities during a Vogue interview, unveiling that she learned about the atrocities of the meat and dairy industries at a young age. Read it here

Six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen launched his popcorn brand Husk this year, aiming to provide consumers with organic, wholesome, vegan ingredients. Read it here

Yes, the precious potatoes are back, but what else can you eat at the iconic fast-food restaurant? We give you all the hacks. Read it here

For more vegan news, read:Cardi B Wants to Go Vegan. Asks 20 Million Fans for Help. Gelatin-Free Starburst Is Coming Your Way and More Vegan Stories After Three Decades at Tyson, Two Meat Execs Jump Ship to Work for Beyond Meat

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The Top 20 Vegan News Stories of 2021 - VegNews

Its a stretch to say that turkey faces stiff competition from tofu, but when a major supermarket posts an online guide to festive vegan food, you know that Christmas menus are shifting and as more people opt for plants over meat, some of us are left wondering how to feed the guest whos no fan of ham or any other food sourced from animals.

When meat eaters invite vegans over its often like lets just buy some vegan sausages vegan food is an afterthought, says Melbourne-based chef Tobie Puttock. But if you make vegetables shine, you can make vegan food appealing to everyone.

Melbourne-based chef Tobie Puttocks butternut pumpkins stuffed with walnuts, quinoa, cranberries and sage.Credit:Julie Renouf

Each Christmas he feeds a mixed bunch of eaters: his parents and in-laws who all eat meat and his partner and daughter who dont Puttock himself eats meat occasionally. Last year, alongside a roast side of salmon and a small turkey breast, he served butternut pumpkins stuffed with walnuts, quinoa, cranberries and sage baked in the oven a recipe from his book SuperNatural which shows how to create great dishes from plant food alone.

It was the main dish for the vegans, but the meat eaters loved it too, and it highlights some key points about pleasing plant eaters and meat eaters alike. One is that catering for vegans doesnt have to involve pretend meat; the other is that its possible to create a great centrepiece dish without serving a cooked bird or a piece of meat like Puttocks roast cauliflower with Romesco sauce, Neil Perrys vegan paella or Jill Dupleixs warm roast veggie salad with lemony lentils.

Plant-based nibbles also need some thought. What works for someone who doesnt eat cheese especially when COVID makes it tricky to serve communal bowls of nuts? A Mediterranean-ish platter of ready-made falafel, stuffed vine leaves (canned are good) and marinated roast veg from the deli is an easy option, or you could serve crostini with a plant-based pesto. Louise Pfeiffer, Vice-President of the Animal Justice Party, makes this one with artichokes and walnuts and uses vegan fetta to make spinach and cheese triangles with filo pastry.

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And barbecues? Thats where fake meat comes in for those whod rather not eat the real thing. Plant-based meat can be hit and miss but some products are surprisingly meaty: among the better ones in my experience are Birds Eyes Plant-Based Burgers, V2Food Plant-Based Sausages, or Quorn Sausages (these contain egg so are not vegan) although they often benefit from a topping of onions and/or mushrooms sauted in olive oil.

Its one thing for meat eaters to include plant-based dishes for vegan guests but should dedicated plant eaters with strong views about animal welfare, for instance, be expected to provide turkey or ham for meat-eaters? A lot depends on the relationship between host and guests.

Im not a vegan but I cook vegan food at home and if we have friends over for dinner, they know theres likely to be no meat, Tobie Puttock says.

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Festive food for vegans and meat eaters thatll please everyone - Sydney Morning Herald

Youth to the People is known for producing high-performance skincare products that combine premium vegan blends of superfood extracts and science.

Cosmetics giant LOral has acquired Californian skincare brand Youth to the People (YTTP).

The move is another attempt by the cosmetic giant to enter the vegan market. It previously acquired Logocos, another natural vegan cosmetics brand in 2018.

Youth to the People is known for producing high-performance skincare products that combine premium vegan blends of superfood extracts and science.

It was founded by Cousins Greg Gonzalez and Joe Cloyes in 2015, after being inspired by their grandmother who created a similar skincare line 40 years ago.

The brand is marketed through a mix of D2C e-commerce and selective distribution and is currently available in the US, Canada, Australia, and some European countries

Earlier this year, YTTP was named as one of the top 50 emerging startups in the US by LinkedIn. According to LOral, the brand is expected to record more than $50 million in sales in 2021.

Just and sustainable future for all

Commenting on the partnership, Cloyes and Gonzalez said: We founded Youth to the People to continue our familys legacy of making skincare and to inspire and represent our community.

Were beyond excited about this partnership and the opportunity to amplify our shared values of investing in a just and sustainable future for all.

Stphane Rinderknech is Chief Executive Officer of LOral USA. She said: We have been inspired by the passion and vision of the brands two founders, Joe Cloyes and Greg Gonzalez, in bringing the best of the health-conscious, California lifestyle to high performance beauty.

We believe in the potential of this special brand, and we look forward to working with the Youth to the People team to help them realize this potential.

I am thrilled to have Youth to the People join our growing portfolio of American brands on the West Coast.

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L'Oral to target vegans with new brand acquisition - Totally Vegan Buzz

Its that time of year when you wake up sweating and cant figure out why. Did you accidentally wear your thermals in bed? Do you have tuberculosis? No, dummy, its just that its almost Christmas, its your turn to play host, and the list of things that can go wrong on the 25th is long and wearying.

Can I recommend, before we drill into this list, a quick wisdom stocktake? Last year was the worst Christmas imaginable: every plan was kiboshed at the very last minute; non-essential shops closed before wed done our shopping; people who thought they were going back to their families ended up at home and hadnt bought Baileys and crackers and whatnot; people whod battled solitude for a year were stuck alone; people living on top of each other couldnt catch a break; people expecting guests were buried under surplus pigs in blankets, and beyond our under-or over-decorated front doors, the outside world was fraught with risk and sorrow, as coronavirus declined to mark the birth of the Christ child with any respite from its march of terror. Im not saying it couldnt be as bad as that again just that it couldnt possibly be as surprisingly bad again.

There are some bridges you cant cross until you come to them; but others, you can get a head start on.

The turkeys too big for the oven!How did you let this happen? Its not as though this meal is a surprise. Youre right, I am using a harsh, judgmental tone for a reason. There is a tendency when were around our families to default to a mean, buzzing internal monologue of: Youre useless / hopeless / incompetent, a discordant medley of everyone who ever made you feel bad, a proportion of whom, inevitably, are currently in your living room, expecting to be fed. Try not to do this to yourself. (Sure, easier said than done.)

Now, on to your oven/turkey dilemma: it seems counterintuitive to consult the Guardians Felicity Cloake, creator of How to Cook the Perfect and author of many books, from Perfect to Completely Perfect, on a matter of such complete imperfection. Yet Cloake is ideal, with so many solutions that even to count them will calm you like a breathing exercise.

Cut the legs off! she advises. Theyre usually the thing that gets wedged in the oven element and send my temperature soaring. They should be relatively easy to yank off, but as with everything, theres a YouTube video to help. If its still too big, take the wings off, too. If youve discovered far enough in advance, and its just that you dont have room for the turkey and side dishes together, then roast the turkey first, cover it with foil, then carve it and cover it in hot gravy before serving.

The turkey does fit in the oven but you put it in too late and now everyones starving and its still half raw!Cloake to the rescue again. My first reaction would be: put it back in the oven and give them a few more crisps, she says. But if theyve already started drinking, youre in a danger zone. They might sail past appetite on a sea of sherry, straight into Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

If you need to eat now, Cloake continues, Id advise starting with the breast, which will cook first and which may well be ready even if the legs are still raw. Its always worth double checking the temperature with a meat thermometer as turkey brown meat is quite dark and might look uncooked when its not.

If its not cooked at all, take it out, joint it and roast the constituent parts separately. If youre really desperate, bring a large pan of chicken or vegetable stock to a simmer, then take the meat off the bone and poach it in that. It should only take a few minutes.

Your pesky niece was a vegetarian last week and now, suddenly, shes a vegan, but nobody told you.All those failsafe store cupboard solutions for the emergency veggie the cheese toastie, the omelette are out of the window. In a carnivores kitchen, you will most likely be lacking what a vegan would consider the basics of special-occasion cooking: some kind of meat substitute, such as a burger made of pea protein; or fake cheese.

Always have a dairy-free supermarket puff pastry sheet in they last a long time in the freezer, lend themselves to festive presentation and can be filled with anything any mashed vegetable plus something like a tapenade. If theres no space in your oven, firm tofu in cubes, dusted in cornflour, deep fried, will make a random but delicious turkey substitute for your incredibly thoughtless, but presumably dearly loved, relative.

One of your guests doesnt believe in vaccinations.When we think of anti-vaxxers, especially in an intimate, family setting, were often most comfortable channelling our indignation into the territory of health: that anti-science idiot is endangering my health, or grandmas, ergo they are selfish. Undoubtedly, they are much more likely to have caught Covid, and substantially more likely to pass it on, but if this is a deal-breaker, check ahead that everyones vaxxed and disinvite anyone who isnt.

Otherwise, try this thought experiment: if they couldnt get vaccinated say they had an insurmountable needle-phobia you might be much more worried about them as a Covid victim than as a carrier. So what you could be reacting to might not be the vector transmission but character traits obduracy, narcissism, callousness. You almost need to take yourself out of it, in order to get the temperature down. Theyre not doing this to you. Its just a thing theyre doing.

We tend to think about this as a question of etiquette how can I be kind while making sure my boundaries are respected? But the world of political discourse has much more practical research on how we talk to each other across ideological divides. Ellie Mae OHagan runs the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (Class) thinktank, and works on public attitudes related to the economy and culture wars. The person whose methodology I like best is Anat Shenker-Osorio, she says, who divides people into base, persuadable and opposition.

Base tends to mean broadly progressive, humane, reasonable. Opposition doesnt mean right or left, but rather, youre the small segment of the population who cannot be moved, whatever the issue is. Youre ideologically hardline, youll probably read a lot of news and take the information that supports your existing view. First, figure out who youre dealing with. A persuadable person is more likely to express uncertainty, more likely to contradict themselves, more likely to draw from their own experience. An opposition mindset will be characterised by a long list of dodgy or diversionary facts and a great deal more certainty.

With a persuadable person, OHagan says: Dont tell them facts. That doesnt work. Dont myth-bust. What that tends to do is strengthen the myth in peoples minds. Start with a shared value and be clear that you see the good in them. I can see that you really care about making sure that people are safe. I also care about that.

The advice on the opposition mindset is not to persuade them, but in a political context to alienate them. If you dont, usually you end up saying something so bland that youre not really saying anything. In an interpersonal context, this really means, just move on: dont deliberately alienate them realistically, youre probably already not that close but dont get involved.

Interestingly, a (nameless by choice) spokesperson for the NHS said something similar they divide vaccine attitudes into four: accepting; hesitant; resistant; hostile. They only communicate with the first three, and dont engage with the fourth.

Your uncle is drunk and itching to tell some home truths.Theres an argument that one person will always be spoiling for a fight, and that its their Christmas, too. Theyve come all this way, so let them say whatever it is and shrug it off. Often, someone who wants to kick off will do it with a big, unsayable thing that Donald Trump wasnt all bad, or Covid is a hoax, or some other conspiracy theory. OHagan says: The one thing thats not discussed enough is that a lot of people who become Covid conspiracy theorists are people who really suffered during lockdown. Theyre seeking explanations for what was going on, because they were frightened and suffering. Try to respond to the hurt rather than the words.

Equally, some people just get eggy when they drink too fast, on which, my core suggestions are: make your first offer not champagne or any fizzy wine, which people always drink too fast because theyre thirsty and excited, a lethal combination. Instead, make some really weak gin and tonics, which theyll also drink too fast but it wont matter. Then, when they move on to their next drink, theyll still be excited but at least they wont be thirsty.

You bought your brother something amazing and he got you something from PoundlandI had a friend who gave her brother a kidney and that Christmas, he gave her some tights from TK Maxx, and she weathered that. True story. So just have a word with yourself, eh?

Your wifi is acting up and youve forgotten how to get away from one another without screens.The reason Christmas is so fraught and occupies such a central place in our hosting anxieties is parking your unique family dynamics twofold. First, catering at scale is unfamiliar to many people. Second, spending hours in company doesnt suit a lot of temperaments. Introverts need downtime; extroverts feel offended. The core family of parents plus adult kids will usually have its own strategies to deal with all this, but add in some in-laws, neighbours, new girlfriends or boyfriends, and youre back to square one.

My family always used to have this enforced walk across a vast and dreary common, which went on for two hours, and when I describe it it sounds awful, but it wasnt, because it enabled us to split into twos and threes and have real conversations, rather than the stilted performances that whole-family groups scare up round a table. The main thing is to make everything optional and have a few options. Charades / snooze / wash up. Poker / TV / walk the dog. Create legitimate escape routes for people who need them, otherwise theyre really going to give you a pain in your butt by about 6pm.

One of your guests is allergic to cats and youve got six. In the old days, you probably wouldnt have got a cat if it meant your brother or best friends boyfriend could no longer visit, but now, sheesh, 18 months with nobody ever visiting you and acres of home time why not have four?

Hoover like a fiend ahead of time; the hair lying about might have much more of an effect than the animal itself padding in and out. Ventilate well, which you should be doing anyway. Make sure you have antihistamines, but also consider asking your guest to take one before they arrive, although not in a tone of voice that makes them feel like a nuisance.

Its way beyond your bedtime and your guests wont leave!On this of all days, its a conversation you can have ahead of time: who needs to stay over, how those who dont stay will get home, whos driving and will need elderflower cordial. All these practical details will give you a good idea of what your entertainment window will look like. However, our social muscles have atrophied somewhat; weve become less good at reading cues and have simply forgotten what time things are supposed to end. Or maybe some of us are overexcited and want to spend more time together than ever. The first time my sister came over after the last lockdown, she left at 3am. Others are taking time to reacclimatise. We all just need radical openness: dont bother with all the Martha Stewart-ey tips, letting the wine run out and turning the lights up. Just say: Im tired, and Im going to bed, and I know this isnt how we used to do things, but it doesnt mean I love you any less.

The couple youve invited cant stand each other any more.This is one of the weirdest things about the pandemic. Not seeing enough of people outside our household, all couples, I mean all of us, have got into quite idiosyncratic registers. I know couples who have become very saccharine in the way they talk to each other, couples who overshare to a degree that would put hairs on your chest, couples whose tone has become very rough and sarcastic, and none of it is immediately legible, so dont overreact. However, these are your guests you know them pretty well or you wouldnt have invited them. And if they really cant stand each other, one or both parties will probably have told you. Im afraid this is just awks and your only strategy is to keep it off the table. Theyll split up when theyre ready, and Christmas Day at your house is nobodys idea of ready.

You realise your kids have crossed over into cynicism and will never experience the magic of Christmas again. Indeed, last year was probably their final true childhood Christmas, but you were too preoccupied to notice.I would normally quote Marge Simpson Take all your bad feelings and push them down, all the way down, past your knees, until youre almost walking on them but her children stayed the same age her entire life, so what does she know? The passing of time is just inherently sad.

Boris Johnson has just cancelled Christmas again!A personal view: after everything thats happened, including but in no way limited to the prime ministers own bogus childcare bubble last Christmas, I find it extremely unlikely that anyone will be asked or expected to celebrate on their own in 2021. However, we may be asked to scale our plans right back, and find ourselves in our nuclear families with excess food mountains, or without any of the right food. If this comes to pass, look back over the things youve been worrying about, and you may find some silver linings.

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Your niece is suddenly vegan! How to survive the 12 disasters of Christmas - The Guardian