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Weekly News Recap: January 15, 2021

Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: January 15, 2021

Elon Musk Is the World's Richest Person -- How is he going to give some of it away? (James Duncan Davidson photo | CC BY-NC 3.0)

Failure is an option here -- Elon Musk

WE ARE SO LUCKY

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Edmonton ice cream shop learns sign language to be more inclusive to deaf customers (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Such a great story. "An Edmonton ice cream shop arranged for its employees to take an American Sign Language workshop to be more inclusive toward its deaf customers. [Employees] at Kind Ice Cream, on 76th Avenue near 96th Street, learned not only basic sign language but also the grammatical roles of facial expressions, about deaf culture, on how deaf and hard-of-hearing prefer to communicate, whether it's speech or sign, and the importance of inclusion."

  • BRINGING THE WORLD TO OUR STAGE - THE SUCCESS OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Theatre Calgary) CALGARY STORY Nice work Theatre Calgary. "For us, A Christmas Carol has always been about bringing families, friends, and a city together. Over the past 34 years, our production of Charles Dickens’ classic has made its way onto our stage, and into the hearts and imaginations of our audiences. For many young patrons, the show is often their first theatrical experience, and for many families, it is a staple in their holiday traditions."

  • Alex Trebek's final Jeopardy! episode closes with heartfelt tribute (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT Beautiful. "More than two months after Alex Trebek's death, fans of Jeopardy! finally got the chance to say goodbye. A video tribute to the host closed [the] episode of the quiz show, the final one that Trebek taped before he died of pancreatic cancer on Nov. 8. The 90-second montage, set to Hugh Jackman singing the Peter Allen song Once Before I Go, is a lighthearted and laughter-filled remembrance showing Trebek's changing look through his 36 years as host, with moustache and without, with black hair and with grey, with suits from several decades."

  • Whale families bring calf along on return trip to traditional feeding grounds in B.C. (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY Now, this is good news. "Two northern resident killer whale families brought along a baby as they returned for the first time in 20 years to their traditional winter foraging grounds in British Columbia waters."

  • Beautiful Calgary photo submissions we've received (CBC) CALGARY STORY Very lovely. Worth a look.

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. This online calculator estimates when you'll receive your COVID-19 vaccine (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Sometime between July and August for me. How about you? Check your estimate here.

  2. Canadian professor gaining recognition for role in discovering insulin 100 years ago (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I am especially excited to see this happen. First, because I was privileged to work with the Edmonton diabetes researchers who discovered a transplant cure for diabetes; second, because I am a proud UofA alum, and third because I am a diabetic myself. #LongTimeComing "In 1923, scientists Frederick Banting and John Macleod were jointly awarded a Nobel Prize — Canada's first — for discovering insulin. Nearly 100 years later, a lesser-known member of their research team is gaining recognition for his role in one of Canada's biggest medical breakthroughs. 99 years ago this month, University of Alberta professor James Collip managed to purify a pancreatic extract so it could be used on humans."

  3. Top 10 Reports About the Nonprofit Sector in 2020 (Carleton) This is a great round up of the year's best. Thanks to Andrea McManus for sharing this story.

  4. NorQuest launches initiative to encourage Edmontonians to shop local in 2021 (NorQuest) EDMONTON STORY Good move NorQuest. #LoveIt "EDMONTON – Following a challenging year for independent retailers, an Edmonton college is partnering with small businesses to encourage people to shop local by offering deals and discounts. Shoppers can discover deals from more than 50 small businesses with the NorQuest YEG Discount Card."

  5. Alberta considers boards to govern several universities, colleges (CBC) ALBERTA STORY I am very interested to see how this plays out. "The Alberta government is considering the creation of new boards to oversee multiple universities, colleges or polytechnic institutions in the province. The proposal is one of several recommendations put forward by international consultant McKinsey and Company as they conduct a $3.7-million review of Alberta's post-secondary education [system]."

  6. Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Announces In-Situ Leighton Residencies (Broadway World) BANFF STORY Woot! Nice work Banff Centre. "Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity continues to support artists using digital and remote opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this purpose, Banff Centre is announcing a new, one-time In-Situ Leighton Residency program, allowing artists to advance projects that cannot currently take place on the Banff campus due to COVID-19 restrictions."

  7. Elon Musk Debates How to Give Away World’s Biggest Fortune (Bloomberg) It's time Mr. Musk. "Elon Musk is not only the world’s richest person, he lays claim to the biggest net worth ever recorded: $209.3 billion as of [this week]. What he does with it will be closely watched. Judging by Twitter, the Tesla Inc. co-founder’s preferred medium of communication, philanthropy is on his mind. One of his first reactions on becoming the wealthiest human -- after an initial shrug -- was to solicit advice on how to give it away."

  8. Parks Foundation Calgary outdoor projects pop up in the city’s southeast (Livewire Calgary) CALGARY STORY More goodness! "The first outdoor activities with the Parks Foundation Calgary grants are forming and some are just a-maze-ing. In October, Calgary city councillor Druh Farrell put forward the idea of microgrants to spur projects that would get people outdoors over the winter months. By mid-December, Parks Foundation had built the grant program and was accepting applications."

  9. Oldest Tool Use Thrown Back To Two million Years In Oldupai Gorge Find (Ancient Origins) That is way farther back than previously understood. #Wow "An interdisciplinary team of researchers have unearthed the oldest stone tools at the oldest archaeological site in the famous Oldupai Gorge, popularly known as the Cradle of Humankind. Their discoveries also reveal how the earliest hominins coped with climate change two million years ago."

  10. On Philanthropy: Predictions on charity and giving for 2021 (Denver Post) "2020’s racial justice movement that expanded awareness of racism and injustice across the U.S. and globally, combined with the economic disparity that burgeoned in the year of the pandemic, has caused many donors – large and small – to reexamine the focus of their giving. Expect to see more donors looking upstream to examine and fund solutions to the causes of the problems they wish to solve rather than just the symptoms."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. The First Question to Ask Yourself When You Sit Down to Work (Forge) I regularly have problems 'getting started'. If you do too, this article is for you.

  2. The English Language Needs an Update (Human Parts) Let's just admit it. English is pretty messed up.

  3. 36 Little Cooking Habits You Should Actually Ditch ASAP (Buzzfeed) I often reach too fast for the olive oil. #TimeToBranchOut

  4. Harvard Researchers Prove High Achievers Crave Purpose, Not Passion (Entrepreneur's Handbook) Purpose baby. Purpose.

  5. This is One of the Rare Habits That Profoundly Changed My Life (Curious) Get your pen (or pencil) ready.

  6. 7 Pieces Of Wisdom Most People Don’t Learn Until Their 40s (Curious) Oh man, some great stuff here. Wish I had read and internalized it when I was 20.

  7. How cold is too cold to exercise outside? (The Weather Network) CANADIAN CONTENT How cold is too cold for you? I will run in weather down to -20.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. UC Irvine receives $10.4-million donation for art history, center for inclusive computing (LA Times) I like this. #InclusiveComputing "UC Irvine [has] received a $10.4-million gift from the Steckler Charitable Fund to be put toward art history students and establishing a center to make computing inclusive."

  2. Amazon hires Seattle U computer science chair, then makes big donation to find replacement (Geekwire) Interesting approach: "Hey Amazon, you just took our star academic...can you fund the search for the next one." #IfYouDontAsk

  3. Sony makes $1.7 million product donation to International African American Museum (Charleston Business) Nice work Sony. "Sony Corp. of America is donating $1.7 million in products to the International African American Museum in its ongoing commitment to social justice and diversity."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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