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Weekly News Recap: Jan 24, 2020

Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: January 24, 2020

© WBZ Six-year-old Owen Colley has made about 55 clay koalas so far.

The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong. -- Carl Jung

This week's highlights

Last week's most popular stories

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Inspiring humans

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News

  • Arts Commons announces Alex Sarian, of New York's Lincoln Center, as the new president and CEO (CBC) CALGARY STORY Welcome to Calgary Alex! "Arts Commons has chosen a new president and CEO after a year-long search. Alex Sarian, who has held a variety of leadership roles at New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, will officially take over the role in May 2020, the Calgary organization announced [recently]." 1/20/20

  • New performance-based post-secondary funding model elicits mixed reactions (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced [...] that, starting April 1, Alberta will use a performance-based model to determine a portion of funding for post-secondary institutions. The performance measures are still being discussed, but could include graduate employment rates and salaries, sponsored research revenue, and enrolment." 1/20/20

  • Youth centre for at-risk kids closes its doors citing financial pressures (CBC) CALGARY STORY :-( "A popular youth centre for kids who come from low income families, many who are classed as at-risk, has closed its doors. The Cornerstone Youth Centre in Albert Park, west of Forest Lawn in southeast Calgary, had been running after school prevention programs and giving around 70 kids access to breakfast, lunches and dinners that many wouldn't get at home." 1/20/20

  • 'They are going to be warm': Mennonite quilters celebrate 100 years of gifting to people in need (CBC) ABBOTSFORD STORY I heart Mennonite quilters. "Parishioners from a Mennonite church in Abbotsford helped mark a century of outreach by making quilts for people in need. They spent [the day] at the Ross Road Community Church participating in what's called the Great Winter Warm Up — an international effort to make 6,500 handmade comforters for people affected by conflict and disaster around the world." 1/19/20

  • Canadian painter Gordon Smith, a beloved master, has died at 100 (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I always liked your work Mr. Smith. RIP. We will not see your like again. "Gordon Smith, a Canadian painter known for his large-scale abstract work and influence on other artists, died on Saturday, Jan 18, 2020. He was 100. Smith was born in East Brighton, England in 1919 and came to Winnipeg in 1933 where he enrolled at the Winnipeg School of Art. His career as a painter and teacher spanned right up until his death." 1/19/20

  • 'I was very ignorant': How being paralyzed changed one woman's view of how the world treats disabled people (CBC) FORT NELSON STORY "A wheelchair user from Fort Nelson in northeastern B.C. is pushing for better accessibility for all, based on her own experiences struggling with moving around. Two years ago, Kristi Leer severed her spinal cord in a vehicle crash. Since then, Leer has used a wheelchair to get around. Leer says the experience has been eye opening. 'You know when I got in this chair, I'm going to be very honest, my attitude toward persons with disabilities and wheelchairs was very ignorant, and when I say ignorant, I mean not knowing,' Leer told host Carolina de Ryk on Daybreak North." 1/19/20

  • Kitsilano residents play it cool over rumours they could be getting royal neighbours (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY Welcome to Canada guys! "Come this spring, Prince Harry and Meghan will no longer be working members of the Royal Family and will, therefore, no longer use their royal titles or taxpayer money, according to a statement released [...] from Buckingham Palace. It's been reported for weeks that the couple is interested in living in Canada at least part of the time and some British press are reporting that the couple is interested in buying a $36-million house on Point Grey Road in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood." 1/18/20

  • Research details different accents across the Prairies (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Me, I speak Prince George English :-) "Travel from Edmonton to Lethbridge, Alta. and you might notice locals speak a little differently. That's what a linguistics student at the University of Alberta has discovered as part of ongoing research. Student Bryce Wittrock, 23, looked at the differences in dialect between Prairie provinces. In a paper published in the Canadian Acoustics journal, data shows measurable differences in certain vowel pronunciations between 'southern Alberta and Saskatchewan English' and 'Edmonton English.' 1/18/20

  • Battle of Alberta goes philanthropic as fans raise tens of thousands for city charities (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Nice! "Thanks to the efforts of generous fans, Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk will no longer be the only Calgarian to have his lunch fed to him as a result of [the] heated Battle of Alberta showdown. The game, a 4-3 win for Calgary during which Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian pummelled Tkachuk after being on the receiving end of several punishing hits from the Flames pest, spurred duelling donations between fans of each team. As of [this week], more than $43,000 had been raised for charities in Calgary and Edmonton, a number that includes nearly $34,000 for Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids (BB4CK), which will be able to feed thousands of Calgary schoolchildren with the money." 1/16/20

  • Alberta says universities over-budget; need to freeze travel, hiring, hosting (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Alberta's advanced education minister says post-secondary schools are going over budget and he's urging them to immediately freeze hiring and stop spending on travel and hosting. Demetrios Nicolaides says, in a letter to Alberta's 21 largest post-secondary schools, that his ministry is starting to get year-end financial statements and spending is not meeting expectations." 1/16/20

  • A 6-year-old is making clay koalas to raise money for the Australian fires. He's raised over $100,000 (MSN) I heart this! "Owen started making little gray koalas out of clay and his parents set up a way for people to donate to Wildlife Rescue South Coast, a wildlife rescue group in New South Wales. The Colley family is sending one of Owen's koalas to each person who donates $50 or more. So far, he's made about 55 clay koalas [...]. Owen has raised more than $20,000 for the rescue group in just a week, his mom said." 1/16/20

  • Tenured McGill prof resigns over university's refusal to divest from fossil fuels (CBC) MONTREAL STORY "Frustrated by McGill University's refusal to divest itself of investments in fossil fuels, Gregory Mikkelson felt it would be immoral to stay on. [The] university announced it would not sell off all stocks and investments in fossil fuel companies, despite calls from staff, students and the university's own senate to do so." 1/14/20

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First Peoples of Canada

  • Inuit designers launch new line of parkas for Canada Goose (CBC) CANADIAN STORY These are GORGEOUS! "Canada Goose has launched a new collection of Inuit-made parkas. The collection called Atigi 2.0 has 90 parkas made by 18 seamstresses who all live in Inuit Nunangat — Inuit regions of N.W.T., Nunavut, Quebec to Newfoundland and Labrador. Last year, Canada Goose launched project Atigi with 14 original parkas." 1/19/20

  • New Cree language app targets students, teachers and newcomers (CBC) EDMONTON STORY This is very cool. I downloaded it...can't wait to dive in. "More than 150 elders from five northern Alberta First Nations have contributed to a new tool designed to preserve Cree words and phrases. The free app, KTCEA Elders Speak, is a product of the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council Education Authority, which oversees six schools within five northern Alberta First Nations: Peerless Trout First Nation, Whitefish Lake First Nation, Loon River First Nation, Lubicon Lake Band, and Woodland Cree First Nation." 1/19/20

  • Documenting Indigenous history brings ‘humility’ to filmmaker (Red Deer Advocate) LACOMBE STORY Sounds like a great talk! "Central Albertans are invited to meet a Blackfoot elder and a filmmaker who is learning his way through life. The talk, which will be held on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lacombe Memorial Centre, will begin with the screening of documentary filmmaker Chris Hsiung’s Elder in the Making, which is a story about a Blackfoot aboriginal and a Chinese newcomer (Hsiung) sharing a road trip across the Treaty 7 lands of southern Alberta [...]. The event is free, but Burman University encourages people to register at this link" 1/17/20

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Books to read

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Seven life and career hacks -- one for each day of the week

  1. The Biohacker’s Guide to Dealing With Anxiety (Better Humans) It's a longer read...but worth it. Just to get to the CBD part ;-) 1/16/20

  2. This Is Why You Wake Up at the Same Time Every Night (elemental+) My Fitbit tells me that I wake approximately 24 times per night. It's a pain. There are some clues in this excellent article. 1/9/20

  3. 5 Things Confident People Don’t Do (Personal Growth) Habits can be broken. We should break these. Oh, and I regularly engage in all five. Sometimes a few at the same time. Eek. 1/18/20

  4. The Guy Who Invented Inbox Zero Says We’re All Doing It Wrong (Inc.) I am a huge Merlin Mann fan. And, I live by inbox zero. But even I have come to the same conclusion Merlin has..."give some grace to yourself". 1/9/20

  5. You’re Running All Wrong (Live Your Life On Purpose) I am a runner. I have heard about this. I have tired it. It's hard. I am going to try again. 12/30/19

  6. The Most Important Skill in the 21st Century (Personal Growth) Can you close the gap between what makes sense and what is right? It's hard. This helps. Thanks Zat. 9/29/19

  7. How To Speak With Purpose (Betterism) For all of us who live in the social media world, this is excellent. Just excellent. 7/21/19

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Uncommon knowledge

  • The Average Human Body Temperature Is No Longer 98.6 F (elemental+) Whaaa? "One of the most widely accepted standard measurements of the human body, a normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, has declined gradually for more than 150 years in the United States by about 1.6% since the pre-industrial era, a new study published in the journal eLife finds. The cooling off owes largely to improvements in health and medicine and in part to increasingly cushy lifestyles, the study’s researchers think." 1/15/20

  • A Hundred Stars Have Disappeared — and Researchers Aren’t Ruling out Aliens (Popular Science) Just a little bit creepy. "A group of astronomers aims to shake that assumption of stability with the Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO) Project, by comparing 70-year-old surveys with recent images of the night sky to see what might have gone missing. After years of painstaking work, they recently announced their first results in the Astronomical Journal: at least 100 pinpricks of light that appeared in mid-20th century skies may have gone dark today." 12/23/19

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Opinion

  • Giving is changing as philanthropy faces more scrutiny (The Conversation) Important insights from someone who knows. "The more than US$400 billion Americans donate annually to charitable causes of all kinds, such as houses of worship, universities and efforts to cure cancer, add up to around 2% of the economy. The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the only school of its kind, brings together scholars of sociology, history, economics, religious studies and other disciplines to explore what drives all this giving. In an interview, which has been edited for length and clarity, Lilly School Dean Amir Pasic, explains why he believes public debate over philanthropy is growing and how U.S. giving has begun to change." 1/21/20

  • Philanthro-shaming opens new conversation about charitable giving (Daily Cardinal) "As Australia was engulfed in flames, the Internet promptly started digging for [...] ways that us folks not Down Under could help [...]. However, this uptick in donations led to others being criticized for their giving, or lack thereof — notably Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos — falling to the recent phenomena of holding the uber-rich accountable, coined ‘philanthro-shaming.’ Amazon’s donation of $690,000 is equivalent to Bezos’s earnings… of 5 minutes, according to Market Watch." 1/21/20

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Philanthropic personalities

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Philanthropic controversy

  • McGill principal defends decision not to divest after prof's resignation (Montreal Gazette) MONTREAL STORY "The principal of McGill university is defending the institution’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions after a professor resigned over its refusal to divest from the fossil fuel industry. Suzanne Fortier said the institution’s plan to reduce the overall carbon footprint of its endowment will ultimately be more effective than the 'symbolic gesture' of pulling out of oil and gas stocks." 1/20/20

  • Controversy continues over MoMa PS1 protest as artists call out questionable philanthropy (Arts&Culture) "Controversy continues over an exhibition about the Gulf wars, Theater of Operations, at the contemporary art space MoMA PS1 in Queens, New York. Of the 80 artists involved in the show, 37 have signed a public letter and are protesting the affiliation between Leon Black, the chairman of MoMA, and Constellis Group, the private military contractor formerly known as Blackwater." 1/19/20

  • Hidden cameras capture misinformation, fundraising tactics used by anti-vaxx movement (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "They came from across North America, paying $200 each to attend the ritzy event in Washington, D.C., hoping to snag selfies with some of the biggest names in the anti-vaccination movement. For the anti-vaccination activists gathered in the U.S. capital last November, it was also a chance to strategize on ways to further their cause. And they were more than willing to share those strategies with the undercover Marketplace journalists who attended the event, posing as activists trying to grow the movement in Canada." 1/18/20

  • When donors cross the line: Charitable sector grapples with sexual harassment (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "As the #MeToo movement continues to sweep across industry after industry, some in the fundraising sector say it's time for their profession to step up efforts to tackle and prevent sexual harassment. Workers in some fundraising roles can be particularly vulnerable to harassment due to the deep power imbalance between fundraisers — who are often young women, and whose jobs depend on meeting donation targets — and donors, who are often wealthy older men." 1/17/20

  • Man found guilty in fundraising scam for Humboldt Broncos crash victims (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY "Andrij Olesiuk has been found guilty of defrauding people who gave money to a GoFundMe account that he set up after the fatal Humboldt Broncos crash [...]. Judge Brent Klause found him guilty in Saskatoon provincial court of fraud under $5,000 and possessing proceeds of crime under $5,000. Outside court, Crown prosecutor Darren Howarth said the decision should send a message to other people raising money for victims of any calamity." 1/17/20

  • Nike’s Obama Center donation raises questions about corporate branding, public resources (Chicago Reporter) "A $5 million pledge from Nike to fund a new athletic facility as part of the proposed Obama Presidential Center raises both global and local issues, while a federal review of the proposed site is poised to restart. Globally, the donation could be viewed as part of the corporation’s ongoing effort to rehabilitate its image, badly tarnished in the 1990s by allegations of sweatshop conditions in Asian factories where its shoes are produced. While the corporation recovered after making changes and signing codes of conduct, questions continue to be raised about treatment of workers in its factories. What will possible corporate branding at the Obama center really signify?" 1/17/20

  • Dirty Money and Bad Science at MIT's Media Lab (Wired) "The co-occurrence of these crises suggested that the Media Lab had, in a general way, lost its moral bearings in pursuit of money and public adulation, and amid the pressure to produce civilization-shaping new ideas. An investigative report issued [recently] by MIT documenting its ties to Epstein, however, reveals that the link between the two scandals wasn’t simply cultural. It was explicit." 1/16/20

  • PayPal Agrees To More Donation Disclosures (Nonprofit Times) "PayPal has agreed to additional disclosures around its charitable giving fund as part of a settlement with nearly two dozen state charity officials. It also agreed to pay $200,000 toward education and regulatory efforts." 1/15/20

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Trends and shifts

  • Gender diversity on corporate boards boosts environmental performance: U of C study (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Um, obviously. "The study — which looked at 857 firms on the S&P’s 1500 Composite Index, which represents about 90 per cent of stock market capitalization in the U.S. — compared the gender diversity of each company’s board with their performance on ESG (environmental, social and governance metrics) rankings conducted by Sustainalytics, a leading global provider of corporate research." 1/22/20

  • Third of Ultra-Wealthy Families Prefer Time-Limited Approach to Philanthropy: Survey (Think Advisor) Interesting. Thanks to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this story. "A new study of ultra-wealthy families around the world finds that a growing number of those engaged in philanthropy are considering whether it is more effective to set an end date for their initiatives or to continue in perpetuity. A third of families in the study just published by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Campden Wealth reported that they had adopted a time-limited approach to philanthropy, concentrating their donations over shorter time periods. This approach has grown by nearly two-thirds since the early 2000s, according to the study." 1/21/20

  • China's family philanthropy joins last battle against poverty (CGTN) "China has promised to eradicate poverty by the end of 2020, that historic goal will be achieved by not just the government, but by all social groups. Family foundations are now becoming an emerging charity force in this battle [...]. Ningxia Yan Bao Charity Foundation is an example that has carved out a unique and growing role. It has donated a total amount of 277 million U.S. dollars over the past 10 years to support 80 percent of all the students in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a region described as 'the most unfit place for human settlement' by the United Nations because of its frequent droughts and fragile ecosystem." 1/19/20

  • B.C. video game designer flips script on gender tropes and racial stereotypes (CBC) VICTORIA STORY Brilliant! "A video game designer is flipping the script on gender tropes and racial stereotypes with a new game called Kings of the Castle. The game is a fairly typical first-person adventure quest — much like Nintendo's Super Mario — but instead of the player being enlisted to save a princess, the princesses are saving a prince." 1/19/20

  • 'The Meghan effect is real': How the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could find success as influencers (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embark on a post-royal life, the Duchess' star power could prove lucrative for the couple. 'The Meghan effect is real,' said Mae Karwowski, the CEO of New York City-based influencer marketing agency Obviously. 'Whenever she does go out in public and is seen wearing a specific pocketbook or a pair of jeans or a blazer, it could sell out immediately.'" 1/19/20

  • What Atlanta Can Teach Tech About Cultivating Black Talent (Wired) BTW, this is a brilliant piece. Highly recommended. "The city is rich in opportunity for African Americans, who are largely underrepresented in the industry. It's also poised to become a hotbed for AI innovation." 1/16/20

  • Maybe it’s worth it after all: Duke study shows how LinkedIn helps job-seekers get a leg up (Duke Chronicle) Great. I have been thinking that LinkedIn is being under-utilized for a while now. "It’s time to link up on LinkedIn, according to one Duke professor. Assistant Professor of Economics Robert Garlick co-authored a September 2019 research paper that found that in low-income backgrounds, LinkedIn users are 10% more likely to obtain employment than their non-LinkedIn counterparts. The work was in collaboration with social scientists from the University of Alberta and the Research Triangle Institute International." 1/16/20

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Reports and studies

  • Gender earnings gap starts upon graduation and widens quickly, says report (Globe and Mail) CANADIAN STORY Ugh. We need to do better. "Canada’s gender earnings gap starts immediately after postsecondary graduation and widens notably in the first five years in the work force as men out-earn women, a new report finds. On average, women earn 12 per cent ($5,700) less than men one year after graduation, according to the report published [...] by the non-profit Labour Market Information Council and the Education Policy Research Initiative (EPRI), based at the University of Ottawa. Five years after graduation, the earnings gap widens to 25 per cent, or $17,700. By that point, a gap is found within every field of study or type of degree." 1/14/20

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Large gifts

  • Portland Art Museum receives $ 10 million donation from Arlene Schnitzer (The Media HQ) Lovely. "The Portland Art Museum has accepted a donation of $10 million, the largest single contribution from an individual donor in the museum’s 127 years. The gift from Arlene Schnitzer, a philanthropist, is among the best gifts to the arts in the region, according to officials." 1/21/20

  • KAIST receives 10-billion-won donation for aspiring entrepreneurs (THE DONG-A ILBO) "Chang, who was had appointed in 2017 as the chairman of the Presidential Committee on the 4th Industrial Revolution, announced that he would donate 10 billion won [$11.2 million CAD] to KAIST at the alumni new year’s reunion [...] which was held at InterContinental Grand Seoul Parnas in southern Seoul. “I decided to make the donation hoping that students will be given the same opportunities, the same serendipity that led me to the success I have today,” Chang said." 1/20/20

  • $25 Million Donated To Japanese Humanities Department (Canyon News) Nice gift. "Tadashi Yanai, the founder and CEO of clothing company Uniqlo, recently donated $25 million to UCLA’s Japanese literature and cultural humanities department." 1/19/20

  • Ursinus College receives $11 million donation, its largest, for student scholarships (The Philadelphia Inquirer) "Ursinus College has received the largest single gift in its 150-year history — $11 million to support a scholarship program aimed at students from lower- and middle-income [families]." 1/17/20

  • Owner Of Pama And Pavi Makes Generous €7 Million Donation To Local Charities (Lovin Malta) It is not often that we get to highlight a gift made in Malta but...here we are. Nice gift! "One of Malta’s most distinguished businessmen has donated €7 million worth of shares to several local foundations and charities. Paul Gauci is the majority shareholder in PG Group which operates both Pama and Pavi along with retail giants Zara." 1/17/20

  • Alumni Give Oklahoma State University $50 Million Donation (US News) Wowzers! "Two former students have given Oklahoma State University one of its biggest donations ever, $50 million, which the school will spend on agriculture research and the construction of a new building. The contribution from alumni Kayleen and Larry Ferguson designates $25 million to the university’s agriculture college, which will be renamed Ferguson College of Agriculture. The other half of the donation will kick-start a fundraising campaign for the construction of the new agriculture college building on the Stillwater campus." 1/16/20

  • Benioff Ocean Initiative and The Coca-Cola Foundation Announce $11 Million in Funding to Clean Up Rivers and Stem Flow of Waste to Oceans (Valdosta Daily Times) "Nine river clean-up programs across the world have been selected to receive a total of $11 million over the next three years as part of a unique partnership between The Coca-Cola Foundation and the Benioff Ocean Initiative at the University of California Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute." 1/15/20

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Welcome to our recap of the week's news, articles, and information of note. ViTreo Group Inc. provides this information for the benefit of our clients, associates, staff, partners, and stakeholders. The content is collected and curated by ViTreo partner Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca

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