Weekly News Recap: January 27, 2017
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
If you think you are only strong if you can lift a certain number, whatever that number is, you will feel pretty weak most of the time. Strength is not a data point; it’s not a number. It’s an attitude. — Pavel Tsatsouline
Inspiring
- Thank you (President Obama - Archives) Obama's final letter, as president, to his fellow Americans: "You made me a better President, and you made me a better man." Also, if you are interested in following the Obama Foundation, a sign up link can be found in this article. 1/19/17
What to read
- Five Books You’ve Never Heard of That Will Change Your Life (The Mission) Nice (and short) list. And the writer is right, I have not heard of them. Particularly intrigued by "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. 1/20/17
News
Calgary Zoo cancels Illuminasia due to 'poor economy' (CBC) CALGARY STORY The Calgary Zoo has cancelled its annual Illuminasia Lantern and Garden Festival, citing the "poor economy" and a lack of visitors as the reasons. "We were unable to attract the size of audience necessary to make the event sustainable," the zoo said in a release. 1/25/17
'You really never say goodbye': Hyman Belzberg's niece reflects on his contribution to Calgary (CBC) CALGARY STORY Hyman was a well-known and respected philanthropist. RIP Mr. Belzberg. 1/25/17
Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation launches campaign for overdue upgrades (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Being at the top of a government list is virtually meaningless. I applaud the Royal Alex for undertaking this campaign. It is one of the busiest hospitals in northern Alberta. The hospital, which serves almost one million people each year, has been at the top of Alberta's health care infrastructure priority list for more than two decades. 1/24/17
Private donation fuels Fort McMurray breakfast club for kids affected by wildfire (CBC) FORT MCMURRAY STORY Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline has stepped up to support a breakfast program that feeds children of families affected by the wildfire that swept through Fort McMurray last May. 1/24/17
Fiery public hearing predicted on controversial Kelowna tourist development (CBC) KELOWNA STORY A controversial new property proposal in Kelowna, B.C., has some residents gearing up for an epic battle at a public hearing. Tourism Kelowna has proposed building a 3,000-square-foot building on a downtown waterfront property lot owned by the City of Kelowna at Queensway and Mill Street. 1/24/17
Suncor Donation Supports Enhanced Training At College (Blackburn News) SARNIA STORY Lambton College will purchase new industry equipment, software and simulators that support enhanced training for students thanks to a $300,000 donation from the Suncor Energy Foundation. Lambton College is located in Sarnia, Ontario. 1/23/17
Communities Coming Together to Celebrate Canada's Stories Through Art (Vivo) CALGARY STORY Great project! Supported by the Federal Government's Canada 150 Fund, the project facilitated by Vivo, will invite professional and amateur artists to work with community members to capture their inspiring stories in two art pieces that will serve as an enduring Canada 150 legacy. Vivo is a ViTrēo client. 1/19/17
UCalgary closes 2016 United Way campaign with records set again CALGARY STORY (UToday) Nice work UofC! $635,000 (and $135,000 over goal) is a really spectacular achievement. Thank you. 1/19/17
Calgary culture writers band together under new website 'theYYScene.ca' (CBC) CALGARY STORY Great idea. I will visit this site regularly. 1/19/17
Premier Rachel Notley splits human services department, appoints new cabinet member (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Danielle Larivee is now the Minister of Children's Services. Irfan Sabir has had his portfolio reduced and is now Minister of Community and Social Services. Shaye Anderson is appointed as the new Minister of Municipal Affairs. 1/19/17
Troubled Athabasca University to undergo third-party review (CBC) ALBERTA STORY The review, announced by the Alberta government and the university's board of governors, will be conducted by Ken Coates. Coates, a professor and Canada Research Chair in regional innovation at the University of Saskatchewan, will submit a report by April 30. 1/19/17
Life and career hacks
Daily Routines of Nikola Tesla, Mozart, Hemingway, Woody Allen, Maya Angelo [sic], van Gogh, Stephen King, and Nabokov (The Mission) I find these routines fascinating and enlightening. I was particularly impressed with Maya Angelou's commitment to end the work day by 2pm "so that when my husband comes home, I’m not totally absorbed in my work." 1/25/17
How to Become an Insanely Good Writer, According to Stephen King (The Mission) Like his writing or don't, you can't argue with a guy who has successfully written books that have sold over 350 million copies. And, his advice is great. 1/20/17
The Eisenhower Method For Taking Action (How to Distinguish Between Urgent and Important Tasks) (The Mission) I learned this method about 20 years ago and and I regularly use it to triage the truly important. If it is new to you, great. If it is not, please take it as a lovely reminder as I did. 1/19/17
8 Lessons from Weightlifters for a More Powerful Life (Better Humans) The zen of the bar. I get it. “I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.” — Henry Rollins. 11/29/15
Uncommon knowledge
- When Cars Drive Themselves (New York Times) Ever wondered how these work? Wonder no more as this primer on autonomous vehicles will get you ready to be super-nerdy at your next networking event. January 2017
Reports and studies
- The Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors launch The Theory of the Foundation – Europe Initiative report (European Foundation Centre) An interesting report for those engaged with european foundations. January 2017
Philanthropic personalities
Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropy organization is acquiring a search and AI startup called Meta (recode) The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the standalone company founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan that’s tasked with giving away the couple’s billions, is making its first acquisition. CZI is acquiring Meta, a startup that “developed an AI that helps scientists read, understand and prioritize millions of scientific papers,” according to a Facebook post. 1/23/17
Kroc's Giving, Like McDonald's Meals, Was Fast and Super-Sized (New York Times) A documentary on Ray Kroc's life, "The Founder" is just out. Should be an interesting view. 1/20/17
A Fundraising Luminary Shares His Secrets of Attracting Wealthy Supporters (Inside Philanthropy) One of the brightest lights in the development profession, Panas has written 19 books including Asking, which Amazon.com touts as “the bestselling fundraising book of all time.” He started his consulting firm, Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners, in 1968. Now in his 80s, Panas manages the Chicago firm from his Connecticut home while maintaining a busy schedule of speaking and teaching at, among other venues, the Institute for Charitable Giving, which he co-founded in 1991. January 2017
Opinion
The internet has fostered a new kind of tribalism, and it's destroying the way we interact (CBC) How to break out? Have an IRL coffee with a friend. As the article states: " Logging off and getting coffee together might just be the closest thing we have to a social media Switzerland." 1/24/17
Speed Reading is Bullshit (The Mission) I completely agree. 1/23/17
Why time management is ruining our lives (The Guardian) It's called "The Long Read" for a reason. If you are willing however, this article is a strong counterpoint to the incessant time management solutions many of us wrestle with everyday. “Eventually, I realised something,” Merlin Mann said. “Email is not a technical problem. It’s a people problem. And you can’t fix people.” 12/22/16
This May Be the Greatest Threat Facing Humanity. What Can Philanthropy Do About It? (Inside Philanthropy) Global pandemics. To many in the global health community, it’s not a matter of if, but when, an outbreak will occur. 1/19/17
Large gifts
Houston Texans owner Bob McNair makes donation to alma mater South Carolina (SEC Country) Houston Texans owner and University of South Carolina alum Bob McNair made a large donation to the school’s new football operations center, the school announced Tuesday. McNair and his wife, Janice, are giving $5 million toward the construction of the new football operations center, putting South Carolina past the halfway mark for the $30 million fundraising goal for the facility. 1/24/17
$15 million donated to CU Boulder's aerospace engineering department (Daily Camera) The family of a former Colorado University aerospace engineering alumnus is donating $15 million to the school, a donation that will help expand funding for the Smead Scholars Program. The donation includes $10 million provided this year and $5 million that the family had donated previously. Ann Smead and husband Michael Byram made the gift to offer continued support for the Smead Program which was started in 2006 to honor Ann's late husband Joe Smead. 1/23/17
West Florida professor gives school $1M for scholarships (ABC) A University of West Florida professor has contributed $1 million to the school for scholarships for sophomore students. 1/22/17
'It's the least that I could do,' says Tamil business owner after $2M donation to UofT Scarborough (CBC) TORONTO STORY In the middle of Canada's first Tamil Heritage Month, a Scarborough business owner, Ravi Gukathasan, CEO of Scarborough-based Digital Speciality Chemicals and one of the University of Toronto Scarborough's earliest Tamil alumni, has given his alma mater a $2 million donation to fund Tamil studies. The donation will fund an annual postdoctoral fellowship, scholarships, a programming fund, and a digital fund. 1/22/17
Presbyterian Communities and Services Foundation Receives $2.8 Million Donation for Hospice Center (D Healthcare Daily) The donations for the Faith Presbyterian Hospice’s T. Boone Pickens Hospice and Palliative Care Center come from four Dallas couples, individuals, and families. Sammye and Mike Myers, Charlotte Test, Margot and Ross Perot, and the family of the late Don Hodges each donated to the hospice and care center, which will be the first stand-alone inpatient hospice center of its kind in Dallas. 1/20/17
Grand Island Senior High officials grateful for $5 million donation given for stadium renovations (NBC) The Grand Island Senior High School recently received $5 million from Lanny Martin, an alumnus of the school. Grande Island Senior High School is located in Grand Island, Nebraska. 1/20/17
SMOKEY ROBINSON MAKES $1M DONATION TO MUSIC SCHOOL IN CALIFORNIA (ABC) Some students at a school in Los Angeles have a million reasons to make beautiful music thanks to one pretty famous musician. Their music program is called Little Kids Rock and they can keep rocking on thanks to brand new instruments and a million dollar donation from music legend Smokey Robinson. 1/19/17
Marquette gets $10 million donation for new dorm (Wisconsin Biz) Ray and Kay Eckstein, two longtime Marquette University alumni donors, have pledged to give $10 million toward construction of the university’s new $96 million residence hall. 1/19/17
Kansas Couple’s Donation Gives Teens Free Visits to Art Institute of Chicago for the Next 25 Years (The 74 Million) I love initiatives that increase access to art for youth. The fact that it is at the Art Institute of Chicago is even better. 1/19/17
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