Weekly News Recap: October 16, 2020

Weekly News Recap: October 16, 2020

Calgary’s Vital Signs features expert research combined with the results of a citizen survey, where Calgarians weigh in areas critical to quality of life. Image: Calgary Foundation

Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it… it’s just easier if you do. — Byron Katie

VITREO FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING ZOOM CHATS

Join us for a reprise of our Fundraising Ask Anything Zoom events. We started Season 1 with a general conversation among friends and colleagues last April. These events proved immensely popular and we ended up doing six in total. Earlier today, we launched the new season with our session titled: Pandemic +7: The Check-in. We will be continuing with two additional drop-in video calls where you can connect and ask questions of your peers and the ViTreo team. The themes for the next two sessions are below. Don’t see a topic that interests or is relevant to you? Don’t worry, join us anyway…we are calling them Ask Anything events for a reason. See you online! Register here

  • OCT 16 - Pandemic +7: The Check-in. Past Event

  • NOV 6 - The Giving Season: The Digital Edition.

  • DEC 18 - Budgeting in a 65% World.

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • An Amur tiger hugging a tree and other images from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (CBC) Beautiful. "Titled The Embrace, the photograph shows an endangered Amur tigress with her huge front paws wrapped around a Manchurian fir tree, as she rubs her cheek against the bark to leave behind her scent as a message to other tigers. Russian photographer Sergey Gorshkov had left a hidden motion-triggered camera at that spot in the woods nearly a year earlier."

  • A B.C. research project gave homeless people $7,500 each — the results were 'beautifully surprising' (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY "The New Leaf project is a joint study started in 2018 by Foundations for Social Change, a Vancouver-based charitable organization, and the University of British Columbia. After giving homeless Lower Mainland residents cash payments of $7,500, researchers checked on them over a year to see how they were faring [...]. Not only did those who received the money spend fewer days homeless than those in the control group, they had also moved into stable housing after an average of three months, compared to those in the control group, who took an average of five months."

  • Is cow hugging the world's new wellness trend? (BBC) "Dubbed 'koe knuffelen' in Dutch (literally 'cow hugging'), the practice is centred on the inherent healing properties of a good human-to-animal snuggle. Cow cuddlers typically start by taking a tour of the farm before resting against one of the cows for two to three hours. The cow’s warmer body temperature, slower heartbeat and mammoth size can make hugging them an incredibly soothing experience, and giving the animal a backrub, reclining against them or even getting licked is all part of the therapeutic encounter."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. What is Calgary’s Vital Signs? (Calgary Foundation) CALGARY STORY I have been reading Calgary Foundation's Vital Signs report for years. This year's report is one of the most important I have read. I highly recommend that every Calgarian read, think about, and talk about the challenges (and opportunities) this report highlights. "Calgary’s Vital Signs® report features expert research combined with the results of a citizen survey, where Calgarians weigh in areas critical to quality of life."

  2. Visitors loved closure of Banff Avenue for strolling but some issues arose, mayor says (CBC) BANFF STORY I would say this was an unqualified success -- only 15 cases of COVID-19 and...we all got to enjoy Banff as a pedestrian-friendly town. "Banff is evaluating the success of an experiment that turned its main drag into a pedestrian-only zone for a few months during the pandemic [...]. The closures were intended to limit the spread of COVID-19 by allowing for at least two metres of space for pedestrians and cyclists, and to attract more foot traffic to local businesses."

  3. Arts Commons expansion project moves ahead to design process (CBC) CALGARY STORY *Very exciting. Congrats to all. "The plan to expand and renovate Arts Commons is moving a step closer to reality with an agreement to start the process of choosing a team to design the $400-million project. The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) will act as the development manager in a partnership with the city and Arts Commons."

  4. Artist withdraws work, calls for changes to Art Gallery of Alberta to address systemic racism (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "A Calgary artist who withdrew from an Art Gallery of Alberta exhibition this summer prompted the organization to take a closer look at its history and commit to take more steps toward dismantling systemic racism." Related: Art Gallery of Alberta confronts history of never including Black artists in Biennial exhibition

  5. Calgary social agencies brace for cuts as United Way scales back (CBC) CALGARY STORY Eek! "The United Way of Calgary has told all of the agencies it funds to brace for cuts and possibly lose funding altogether. The United Way, which raised nearly $50 million for 83 social agencies last year, is bracing for a continued contraction in donations brought on by a long-running economic downturn and a global health pandemic."

  6. 'There are probably going to be job losses': U of C looks to minimize impact of impending cuts (CBC) CALGARY STORY "Facing another round of provincial budget cuts in 2021, the University of Calgary says there will undoubtedly be job cuts [...]. University president Ed McCauley said impending provincial budget cuts and an eventual transition to performance-based provincial funding means the school will need to find efficiencies in its next budget. 'The magnitude of the budget cuts that we're talking about are very, very large,' he said."

  7. Construction of Langdon baseball diamonds nearing completion (Airdrie Today) LANGDON STORY Nice work Langdon! ViTreo is proud to have helped the North Bow Community Facility Board with the early stages of this project."The construction of four new baseball diamonds in Langdon is rounding third and approaching home plate. The Langdon Community Campus quad baseball diamonds are still under construction, but the four state-of-the-art diamonds should be able to host games by next spring, according to Chrissy Craig, chair of the Langdon Community Association (LCA) and the project’s fundraising co-ordinator."

  8. 'Most challenging, difficult year': Canadian food banks get creative to meet demand amid pandemic (CTV) CANADIAN STORY "Multiple drive-thru collections [were] set up across the country for [this past] Thanksgiving weekend. The Regina Food Bank staged its first drive-thru [this past weekend] where normally collection would be done door-to-door in the city. The food bank’s CEO says they’re seeing a 50 per cent increase in the number of new clients due to the pandemic."

  9. Pinkwashing: Donation scams during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (KOTA TV) "October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and many people show their support by wearing pink. Breast Cancer Awareness month is a good reminder to give back to the cancer community, but to also make sure that your donations are in the right hands [...]. What pinkwashing really is, is an attempt to lure you in to buy items that appear that they would support breast cancer research or people with breast cancer when actually they are just selling you items that are pink."

  10. Alberta unconcerned about OPEC prediction for slower growth in oil demand over next 25 years (CBC) "Alberta's energy minister is unconcerned about a new report by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that suggests demand for oil will plateau in a decade."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. The Only Four Books Bill Gates Has Rated Five Stars (Mind Cafe) Yes, Bill Gates writes his own reviews on Goodreads. Search them, they are fun.

  2. The Power of Prayer in an Agnostic Life (Human Parts) As a lapsed catholic, I still pray. It is a powerful "mind-body phenomenon" as they say.

  3. How To Make the Absolute Best Instant Pot Beef Stew (The Kitchn) Winter is coming. And so is great stew. Enjoy!

  4. 3 Science-Based Ways to Become Psychologically Bulletproof (Mind Cafe) Ben Hardy is a great thinker and writer. I love all three of these but especially #2.

  5. Science Might Have Identified the Optimal Human Diet (elemental+) Intermittent fasting and eating a Mediterranean diet is the key. #YummyAndHeartHealthy

  6. 10 student-to-student tips for virtual classes (UAlberta) "Virtual classes are the new normal, and they contain plenty of challenges. New technology, altered schedules and juggling tasks are some of the hurdles of remote learning. [These] tips can help."

  7. Reasons Revealed for the Brain’s Elastic Sense of Time (Quanta Magazine) Turns out, that how you experience time is very much related to your expectations of what you are experiencing during that time. #TimeFlies

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Arthur Blank makes $200 million donation to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (The Falcoholic) Boom! Nice gift! Arthur Blank is the co-founder of Home Depot. "[The] Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation [have] announced the naming of the newest hospital within the healthcare system. Made possible due to a $200 million donation from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, it is the largest donation in Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta history. It is also the single largest naming gift to a freestanding pediatric hospital."

  2. USAA to make $50 million donation for racial equality initiatives (LMTonline) "USAA said [...] that it will donate $50 million over the next three years to organizations combating racial inequality — in education, employment and business development — in low-income military enclaves and communities of color in San Antonio and across the country. This is the San Antonio-based insurance and financial services company’s largest-ever [donation]."

  3. Craigslist Founder Donates $10 Million To Fight Hunger In U.S. (Celebrity Net Worth) "Billionaire Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, has become a major philanthropist over the years. His most recent cause is fighting hunger in the United States. He's donating $10 million to hunger-related charities including DC Central Kitchen, Second Harvest, and FareStart."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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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