Weekly News Recap: October 2, 2020

Weekly News Recap: October 2, 2020

The Aspen Family and Community Network and Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary will now be known as Trellis. (Courtesy Trellis)

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. -- Dalai Lama

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SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Tanqueray, Humans of New York Star, Brings in Over $2.5 Million in Donations (New York Times) Do check out her 'speciality' in her burlesque act. People love this story. I love this story. Thanks to Christine Fraser (a long-time Humans of New York follower) for sharing it with me. #WhatALife "[The] internet fell in love with Tanqueray, a straight-shooting New Yorker who shared memories of her life as a burlesque dancer in the 1960s and ’70s with the many millions of people who follow Humans of New York on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr."

  • Italian couple ‘Romeo and Juliet’ met from their balconies during lockdown. Now they’re engaged. (Washington Post) #Swoon "An Italian couple has become known as the 'Romeo and Juliet' of the coronavirus lockdown. In true Shakespearean style, their romantic story began on their respective balconies this year while Italians were forced to sequester in their homes because of the pandemic. It was in Verona — the same city where 'Romeo and Juliet' took place."

  • New emoji approved to help express the anguish of 2020 (The Verge) I love it. "This year has been hard. Wildfire smoke has engulfed the West Coast, hundreds of thousands are dead from an ongoing pandemic, and the US government is deadlocked to the point of illegitimacy, incapable of taking action against the economic, political, ecological, and medical devastation that threatens to engulf us. Even for those not directly affected, the perception of the ongoing crises has turned into a kind of psychic assault, challenging the limits of what we can express."

  • Spanish triathlete lets rival cross the line first after making mistake at the finish (El Pais) Wow. I double heart this. "It was the last corner on the 2020 Triathlon in the northern Spanish city of Santander [...]. British competitor James Teagle, who was in third place, missed the bend and ran into one of the metal barriers lining the route, having become disorientated by the signage at the final meters of the race. Diego Méntrida, a 21-year-old Madrileño, had been close to his competitor during the final stage, just a second behind, but on seeing his error decided not to take advantage of it, letting the Briton cross the line before him – in the process giving up what could have been the first podium of his career."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. '120 years of history being dreamed into something new': Social agencies combine to form Trellis (CTV) CALGARY STORY Congrats! "After amalgamating earlier this year, the Aspen Family and Community Network and Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary will now be known as Trellis [...]. The new organization says it is 'building on the work of both legacy agencies to unlock human potential across generations' and will offer 33 programs serving an estimated 9,000 people facing social issues each year."

  2. Pay gap between male and female professors continues to plague Canadian universities (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Ugh. We need to do better. Nice work OCAD, CapU, and UFV. "At the University of Alberta, the average salary of a female faculty member is almost $19,000 less than her male counterpart. At the University of Calgary, that gap grows to more than $23,000. Furthermore, preliminary data from Statistics Canada reveals that the wage gap between genders is a pervasive trend across all Canadian universities except for three — OCAD University, a Toronto art and design school, plus Capilano University and the University of the Fraser Valley in B.C."

  3. Calgary Not-For-Profit CAWST Helps International Hand Hygiene Efforts (Avenue Calgary) CALGARY STORY And these folks really are the experts. Nice work CAWST! "Since the onset of COVID-19, CAWST has focused on combatting the pandemic through a collaboration with the COVID-19 Hygiene Hub, a free service developed to help low- and middle-income countries rapidly design hygiene interventions to combat the virus."

  4. Meet Bonnie and Henry — the soon-to-be guide dogs named in honour of B.C.'s top doctor (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY #Aww "Since the onset of the pandemic, B.C.'s Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has not only led the province in its COVID-19 response, but she has also become a muse for some. There have been shoes, there have been murals, there have been songs and now, there are puppies. Meet Bonnie and Henry, a pair of Labrador puppies named in honour of B.C.'s top doctor. B.C. and Alberta Guide Dogs announced the birth and tribute [earlier this week]."

  5. Calgary's downtown office vacancy rate hits nearly 30% (CBC) CALGARY STORY Duration is the killer. "Calgary's downtown office vacancy rate has crept up to a new high of nearly 30 per cent. According to real estate brokerage company CBRE, downtown office vacancy rose from 27 per cent in the second quarter of this year to 28.7 per cent in the third. Greg Kwong, the company's managing director in Calgary, said it's not how high the vacancy rate has climbed but the length of time it has been so high that is noteworthy."

  6. Riders announce layoffs after multi-million dollar losses due to COVID-19 (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY Pre-COVID, sales of Rider gear outsold all other teams combined. Ugh, this sucks. "The Saskatchewan Roughriders organization is laying off some employees. The team says it faces a $10 million shortfall due to COVID-19. It says the cuts are necessary to ensure the long-term stability and sustainability of the club."

  7. Alberta senator doing virtual tour of the province (Lethbridge Herald) ALBERTA STORY Nice move Senator Black! "Alberta Senator Doug Black is taking a cross-Alberta tour. He’s just staying in the same spot. With the COVID-19 pandemic playing havoc with social distancing and travel plans, Black moved his cross-Alberta tour online with virtual visits starting in Lethbridge earlier this week before moving on to Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Peace River and Fort McMurray."

  8. The 10 Best Road Trips to Take in Canada This Fall (ComplexCA) We live in a beautiful country. "So COVID-19 ruined your summer vacation plans. And with case numbers back on the rise across Canada (and around the world) you likely won't want to board that flight to Marseille any time soon. We'd be cheesed, too, but look: just because you had the shittiest summer of your life doesn't mean you can't still salvage the fall by traveling to beauteous locales within this country's borders."

  9. Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage — but what about love and COVID? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Yep. "Relationships are never easy, and many of them change and falter dramatically when children enter the picture. But what about when a global pandemic rears its infectious head? For some parents, the seismic shift in their daily lives has brought up challenges they've never faced before, and forced them to address issues that were barely on their radar."

  10. The Bullshitador (Medium) "A year ago (today, actually, which brings a whole other level of magic), I released my first book, the birthing process long and protracted and then quick and intense. It came out a week before I stood in front of a group of philanthropic advisors and development directors and outlined our complicity in a philanthropic system that was not built to change things after all."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Work bubbles can help reduce risk of company-wide COVID-19 outbreaks (News Medical Life Sciences) Very timely, especially for most of us who are just now making our way back to our offices.

  2. These 7 Books Will Improve The Way You Work (The Ascent) #2 is a stand-by but #3 and #7 are rising to the top of my reading list right now.

  3. 5 Simple Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic and Amplify Your Confidence (Publishous) Who is your silly inner character? I am thinking mine might be Sebastian from The Little Mermaid.

  4. Why is a Ship’s Speed Measured in Knots? (Knowledge Stew) As a long-time sailor I love this story. I was aware of some of it but not all of it. "When we drive a car or ride a bike, our speed is measured in miles per hour or kilometers per hour. But when you get in a boat, those measurements change, and the term knot is used to measure how fast you’re going. Why are knots used for the speed on water? It actually comes from something that was done long ago."

  5. The Fundamental Truth to Getting in Better Shape (The Ascent) Stop asking: How far or how fast. Start asking: How was the quality of your workout?

  6. How ‘Verbal Aikido’ Can Help You Avoid Stupid Arguments (Human Parts) Practical advice for those of us whose hormones and heart tend to take over.

  7. 5 Things You Can Do to Get Things Done Smarter, Faster And Better (Kaizen Habits) My favourite: "Invert your pyramid."

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Frank McKenna’s $1m gift to Mt. A. stirs excitement and joy, but also concerns about secrecy (The New Wark Times) NEW BRUNSWICK STORY Nice work everybody. "Mount Allison University held its first formal gathering in more than six months [...] to announce the establishment of the new Frank McKenna School of Philosophy, Politics & Economics. The School, which should be up and running next year, was made possible by $5 million in private donations including $1 million from McKenna himself."

  2. Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning receives $1 million to catalyze online and blended learning (UCalgary) CALGARY STORY Thank you Flannigan Foundation! "The foundation’s board is comprised of five female family members, nearly all of whom are educators, and is chaired by Jackie Flanagan, founder of Alberta Views magazine. The foundation gifted the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning a $1 million grant to meet the immediate challenges of pivoting to online learning, and to catalyze innovation that will transform online and blended teaching and learning even when the pandemic is over."

  3. Gibson Energy Announces $1 Million Donation to Trellis Towards Youth Mental Health Support (Globe Newswire) CALGARY STORY Boom! NIce work Gibson Energy! "Gibson Energy Inc. and Trellis (formerly the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary and Aspen Family & Community Network Society) announced [...] a $1 million donation – the largest contribution in Gibson’s history – to provide mental health support to youth through a five-year partnership."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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