Weekly News Recap: October 9, 2020

Weekly News Recap: October 9, 2020

Dr. Michael Houghton is pictured in his lab at the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. British-born scientist Houghton, who works at the University of Alberta, and Americans Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-University of Alberta/Michael Holly

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. — Marcus Aurelius

VITREO FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING ZOOM CHATS

Join us for a reprise of our popular 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. We are launching the new season next week with a series of three drop-in video calls where you can connect and ask questions of your peers and the ViTreo team. To help frame the conversations for each event, we have developed some broad themes. 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.

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

  • DEC 18 - Budgeting in a 65% World.

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Missing His Hugs, Quarantined Kids Honor The Veteran Who Spent Thousands of Hours Mentoring Them in School (Good News Network) "The school received so many requests for Grandpa Ron that administrators added Jacobson’s contact information to the school’s online directory, allowing students to keep in touch with Jacobson. Students immediately began sending Jacobson emails and letters and even coming to his home to check up on him and offer to walk his dog. Jacobson now responds to each of his many ‘pen-pals,’ adding a bright spot to the students’ days—and his own."

  • Patagonia Wants to "Save Our Home Planet." Here's How (Gear Patrol) "Today, nearly three-quarters of Patagonia’s materials come from recycled sources, an achievement driven by the company’s mission of doing less harm."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. University of Alberta researcher among 3 awarded Nobel Prize in medicine for hepatitis C discovery (CBC) EDMONTON STORY I had the privilege of working with then dean Dr. Lorne Tyrrell whose work in hepatitis inspired Li Ka Shing to invest in the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology at the University of Alberta. That investment brought Dr. Houghton to the University of Alberta. Congrats to all. "British scientist Michael Houghton, who works at the University of Alberta, and Americans Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine [...] for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus [...]. Their work, dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, has helped save millions of [lives]." Related: Nobel prizes highlight Li Ka-shing's role in scientific research, A look as some of the Canadians who have won the Nobel Prize throughout history

  2. The Rowan House Emergency Shelter receives TD Donation (High River Times) HIGH RIVER STORY Thank you TD! "TD has dedicated $160,000 in donations to support local community organizations across the prairies, as part of the broader TD Community Resilience Initiative. Some studies from economists have predicted that up to 20 per cent of the non-profit sector in Alberta could fold due to pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic. The recipient charities and non-profits in TD’s Prairie Region, which comprises Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, received immediate and critical funding for Indigenous youth, mental health initiatives and family support centres."

  3. Streets Alive Mission celebrates 30 years of serving Lethbridge’s most vulnerable citizens (Global News) LETHBRIDGE STORY ViTreo is proud to have worked with Streets Alive for a number of years. Congrats to all. "Thirty years later, and Streets Alive Mission in Lethbridge is more committed than ever to offering hope to the city’s most vulnerable population. The organization celebrated its anniversary with a flag-raising ceremony at city [hall]."

  4. A case for commemorating Chief Big Bear: an early advocate for Indigenous rights (CBC) "Big Bear was a respected chief who rose to prominence in the late nineteenth century as a spokesperson for Indigenous rights. He was a member of a mounted hunting society that thrived on the great bison herds of the northern plains of what is now called Saskatchewan."

  5. Calgary's newest park is located on a parkade roof (CBC) CALGARY STORY Cool idea. "Calgary has a new park, and it's six storeys off the ground. High Park [is] located on the top floor of the City Centre Parkade at 340 10th Avenue [S.W.]. Peter Oliver, president of the Beltline Neighbourhoods Association, said while planning for the park began in late 2019, before the pandemic, it provides a solution to help people meet safely outdoors. 'We're inviting Calgarians to come up and escape above the rooftops of the warehouse buildings in the Beltline … with full sun exposure, fresh air, and just an escape from the street below,' he said."

  6. Nearly 3 out of 4 millennials have donated money during the pandemic (CNBC) Not the least bit surprised. Nice work! "Nearly 3 out of 4 millennials [...] have sent some kind of financial aid to family or friends or donated to a nonprofit since the Covid-19 pandemic [began]."

  7. Opening of Tsuut'ina Trail marked by smiles and celebration, but also pain (CBC) TSUUT'INA STORY "A 12-kilometre stretch of the southwest ring road opened [recently], marking a major milestone in the massive infrastructure project that will eventually encircle much of Calgary, but the celebration and smiles were interrupted by a man whose family lost their land."

  8. Alberta unveils online gambling website, expects to raise $150M in five years (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Interesting approach. "The website launched with virtual slots and table games Thursday, with more features to be added in the coming months [...]. The province estimates the site will raise $3.74 million in 2021."

  9. Suncor Energy to cut staff by up to 15% over next year and a half (CBC) CALGARY STORY Ugh. "Suncor Energy announced [...] it will be cutting staff by as much as 15 per cent over the next year and a half as the company deals with the impact of a slumping economy brought on by the global pandemic."

  10. More people left Alberta than moved to the province in the second quarter of 2020 (CBC) Double Ugh. "Alberta lost more people to other provinces than it gained in the second quarter of 2020, according to the latest estimates from Statistics Canada. The data show 2,733 more people left Alberta than moved here from April to June. It's the first time since the same quarter last year that the balance between incoming and outgoing interprovincial migrants shifted in favour of the latter. Alberta has been on the losing end of interprovincial migration most quarters since 2015."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Coffee People Vs. Tea People (Slackjaw) So, which are you? #Humour

  2. There Are 2 Types of Genius and One Doesn’t Reveal Itself Until Middle Age (Inc.) Whew, there is still time for my genius to come out :-)

  3. IKEA’s Best-Selling Product Is Not a Piece of Furniture (Better Marketing) Brilliant marketing! "In late April, deep into the COVID-19 lockdown, IKEA released a set of instructions on their twitter and the internet went crazy. However, these weren’t normal instructions..."

  4. 99% of People Don’t Follow These 4 Money Rules — And That Keeps Them in Poverty (PGSG) Yes, this has been said in different ways, many times. But, in this prolonged time of economic uncertainty, we could use the reminder.

  5. 5x5 Training: The Most Effective Muscle Building Technique? (In Fitness and in Health) Such an easy but overlooked regime.

  6. 10 Qualities That Make You Unforgettable (Curious) I am pretty happy with my performance on four of these but I could really double down on getting better at the other six especially #5.

  7. Here is how you can make working from home work better for you (CBC) Yep, it's all about the set up.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Penn Law receives $50 million donation to expand public interest law program (Daily Pennsylvanian) Now this is a thoughtful gift. "The Robert and Jane Toll Foundation, founded by Robert Toll and Jane Toll, has made a $50 million donation to Penn Law to expand opportunities in public interest law."

  2. Intuit board chief donates $25M to West Virginia University (Cumberland Times-News) "A West Virginia native and his wife have donated $25 million to West Virginia University to support programs in outdoor recreation. [The gift is] from Brad Smith, the executive chairman of Intuit’s board of directors, and his wife, Alys."

  3. Cedarville University receives $12M donation from anonymous donor (Dayton Daily News) Nice gift to get anonymously

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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