Weekly News Recap: November 10, 2023

Weekly News Recap: November 10, 2023

Medals from three wars donated to thrift store land in Calgary museum

In this world a man must either be an anvil or the hammer. We must be hammers shaping a new society rather than anvils molded by the old. This not only will make us new men but will give us a new kind of power. -- Longfellow

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Iconic Black women inspired the scents behind these candles | CBC Creator Network (YouTube) EDMONTON STORY This is a terrific story. We are especially proud at ViTreo as Kejina is also one of our associates. Congrats on this thoughtful adventure. "Raised by a single mother who blazed her own trail, Edmonton-based entrepreneur Kejina Robinson-Rose learned firsthand the significance of a positive role model. Now, as a mother herself, she is committed to highlighting the power of celebrating one’s unique identity and the importance of being a beacon of light for others by starting a business making candles inspired by Black leaders and changemakers."

  • Danny DeVito Has Never Heard the Term “Short King” (GQ) He is, indeed, a national treasure. "Now 78, DeVito is going back to his roots in the theater [...] At a recent preview performance, DeVito was a dynamo onstage, making the audience roar and, as the play reached its emotional conclusion, audibly tear up. Even more poignant? His daughter in the play, Amelia, is played by DeVito's real-life daughter Lucy. (Mom is actor Rhea Perlman.)"

  • Temporary monument brings a feminist timeline of history to Washington, DC’s National Mall (The Art Newspaper) Brilliant, I will give it a visit on my next trip. "On 1 November, a slice of tree trunk measuring 6ft in diameter and emblazoned with human history from a feminist perspective will be installed at the edge of the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC. A timeline of 30 wood-burned milestones from the past 50,000 years punctuates the 250-year-old deodar cedar’s rings, from early goddess worship through today. The sculpture’s title, Dendrofemonology"

  • VIDEO: Single mother with 6 kids gifted car refurbished by high school automotive tech students (WesternMASS News) A wonderful and thoughtful gift. "Some automotive tech students at a high school in Virginia have been working all year to fix up a car to surprise a single mother with six kids. The students gave the car to Michelle Mendez on Thursday, who said the gift will be life-changing. 'They’ve really been helping me to get this car. It’s just been hard,' she said. 'I really appreciate everything to make this happen.' Mendez said the car has lifted a weight off her shoulders by giving her the ability to take her kids to the places they need to go and to get to and from work."

  • Medals from three wars donated to thrift store land in Calgary museum (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Good catch. #WeWillRememberThem "The military medals showed up among donated odds and ends at a Calgary Goodwill Industries store last month. But those who work at the Macleod Trail thrift outlet quickly figured the two dozen colourful decorations complete with ribbons deserved a place in a museum rather than on store shelves."

  • VIDEO: Winnipeggers smash their Halloween pumpkins to divert waste (CBC) WINNIPEG STORY Fun and...sustainable. "People dropped their jack-o'-lanterns off the second level of the Polo Park shopping centre parkade as part of Compost Winnipeg's third annual Pumpkin Drop on Saturday."

  • VIDEO: Meet 'the mad Canadian' who ran the length of Italy — in 85 days (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #CrazyCanuck "It's dusk in late June on a path blanketed with crumbled volcanic rock near the top of Europe's tallest active volcano, Mount Etna, as Canadian David Orr takes the last crunchy steps of a run that began at 4 o'clock that morning. His arms and legs are covered with scratches from the overgrown trail he describes as 'savage' [...] It's a journey he describes as mystical, from the eruptive Etna in the south to the snow-covered Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco in Italian) in the north."

  • ‘Dogs should eat as well as humans’: high-end canine cucina opens in Rome (The Guardian) Doggie gourmands 😊 "In the kitchen of a restaurant in the north of Rome, chef Luca Grammatico delicately blends nuggets of chicken and courgette with pureed potato. He then reaches for a fancy bowl, positions the mix inside and uses a shaper to fashion a food tower before garnishing it with courgette sauce. Grammatico’s next task is to create a biscuit, shaped like a bear, for a guest celebrating her birthday. 'Presentation is very important,' he said."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. There is big money attached to university endowments. But how do they work? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Endowments are the arterial connections that help post-secondary institutions fund the construction of new buildings, new staffing positions and scholarships. Often racking up billions in assets, an endowment is a long-term investment as a charitable gift. The University of Toronto, established in 1827, has consistently had the largest university endowment fund in the country, sitting at $3.2 billion as of April 2022. The University of British Columbia, McGill and the University of Alberta have also ranked high in Canada for their funds, which are all in the billions. "

  2. Canada gets low marks for opioid deaths, access to health care in OECD report (CBC) CANADIAN STORY We need to do better. "Canada does better than average on three-quarters of health status indicators, including life expectancy and preventable deaths from lung cancer, heart attacks and strokes, according to a new report comparing 38 high-income countries. But it performs comparatively worse on factors including opioid deaths and access to care, according to the report released Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)."

  3. VIDEO: How the poppy has evolved over time (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #WeWillRememberThem "Tammy Wheeler, executive director with the Alberta-NWT Command of the Royal Canadian Legion [... talks] about how the symbol of remembrance has changed over time."

  4. This is the oldest black hole ever found — and it's huge (CBC) #WOW "Scientists have discovered the oldest black hole yet, a cosmic beast formed a mere 470 million years after the Big Bang. The findings, published Monday, confirm what until now were theories that supermassive black holes existed at the dawn of the universe. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory teamed up over the past year to make the observations. Given the universe is 13.7 billion years old, that puts the age of this black hole at 13.2 billion years."

  5. How an orca held captive at the Vancouver Aquarium helped change the world's view on killer whales (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY #ThankYouSkana "It's been 43 years since the death of Skana, the Vancouver Aquarium's first resident orca, who experts believe changed the way people viewed killer whales and spurred a global movement in whale conservation. Today, the resident killer whales that frequent the waters off British Columbia's South Coast are endangered, protected and beloved."

  6. Is the money you donate to charity being used the way you think? How to make sure your donations count (Toronto Star) CANADIAN STORY "But when surveyed by multiple organizations including the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy, Canadians said they would donate more if they could see the real-world impact of their donations and transparency around costs. The thinking is that if administrative costs are low, more money is going toward the charity’s beneficiaries. While it’s something to consider, measuring impact is more than looking at finances, according to experts."

  7. We used to tease my mom for being different. Today, I understand what made her special (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "It wasn't until my career took an unexpected turn and I found myself working at a nonprofit organization that supports neurodivergent learners that so many aspects of my mom's personality, strengths and stretches made sense [...] More adults are also getting diagnosed later in life. Commonly, this happens when a parent is supporting their child in receiving a diagnosis and realizes through the process, they are also neurodivergent."

  8. VIDEO: Why the Field of Crosses includes the Star of David (CBC) CALGARY STORY This is where I spend my Remembrance Day. "If you've ever visited the Field of Crosses, you might have noticed that some memorials are different. Major Kent Griffiths explained the story behind them."

  9. Internet Philanthropy And A New Generation Of Giving In China (Forbes) China has clearly embraced community-centred fundraising. "In recent years, the concept of philanthropy has taken on a new meaning in China, largely thanks to the rise of the internet and large social media and e-commerce firms. The innovative approach to giving developed has made it easier than ever for people to donate money and resources to charitable causes, and has helped to transform the philanthropic landscape in the country and revolutionized the way that Chinese people think about giving and the impact that they can have on the world."

  10. Rangers capture 1st World Series title with shutout of Diamondbacks in Game 5 (CBC) #Congrats "Nathan Eovaldi pitched six gutsy innings, Mitch Garver broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the seventh and the Texas Rangers are World Series champions for the first time in their 63-season franchise history after beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 in Game 5 on Wednesday night in Phoenix."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Japanese hobbyism and the joy of unproductivity (Kaki Okumura) Unproductivity makes you...productive.

  2. Building a Simpler, More Minimalist Productivity System. (The Working With... Magazine) How can you simplify?

  3. We Must Choose Between Being an Anvil or A Hammer (Personal Growth) I hope I am a hammer.

  4. Problem-Solving for Anyone: How to Use Hypotheses Like Top Strategy Consultants (Better Humans) Some rigour we could all use.

  5. Strategy is Singular (Playing to Win) I agree, wholeheartedly.

  6. 14 habits that make you more focused than 98% of people (Alex Mathers) All very good but especially #6 and #9.

  7. The Importance of Establishing Operating Reserves for Nonprofits (Stanford Social Innovation Review) This was never more clear than during Covid.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: Cenovus invests $2M in UCalgary programs to advance inclusion and diversity (City News) CALGARY STORY "With an investment of $2 million at the University of Calgary, Cenovus Energy is on a mission to change lives and advance inclusion in education. Calgary-based energy company Cenovus is investing $2 million to strengthen five existing UCalgary initiatives to improve Indigenous access to education and advance inclusion."

  2. University receives $1.5 million donation from SGI to support degree program in data science (Education News Canada) REGINA STORY "Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) has made a generous donation of $1.5 million over 10 years to the University of Regina to support undergraduate programming in data science. This includes the creation of a new faculty position in the Faculty of Science - the SGI Assistant or Associate Professor in Data Science."

  3. Barry Dock RNLI gets new lifeboat thanks to Ferrari donation (Barry & District News) "Barry Dock RNLI will get a new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat. The new Shannon class lifeboat will be primarily funded thanks to a generous legacy by the late Mr Richard Colton, who left an extraordinary gift to the RNLI in his Will – two classic Ferrari cars."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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