Weekly News Recap: November 29, 2019

Weekly News Recap: November 29, 2019

From left (back row): Neuro Director Guy Rouleau, Chancellor Michael Meighen, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of Medicine David Eidelman, Neuro Advisory Board Chair Jacques Bougie. Front row (from left): Assistant Professor Mayada Elsabbagh, Azrieli Foundation members Sharon Azrieli, Stephanie Azrieli, Naomi Azrieli (Azrieli Foundation Chair and CEO), Principal Suzanne Fortier, Quebec Minister of Health and Social Services Gaétan Barrette. Photo by Owen Egan

The most interesting people you’ll find are ones that don’t fit into your average cardboard box. They’ll make what they need, they’ll make their own boxes. -- Dr. Temple Grandin

This week's highlights

Photography

  • This article is just adorable animals playing in the snow (PHOTOS) (Daily Hive) CALGARY STORY Adorable. "It’s basically winter in Calgary, with snowfall and record-breaking cold temperatures abound. And while we’re complaining about shovelling snow from our driveway or getting caught in traffic on the way to work, other Calgary residents are making the most of the weather." 11/22/19

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News

  • Niagara College names Niagara-on-the-Lake campus after retiring president Dan Patterson (Welland Tribune) NIAGARA ON THE LAKE STORY Nice honour! "Niagara College president Dan Patterson was 'shocked' to learn the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus is being named after him [...]. The campus on Taylor Road has now been proclaimed the Daniel J. Patterson Campus, a decision made by the college's board of governors." 11/25/19

  • Lawyer moves over to charity (Kelowna Daily Courier) KELOWNA STORY Congrats! "A Kelowna lawyer with a history of supporting health initiatives in Kelowna will head an organization that focuses on helping people with mental health and addiction issues. Jody Pihl will succeed Allie Grey as executive director of Third Space Life Charity." 11/20/19

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First Peoples of Canada

  • Former chief Roy Whitney elected again in Tsuut'ina Nation (CBC) TSUUT'INA STORY Congrats! Voters of the Tsuut'ina Nation returned Roy Whitney to the position of chief as part of [the most recent] election, according to a spokesperson. Whitney will return as chief for his 11th term. His 1984 appointment lasted 17 years." 11/22/19

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Seven life and career hacks -- one for each day of the week

  1. Organizational Slack (or Goldilocks and the Three Budgets) (Nonprofit Quarterly) This is a classic outlining how we can build better vs. 'fantasy' budgets. Thanks to Andrea McManus for sharing this with us. 11/26/19

  2. Why You Get Leg Cramps At Night, and How to Stop Them (Pulse) I get these and man, do they hurt. 11/21/19

  3. The One on One Meeting: An in-depth guide to building trust and increasing team performance (Gqueues) An excellent article from a service I use regularly. 11/14/19

  4. How to Get The Most Value From Self-Help Books (Personal Growth) A five minute read that will make your non-fiction reading so much better. 11/6/19

  5. How to Succeed When “One Simple Trick” Fails (Better Humans) Which of your 'gates' are closed? 11/6/19

  6. 26 Tips for More Effective Fundraising Writing (moceanic) These are really good. Hint: go low-brow if you want to raise more money. 10/14/19

  7. Volunteering Is the Best Kept Secret for Mental Health (Vice) This is from 2017 but it is still timeless and important advice."It's generally understood that helping out others makes a person feel nice, but that experience goes beyond just the feel-good glow of altruism. Studies have found that helping others has tangible benefits, both mental and physical, from lowering your blood pressure to reducing feelings of depression." 12/5/17

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Uncommon knowledge

  • The Hidden Costs of Medical Testing (The Walrus) CANADIAN STORY Eek! "Each year, doctors order more than a million tests that patients don't actually need. Some are even harmful." 11/26/19

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Opinion

  • Opinion: Why students persist in studying English lit in a tech world (Montreal Gazette) CANADIAN CONTENT It does not surprise me. "It might surprise people today to learn that that the first endowed research chair at McGill was not in medicine or law or science, but was 'the Molson Chair of English Language and Literature,' created in 1857 by the Molson brothers, John, Thomas and William." 11/20/19

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Philanthropic personalities

  • Philanthropy is much more complex than running a business: Azim Premji (The Economic Times) Dude! Thank you for saying this. "Philanthropy is much more complex than running a business, India’s most generous philanthropist Azim Premji said at an event [...]. 'I have been particularly involved in philanthropy in the last one year and what I have realised is how more complex doing philanthropic initiatives is than running a business,' said Premji, chairman of Wipro." 11/22/19

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Philanthropic controversy

  • B.C. university breached whistle-blowing prof’s academic freedom, says report (Vancouver Sun) KAMLOOPS STORY "Pyne gained international media attention for his peer-reviewed research into the way faculty in his own department were advancing their careers by publishing in deceptive academic journals, also known as 'predatory' publications. There are now more than 10,000 such questionable academic journals, according to specialists. They don’t conduct peer reviews of articles and typically require a payment before publishing a scholar’s article." 11/19/19

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Trends and shifts

  • World Vision flips the sponsorship script by having children choose their own sponsors (Upworthy) This is cool! Thanks to Larissa Groch for sharing this article. "The humanitarian aid organization World Vision has a new model for child sponsorship that's changing the way communities in need connect with people who want to help [...]. [Recently] World Vision turned the tables on that traditional model. Instead of sponsors selecting a child, children can now choose their own sponsor from a sea of adult faces and names." 11/25/19

  • The Mobility Trap (Inside Higher Education) CANADIAN CONTENT Whew! But I am still thinking about getting that PhD. "Higher education is the great equalizer. Correction: a bachelor’s degree is the great equalizer. Graduate and professional degrees? Not so much, according to a forthcoming study in Social Science Research that seeks to explain why intergenerational mobility is high for college graduates but lower among advanced degree holders." 11/25/19

  • UBC board of governors committee opts for partial and not full divestment from fossil fuel companies (The Georgia Straight) VANCOUVER STORY "B.C.'s largest university is not going down the same road as the University of California and Concordia University when it comes to dumping shares in companies that are contributing to the warming of the planet. [The] University of British Columbia board of governors endowment responsible investment policy committee opted to divest UBC's land revenue from fossil-fuel companies, according to the climate group UBCc350. But the policy committee did not vote for divestment from fossil fuels for UBC's entire investment portfolio." 11/23/19

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Reports and studies

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Large gifts

  • Shorewood residents left $5.5 million library donation in their will (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) What a lovely legacy. "Larry and Elaine Lange loved their local library. The longtime Shorewood residents, both professional engineers, regularly checked out books and volunteered as tutors in the Shorewood Public Library's long-running English Language Learner sessions. Their generosity continues after death. In their will, they left $5.5 million to the Shorewood Public Library. Elaine died in January 2018, followed by Larry in July 2018." 11/26/19

  • Donors make $155 million donation for new UNLV Med School campus (NBC) Good news and great gifts! "The $155 million is being donated by two local philanthropies: the Englestad Foundation and the Lincy Foundation, along with other donors [...]." 11/26/19

  • The Richest Person In The World Just Gave $98.5 Million To Help The Homeless (Forbes) Woot! "Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, announced [that] he has donated $98.5 million to 32 organizations in 23 states that are helping homeless families. The gifts to each organization received ranged from $1.25 million to $5 million." 11/24/19

  • Lemonade stand raises $200000 for medical research via digital donation (Chicago Morning Star) "Two families of Ohio started a lemonade campaign for raising $150 for medical research. A post went viral on the internet and they raised more than $200000 through the lemonade stand." 11/24/19

  • Western, RBC team up on data analytics, AI (Western News) LONDON STORY Nice gift. Thanks RBC. "A $3-million investment by RBC has established The RBC Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Project at Western, an expansion of the university’s ongoing cross-disciplinary work in data analytics and AI focused on answering big questions for the good of society." 11/21/19

  • Saudi billionaire's charity adds second donation to help global polio fight (Arabian Busines) "Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud, chairman of Alwaleed Philanthropies, has joined Bill Gates and leading figures from the international community to announce the first round of funding to a major global initiative to end polio [...]. Alwaleed Philanthropies’ donation of $2 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) will support the creation of action plans to expand access to polio vaccination and help reach children everywhere." 11/21/19

  • Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego announces $200 million donation, largest single gift in hospital’s history (CBS) This, on top of their previous giving of $180 million. Wow! "The hospital’s president and CEO Patrick Frias announced the donation was pledged by Ernest and Evelyn Rady in the amount of $200 million." 11/21/19

  • Scotiabank Supports Artificial Intelligence Research at University of Alberta (Markets Insider) EDMONTON STORY Nice move Scotiabank! "Scotiabank announced a donation of $1.25 million to the University of Alberta this morning, to fund the Scotiabank Artificial Intelligence Research Initiative in the Department of Computing Science." 11/19/19

  • An exceptional donation to support autism research (McGill) MONTREAL STORY This is awesome! "The CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation, the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Foundation, the Fondation les petits trésors and The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) today announced a major donation of nearly $10 million from the Marcelle and Jean Coutu Foundation. This significant contribution will enable the partner institutions of the Transforming Autism Care Consortium (TACC) to establish Quebec 1,000 (Q1K): an innovative, multidisciplinary and collaborative initiative aimed at having an unprecedented impact on autism research." 11/13/19

  • Prominent UM alumni announce $1M gift (UMToday) WINNIPEG STORY "Significant renovations are underway in the Stu Clark Graduate School at the I.H. Asper School of Business thanks in part to a $1 million gift from Dr. Arni Thorsteinson and Dr. Susan Glass, both UM honorary degree recipients and alumni." November 2019

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