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Weekly News Recap: December 13, 2019

Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: December 13, 2019

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg is Time's Person of the Year. (Time)

Some of these things are true and some of them lies. But they are all good stories. -- Hilary Mantel

This week's highlights

Just Beautiful

  • Boy, 5, invites entire class to watch his adoption (BBC) There appears to be hope for the world after all. "A photo shared by Kent County on Facebook showed the little boy relaxing in an adult-sized courtroom chair, next to his adoptive parents. Behind them, his classmates happily waved paper hearts on sticks." 12/6/19

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Photography

  • Here Are The Most Powerful Photos Of The Decade (Buzzfeed) As we close out the last weeks of this decade, a visual look back seemed in order. "The 2010s were defined by mass political upheaval, breakthroughs in science in technology, gun violence across the country, and a slew of natural disasters." 12/9/19

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To Watch

  • Who Watches ‘Watchmen’? (Gay Mag) If you are not watching Watchmen, you are missing one of the best pieces of counterculture on the stream. "The America of HBO’s Watchmen, however, where vengeance is king, it’s those who’ve endured homegrown horrors who torment their enemies, right or wrong, while the victims of perceived foreign atrocities must suffer in silence. Key members of the first group, notably, are black and those of the second are white. What results is a mind-bending about-face that forces viewers to reexamine the norms of our American society and question how life feels from the other side." 12/5/19

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News

  • Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg is Time's Person of the Year (CBC) Go Greta! "Greta Thunberg, the teen activist from Sweden who has urged immediate action to address what's being called a global climate crisis [...] was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2019." 12/11/19

  • ATP's Narnia is the highest-grossing show in the company's history (The Whig) CALGARY STORY Woot! Congrats to all! 'Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia.' "ATP’s holiday show The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the stage version of C. S. Lewis’ beloved children’s classic, has become the highest-selling show in the company’s history. Before the show closes on [...] more than 10,000 people will have seen this version directed by ATP’s executive and artistic director Darcy Evans, who says he is elated because 'such an incredible response tells us that, even in an economic downturn, theatre is still really important to Calgarians.'" 12/10/19

  • Unemployment rate among young men in Alberta nears 20%, a level not seen since the early 1980s (Yahoo! News) ALBERTA STORY Very disturbing. "Alberta's unemployment rate among young men has nearly doubled over the past seven months, in an unprecedented spike that has pushed their joblessness rate to a level not since the early 1980s. In April, roughly one in 10 young men in Alberta was unemployed. By November, it had surged to one in five." 12/10/19

  • Chamber antes up $1M for fund that boosts 'high potential' Calgary companies (CBC) CALGARY STORY Nice move! Needed and helpful. "The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is chipping in $1 million toward a private capital fund that's designed to help 'high potential' local companies grow. The investment in InterGen Capital is all about the chamber's commitment to helping entrepreneurs in Calgary thrive, says president and CEO Sandip Lalli." 12/9/19

  • Calgary's Untitled Art Society wins $20K runner-up prize for inaugural national award (CBC) CALGARY STORY Woot! Go UAS! And...humbled by Dr. John Lacey. "A Calgary artist-run centre has won $20,000 as the runner-up for an inaugural national arts award. Untitled Art Society came in second for the 2019 Lacey Prize, tied with Vancouver's Gallery Gachet. Hamilton Artists Inc. took first place, winning $50,000. The biennial prize, which was established this year by philanthropist Dr. John Lacey — a longtime supporter of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra — and the National Gallery of Canada, is meant to support the work of small arts organizations and artist-run centres." 12/4/19

  • Skip the Dishes founder launches new venture initiative in Calgary (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "Chris Simair — who along with his brother, Josh, founded the well-known Winnipeg-based food delivery company in 2012 and sold it for $200 million four years later — has relocated from the Manitoba capital to Calgary to launch Harvest, a 'venture building studio' that aims to help entrepreneurs create globally competitive companies right here on the Canadian Prairies." 12/4/19

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First Peoples of Canada

  • New Tsuut'ina Nation chief lays out priorities after election (CBC) TSUUT'INA STORY "When Tsuut'ina Nation Chief Roy Whitney was first elected in 1984, he began to explore possibilities for a potential ring road in Calgary alongside Ralph Klein, who was mayor at that time. 'In 1984, we were looking at how can we do what we're doing today,' Whitney said. 'It was a dream back then.' In 2019, as Whitney begins his 11th term as chief of Tsuut'ina First Nation, the ring road is closer to reality than ever. The project is due for completion in 2021." 12/5/19

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Books to read

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

  1. The Myth that Keeps You Mentally Imprisoned (Mind Cafe) Sorry to tell you but...It is NEVER done. 12/7/19

  2. What Good Sleepers Don’t Do (Forge) Argh...(but they do have a point) 12/6/19

  3. How To Ace a Job Interview with Radical Preparation (Better Humans) Stories, start collecting a bank of 'em. 12/6/19

  4. The Telephone Test: How To Spot Problems in Your Pitch (Better Humans) You remember the telephone game right? 12/4/19

  5. Burn Your Plan A (The Mission) It's a good story. A really good story. 12/4/19

  6. 3 Mental Habits Making You Miserable (Mind Cafe) Um, #1 for sizzle! #2 almost always. And, #3 Ugh. 12/2/19

  7. Four Small, Non-Verbal Things That Will Get You Judged Instantly (Publishous) Yep. They really will. 11/27/19

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Uncommon knowledge

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Opinion

  • An ethicist explains why philanthropy is no license to do bad stuff (The Conversation) "Is it possible that giving money away or being generous makes some people more prone to bad behavior? In a word, yes. Studies show that people unconsciously attempt to achieve a moral balance. Social psychologists call this tendency the 'moral licensing loophole.' In other words, doing good according to one’s own judgment frees people to be bad." 12/5/19

  • TOWARDS A MORE ‘CIVIL’ SOCIETY: HOW CHARITIES CAN LEAD THE WAY IN DIVISIVE TIMES (Imagine Canada) CANADIAN STORY Well put Bruce! We do important work in this sector. It is helpful to be reminded of this. "In pondering our collective future, I wonder if this present day tone of negativity and divisiveness can be reversed and moved to a place where we more strongly value the things we have in common and, in recognizing our differences, do so in a manner that demonstrates respect, integrity and hope." 11/22/19

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Philanthropic personalities

  • AFP Distinguished Fellow 2019: Simone Joyaux, ACFRE, Adv Dip, FAFP (AFP Global) Congrats Simone. So pleased to see you honoured in this way. "Simone Joyaux, ACFRE, Adv Dip, FAFP, originally had plans to become an English and a French teacher but found herself in the nonprofit world. We’re glad she did! A 2019 Distinguished Fellow, Simone talks about her career change and her journey through the charitable sector." 12/11/19

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Philanthropic controversy

  • $16.8M art gallery at Keyano College creates controversy in Fort McMurray (CBC) FORT MCMURRAY STORY "Online petition says project 'is not of any interest to the majority of citizens' [...]. Anger is growing in Fort McMurray after the Wood Buffalo regional council approved Keyano College's request to build a $16.8-million art gallery [...]. The plan is to turn an under-utilized college gym into three art studios, add a ceramics lab and renovate the arts building to turn it into the gallery." 12/10/19

  • Science Museum 'hiding dirty money' over £2m Sackler donation (The Guardian) "The Science Museum has been accused of trying to 'quietly hide away dirty money' after it agreed to a request by the Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation to repurpose a £2m donation earmarked for a prominent new gallery." 12/5/19

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Trends and shifts

  • Women graduates make less (The Owl) This is unconscionable. "[Recently] The Owl looked at how different credentials and fields of study relate to the employment income of Alberta’s post-secondary graduates. Today, we examine the impact of gender and age. Statistics Canada’s Postsecondary Student Information System shows female students who graduated in 2012 have lower median incomes than their male counterparts. This is the case for all major credentials." 12/6/19

  • Closing the gender gap in engineering requires a culture change (Montreal Gazette) CANADIAN STORY "The gender gap is daunting: in Canada in 2018, less than 20 per cent of undergraduate degrees in engineering were awarded to women and only 13 per cent of practising engineers are women. On this milestone anniversary, I’m setting aside my moderate words — those carefully-chosen phrases that won’t alienate the men we need on our side. I’m taking this approach because female engineers tell me their ideas still aren’t given the same weight at work. I still hear from women how their parents discouraged them from applying to engineering school. Women who graduate often leave the profession after being repeatedly and subtly penalized by the Old Boys’ club." 12/5/19

  • When punk rock and philanthropy meet (Saltwire Network) ST. JOHN'S STORY As a former punk, I am down with this. "The punk rock scene in St. John’s, Newfoundland is less focused on planning coup d'états to overthrow the government, however — instead, they’re working together to benefit their community. The local scene suits the amazing and under-rated term 'philanthropunk' – when punk rock meets philanthropy." 12/5/19

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Reports and studies

  • High School Success and Access to Postsecondary Education (Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario) ONTARIO STORY "Coming from a low-income neighbourhood or a family where neither parent attended postsecondary education are not significant barriers to graduating from high school and attending college. However, they are still strong influences on who attends university, concludes a new report published by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario." 12/9/19

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Large gifts

  • Li Ka Shing Foundation completes HK$1 billion donation scheme (ejisight) Mr. Li has always been an innovative philanthropist. I am not surprised that he would do this. "The Li Ka Shing Foundation, the charitable organization founded by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, said it has completed its program to help small businesses and entrepreneurs who have suffered from the months-long social unrest in the city." 12/10/19

  • Influenza IMPRINT Cohort study awarded $9.1 million boost from Open Philanthropy Project (News Medical Life Sciences) "Our supplemental funding seeks to advance understanding of core mechanisms in immunology, including the role of the innate immune system and the microbiome that could lead to changes in how vaccines are developed and used. -- Heather Youngs, Open Philanthropy's Scientific Research Program Officer." 12/10/19

  • Wolff entrepreneurship program receives $13M donation (The Daily Cougar) "The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Family Foundation gifted $13 million to the University’s Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship program that is expected to have an impact of $15 million with grants from the state, according to a news release." The Wolff Centre is located at the University of Houston. 12/10/19

  • PREPARING TO COMPETE (Memorial University) St. JOHN'S STORY "[The] Faculty of Business Administration announced a contribution of just over $1 million from Husky Energy to create the Husky Centre of Excellence in Sales and Supply Chain Management." Thanks to Larissa Groch for sharing this story. 12/6/19

  • WINDSOR, ONT., PHILANTHROPIST DONATES $2M TO JEWISH CAUSES (Canadian Jewish News) WINDSOR STORY "[Philanthropist] Alan Quesnel has donated more than $2 million to support local and international Jewish and pro-Israel Christian organizations. Quesnel, the former owner of a chain of athletic clubs in southern Ontario and a major donor to religious and service organizations, made the donation to the Windsor Jewish [Federation]." 12/6/19

  • Celebrating $2.5 million gift for construction of new concert hall (UManitoba) WINNIPEG STORY Nice gift! "[The] University of Manitoba gratefully acknowledged a generous gift of $2.5 million from Dr. Michael F.B. Nesbitt that will support the construction of a new performing arts venue on the university’s Fort Garry campus – the Desautels Concert Hall." 12/5/19

  • SDSU Announces $15M Donation Toward Mission Valley Stadium Project (PBS) "San Diego State University announced [...] that La Jolla philanthropist Dianne Bashor donated $15 million toward the university's new stadium project in Mission Valley." 12/5/19

  • Northern Virginia Science Center Gets $10M Donation (NBC) "A planned science center in Northern Virginia is getting a $10 million donation to jump-start its construction. Northwest Federal Credit Union announced its donation [...] at a press conference." 12/5/19

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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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