Weekly News Recap: March 12, 2021

Renowned University of Alberta ecologist David Schindler holds a deformed whitefish caught in Lake Athabasca near Fort Chipewyan, Alta., during a news conference in Edmonton on Sept. 16, 2010. His research in the lab and the field was published in some of the world's top journals, but that was never enough for David Schindler, who died at age 80. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Truth is hard, propaganda is cheap. -- DaShanne Stokes

SEASON 3 OF FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING

We have launched our third season of our popular Fundraising Ask Anything Zoom Chats. Our first session starts on March 19. We are still in lockdown, albeit part deux, and we aren’t any closer to understanding what the world will look like on the other side of this pandemic. Or, are we? Some things are becoming very clear, some things are still bit foggy, and some things remain as opaque as ever. Fear not, we’re bringing together sector leaders to tell us what they see. Join us as we peer into 2021’s crystal ball and hear from national nonprofit leaders on what to expect (or not) for the next 18 - 24 months.

Fundraising in a post-pandemic world: How to find answers in a sea of question marks? Confirmed guest presenters: Paula Attfield (Stephen Thomas), Niesa Silzer (Details Events)

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SOME GOOD NEWS

How Masayoshi Matsumoto creates his magic balloon artworks (It's Nice That) #BeyondAmazing "Falling into balloon art via a juggling class 13 years ago, Masayoshi is reshaping the art of balloon making – and can teach you how to do it too."
This Trained Singer Teaches Metal Bands How To Scream (Kottke.org) I love this woman! "Melissa Cross is a voice coach who works with metal bands so their screaming singers don’t damage their vocal cords. Her work involves switching singers from using their voice in an emotional way to a more classical and durable approach."_
The man who saves forgotten cats in Fukushima's nuclear zone (Reuters) There are angels among us. "A decade ago, Sakae Kato stayed behind to rescue cats abandoned by neighbours who fled the radiation clouds belching from the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant. He won't leave."
Covid-19: U.S. Vaccination Pace Increases to 2 Million Doses a Day (New York Times) 18% of the U.S. population is vaccinated. 5% of Canadians are vaccinated. #Ugh "The average number of vaccine doses being administered across the United States per day topped two million for the first time [...], according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A month ago, the average was about 1.3 million."
She came to the U.S. with only $300 and worked housekeeping jobs to pay for school. Now she's a flight director for NASA's Mars Perseverance. (CBS) #IamInspired "Throughout her career, a similar theme followed: She'd be one of the few Latinas working in science. Now, she knows whenever she's working as one of the surface flight directors for Perseverance, she's representing more than just herself. 'I know I'm not walking in there alone,' she said. 'I'm walking in there and every single thing that I do, I'm representing my country, my culture, my heritage, my people, and I have to give my best every single time.'"

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

'War Doesn't Even Compare': A Year In The Life Of A Traveling Nurse (NPR) Unimaginable. Yet, this happened. And is still happening. "'What I have seen throughout the year, I would rather die, any other way of dying, than dying with coronavirus. It's a sad way to go,' Street says in an interview with All Things Considered. 'Your family is not there to hold your hand.'"
Parks Foundation Calgary grant warms communities to winter (CBC) CALGARY STORY Nice move. And popular. "A little grant money has helped take the chill out of winter in several Calgary communities. Parks Foundation Calgary launched the Embrace the Outdoors Grant last year but quickly ran out of capital as the grant was snapped up by enthusiastic groups."
‘Truth to power:’ Lab was not enough for renowned scientist David Schindler (RD News Now) EDMONTON STORY I knew and worked with David at the UofA. I admired him and his work greatly. My hope: that up and coming scientists are inspired by his courage. He defended us all. RIP Dr. Schindler. We will not see your like again. "His research in the lab and the field was published in some of the world’s top journals, but that was never enough for David Schindler, who died Thursday at age 80. 'The importance of David Schindler was his ability to talk truth to power,' said Jim Handman, a longtime science journalist and journalism professor."
OPINION | It's time to act on gender inequality — including in the ranks of Canada's energy sector (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT Deborah, thank you for this timely and important piece. #IWD "This year, International Women's Day takes on a decidedly different hue. In addition to being the annual marker for evaluating where women have made progress in gaining equality (writ large) this past year, and the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the glaring and persistent inequities faced by women around the world. Progress has been made, but the economic data tell us the road to gender equality remains a very long one. The aftermath of the global pandemic is telling an ugly story — it's women who have borne the burden of the economic collapse of the last 12 months. For that reason, it's been called a 'she-secession.'
Kielburger brothers now say they'll testify at parliamentary committee after ducking invitation (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I did think it was weird when they originally refused to testify. "WE Charity founders Craig and Marc Kielburger now say they will testify before the House of Commons ethics committee after previously refusing to answer questions from what they described as a 'partisan' committee." RELATED:Multiple WE Charity donors raised money for same borehole well in Kenyan village
Calgary charity strives to regain lost funding through city-wide event (CTV) CALGARY STORY Go KCC! "Volunteers with a charity that works to help children fighting cancer gathered for a massive effort [last week]. Kids Cancer Care has been in the same boat as many charities during the pandemic: they've been struggling because of cancelled campaigns. But the success of last year's bottle drive helped them plan an even bigger event for 2021."
Canadian trust in journalism is wavering. Here's what CBC News is doing about it (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I believe that journalism is one of the pillars of a just society. We need to do better. "While CBC generally does quite well on lists of most-trusted companies in Canada, there's no question that faith in journalism — around the world — is fragile and wavering. What happens to a country when it cannot agree on facts and truth or trust the institutions responsible for delivering them? We don't have to look far to see how easily a civil society can seemingly begin to unravel. In the United States, still reeling from the deadly attack on its Capitol in January, there are millions of people who wrongly believe the presidential election was stolen by widespread fraud — though it's important to note more Americans believe it was a legitimate contest than not."
Skiers raise $270,000 to keep cross-country ski grooming going in Kananaskis after UCP cuts to parks (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Brilliant. Citizen action writ large. "Alberta's cross-country ski community has come through to finance trail grooming in Kananaskis Country west of Calgary after the United Conservative Party government cut funding for maintaining trails last year. Nordiq Alberta, the provincial sports body for cross-country skiing and a non-profit organization, announced that with three weeks left in its grooming pilot program, users have raised approximately $270,000 after expenses through voluntary parking pass sales."
Walter Gretzky, father of the Great One, dead at 82 (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #CanadasGreatestHockeyDad. Mr. Gretzky, thank you. RIP. We will not see your like again. "Canada's most beloved hockey dad left a legacy beyond the rink. Walter Gretzky died last week at the age of 82 after a nine-year battle with Parkinson's disease. Gretzky raised and coached his son, Wayne, considered by many to be the greatest NHL player of all time."
Young Canadians feeling significantly less confident in job prospects due to COVID-19: RBC Future Launch 2020 Youth Outlook Français (Newswire) CANADIAN STORY Great reports. Hard reports. Thank you to Jerilynn Daniels for sharing these reports with ViTreo. "An RBC Future Launch study of more than 1,800 Canadians aged 14-29 found that across every province and major city, youth are significantly less confident when it comes to their job prospects and how prepared they are for the future of work." RELATED:COVID Further Clouded the Outlook for Canadian Women at Risk of Disruption, COVID Upends the Charitable Playbook.

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

5 Science-Backed Indicators That Increase the Odds You’ll Live Longer (In Fitness And In Health) I am in reasonably good shape on leg strength and VO2Max but I really not on the other three. #TimeToGetToWork.
10 Little Known Books You Have To Read (Books Are Our Superpower) This is a really good list. I was sold when I saw one of my favourite books, "The Day of The Triffids" by John Wyndham. Also on this list is one of Elon Musk's favourite books.
This One Samurai Quality Is How You Change Your Life (Personal Growth) Do you have character and self-control?
The Lost Year: What the Pandemic Cost Teenagers (ProPublica) As a parent of a teenager, I feel much of this article. This generation of teenagers will move through their lives indelibly impacted by this event.
What Millennials Want to Cancel About Gen Z (The Bold Italic) A little humour across two generations I adore. ✨✨✨
The Power of a Single Plank (In Fitness And In Health) And, apparently, a long plank is NOT the goal. #WhoKnew?
What's an NFT? And why are people suddenly spending millions on them? (CBC) Say it with me: an NFT is a non-fungible token. Ok..what does fungible mean? And...what's a token. #AWorldGonyAwry.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

$21 million donation funds new scholarship, homelessness institute (DePaulia Online) Nice gift. "DePaul alumnus George L. Ruff and his wife Tanya S. Ruff have donated $21 million to the university to fund scholarships and the DePaul’s Institute of Global Homelessness."
Moez and Marissa Kassam make $1 million donation to Michael Garron Hospital (Beach Metro) TORONTO STORY Thank you! "Michael Garron Hospital has received a donation of $1 million, courtesy of Moez and Marissa Kassam. They are a Toronto couple who support quality healthcare for diverse and vulnerable populations."
New $25M grant for prairie grassland conservation goes to 5 organizations (CBC) CANADIAN STORY A fantastic legacy for all Canadians -- thank you Weston Family. "The Weston Family Foundation has awarded $25 million to five organizations working on grassland conservation efforts across the three prairie provinces. Grasslands provide a habitat for hundreds of species, and also provide food for Canadians and livestock. But they're also among the most at-risk habitats. More than 70 per cent of the country's prairie grasslands have been lost — mainly due to the conversion of grasslands to [croplands.]"

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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Vincent DuckworthMarch 11, 2021Comment