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Weekly News Recap: March 15, 2024

Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: March 15, 2024

File photo: Roger Gibbins stands on 12th Avenue outside the Canada West Foundation. Ted Rhodes/Postmedia

Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women. -- Maya Angelou

CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  • Embracing Ambition (Chavender.com) CANADIAN STORY Congrats to my colleague, Jenny Mitchell, on an empowering book. "This book reads like a series of short, poignant stories, captivating my imagination and causing me to travel to a place of deep reflection. I found the book both affirming and validating. It affirmed that we as women are not alone in our journey, and we should more intentionally share our experiences and connect more."

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • California community comes together to find beloved cat: ‘It is so appreciated’ (The Guardian) I love lost and found stories, especially about animals. Welcome home Dundee. "People anxiously waited for developments along with Heffernan, pleading for the safe return of Dundee. [...] But Heffernan and her friends kept searching, along with the independent volunteers and [finally], they received a call from someone who said they had Dundee. A group drove into Chico that evening, where Heffernan was greeted with a cat in the carrier. He started purring immediately – it was Dundee."

  • Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net (NPR) Universal Basic Income is coming. I am glad they are testing it. "The single dad of three lives in Alsip, Ill., and was one of a whopping 233,000 people who applied for the program in Cook County, which includes Chicago. [...] He says the extra cash has helped him manage skyrocketing prices for everything. And it's let him provide more for his children, including ballet classes, a birthday visit to Disney on Ice, and family trips."

  • VIDEO: Black couple rented to a Chinese American family when nobody would. Now, they're donating $5M to Black community. (NBC) #PayingItForward "In 1939, the Dongs, a Chinese American family in Coronado, California, found themselves unable to rent a house amid racially restrictive housing laws that favored white buyers and renters. Emma and Gus Thompson, a Black entrepreneurial couple in town, allowed the family to rent and eventually buy their Coronado property when nobody else would. Now, to thank the Thompsons for helping them get a toehold in American society, the Dongs are donating $5 million to Black college students using proceeds from the sale of the house."

  • This Man Turned the Worst Job in College Basketball Into a Slam Dunk (New York Times) I love this guy. "South Carolina Salkehatchie had no budget, players or running water in the locker room when Matt Lynch arrived. One season in, the first publicly gay head coach is figuring out how to win, on the court and off."

  • VIDEO: How the Dutch SOLVED Street Design (YouTube) The Dutch are so clever. "The current North American street design is not sustainable, the commute time and fatalities are escalating. But is the solution finally here? In this video we'll do a deep dive into how the Dutch design their roads and transportation network so effectively to reduced commute times and fatalities."

  • VIDEO: Every municipality in British Columbia ... in song (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY Ha, being from Prince George, I had to put this in. "As municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy prepares to take a year-long sabbatical, he's leaving us with one last song — highlighting every single municipality in B.C."

  • VIDEO: Jet Suit Race Series Launched! 🚀 (YouTube) This is an absolute hoot to watch. "With a rich family history in Aviation, former Oil Trader & Royal Marines Reservist, Richard Browning, founded pioneering Aeronautical Innovation company, Gravity Industries in March 2017 to launch human flight into an entirely new era. The Gravity #JetSuit uses over 1000bhp of Jet Engine power combined with natural human balance to deliver the most intense and enthralling spectacle, often likened to the real life Ironman."

  • Gird your loins! Jockstraps are still holding up after 150 years (AP News) A 'sex symbol of sorts'? OK, sure. "Happy 150th birthday, dear jockstrap. How far you’ve come from your modest but mighty days of protecting the precious parts of bicycle messengers as they navigated the bumpy cobblestones of Boston. Invented for that purpose in 1874 by C.F. Bennett, who worked for a company now known as Bike Athletic, the strappy little staple of yore has become a sex symbol of sorts with a reach well beyond the athletic world."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi announces bid for Alberta NDP leadership (CBC) CALGARY STORY "Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi confirmed [...] he will seek the leadership of Alberta's New Democrats, changing the trajectory of the race to replace Rachel Notley. Nenshi's candidacy has fuelled the Alberta political rumour mill for more than a month."

  2. That spare change you donate at checkout is adding up to millions for charities (NPR) I have often wondered. Thanks to ViTreo's Head of Research, Ken Kempcke, for sharing this story. "We've all been there: A store cashier asks if you'd like to donate money to the local food bank. Or the PIN pad at the checkout counter prompts you to round up your payment for charity — spare a little change for a worthy cause [...]. In 2022 alone, charities raised $749 million nationwide through so-called point-of-sale donations, a 24% jump from 2020, according to Engage for Good, which tracks this type of charitable giving."

  3. Dismantling founder’s syndrome (The Philanthropist) This is a fantastic and important dive into an area that is rarely talke about. "Founder’s syndrome is widely whispered about in the non-profit sector but rarely analyzed or dismantled."

  4. Elon Musk’s Charity Faces Multi-Million Dollar Fine Over Donation Shortfall (The Deep Dive) "Elon Musk could be facing potential legal repercussions due to the insufficient philanthropic activities of his foundation, despite its vast wealth. Established in 2001, the Musk Foundation, a colossal charitable entity, has come under scrutiny for its minimal contribution to charitable causes. While Musk has utilized the foundation to gift Tesla stock, thereby evading billions in taxes, the foundation’s actual charitable donations have fallen significantly short of expectations."

  5. Russia is facing more than 16,000 sanctions — so why hasn't its economy buckled? (CBC) "Over the past two years, Russia's government has managed to steer through sanctions and limit inflation, while investing nearly a third of its budget in defence spending. It's also been able to increase trade with China and sell its oil to new markets, in part by using a shadow fleet of tankers to skirt a price cap that Western countries had hoped would reduce the country's war chest."

  6. Canada faces a series of 'crises' that will test it in the coming years, RCMP warns (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "The 'crises' rocking national and international affairs are likely to get worse over the next few years and could have a significant effect on the federal government and Canada's federal police force, says an internal report prepared for the RCMP. 'The global community has experienced a series of crises, with COVID-19, supply-chain issues, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine all sending shockwaves throughout the world,' says the report, entitled Whole of Government Five Year Trends for Canada."

  7. Is extending life by weeks worth the toll some cancer drugs take? Doctors push for 'common-sense oncology' (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Tom Somerville's decision to stop medical treatment for his end-stage cancer was a personal one. Somerville, 62, was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2021 that later spread to his liver. He had six months of chemotherapy to slow down the cancer, which he said also left him exhausted with nausea. The Kingston, Ont., resident decided to take a break from treatment to enjoy a trip with his wife to Victoria. "

  8. Tooth fairy payouts drop for first time in 5 years (Axios) Still $5 though... (not bad). "For the first time since 2019, the tooth fairy is paying less for lost teeth than the year before. Why it matters: It's a sign that the tooth fairy's helpers — aka parents — are worn down from two years of high inflation."

  9. Calgary political scientist Roger Gibbins dies after influential four-decade career (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY ViTreo worked with Roger on a number of engagements and I knew him personally. RIP Dr. Gibbons, we will not see your like again. "A longstanding and influential political voice in Alberta, Roger Gibbins died this week after a career that spanned more than four decades and formed a blueprint for much of Western Canadian politics. Roger Gibbins, a former University of Calgary professor and the ex-president of the Canada West Foundation, died this week at the age of 77. He leaves behind his wife, Isabel, and their children, Dan and Chris."

  10. Guy Boutilier, 1st mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, dies at 65 (CBC) ALBERTA STORY I knew and admired Guy. RIP Mr. Boutilier, we will not see your like again. "Many are commemorating Guy Boutilier, a former politician who served for decades in municipal and provincial politics in Alberta, who died [...] at the age of 65. Boutilier had a notable political career, which included being elected as the first mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, after Fort McMurray, Alta., and Improvement District No. 143 amalgamated in 1995."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. AFP ICON Session Spotlight: Using an Equity Lens to Create Gift Acceptance Policies (Vimeo) CANADIAN STORY In this AFP ICON Session Spotlight, Tanya Rumble, MPNL, CFRE, CMP, MFA-P shares how current gift acceptance policies are failing to incorporate values such as inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and reconciliation. To learn more about this topic, register for AFP ICON 2024, in Toronto, April 7-9.

  2. The Viral Fitness "Beep Test" Will Destroy Your Lungs And Legs (Fatherly) I am sourcing traffic cones right now.

  3. 185 Fun Questions to Ask in Absolutely Any Situation (Best Life Online) Who doesn't love a great question?

  4. My 7 Favorite Quotes From My Favorite Speeches (Benjamin Watkins) Something for everyone.

  5. The Power of Journaling: Unlocking Your Creativity and Self-Reflection Through Writing (Alex Northwood) For a four-minute read, this is pretty comprehensive.

  6. 7 Binge-Worthy Books You’ll Want To Read In A Day (Publishous) I have read two of these (both were great). The rest of the list also looks great.

  7. How to Bulletproof Your Knees with 1 Exercise (BoxRox) I am worried about my knees so this...is important. It might be for you too.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. ARC makes $5 million donation to Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre (ARC Resources) CALGARY STORY Congrats ARC. We are grateful. "ARC was on the ground at the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary to announce a $5 million donation to the OWN.CANCER campaign, the largest corporate donation to date."

  2. Man donates $1M for imaging machines at Greater Victoria hospitals (Sooke News Mirror) VICTORIA STORY "The Victoria Hospitals Foundation received a $1 million donation that is expected to further the foundation’s campaign to modernize and replace six pieces of imaging equipment at Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria General Hospital. Alex Miller, in honour of his late wife Betty, made the donation this month as both received care at RJH and after her passing in 2021, he wanted to give back in her memory."

  3. Yellowstone gets $40M donation so staff can actually afford to live there (New York Post) #Wow "A mystery benefactor is helping solve this National Park’s affordable housing crisis. An anonymous donor has given $40 million to Yellowstone through the National Park Foundation, specifically with the intent of ensuring that park employees can actually afford to live near the 2.2-million-acre [wilderness]."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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