Weekly News Recap: March 5, 2021

March 5, 2021 Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: March 5, 2021

This photo provided by Hasbro shows the new Potato Head world. Hasbro, the company that makes the potato-shaped plastic toy, is giving the spud a gender neutral new name: Potato Head. (Hasbro/The Associated Press)

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will. -- Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

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 are still a bit foggy, and some 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)

Register here

SOME GOOD NEWS

Capt. Sir Tom Moore, who raised millions for charity, honoured with WWII plane flypast at funeral (CBC) A fitting tribute. RIP Caps. Sir Tom Moore. "Church bells rang out and a Second World War-era plane flew [...] over the funeral service of Capt. Sir Tom Moore to honour the veteran who single-handedly raised millions of dollars for Britain's health workers by walking laps in his backyard. Soldiers performed ceremonial duties at the service for the 100-year-old Moore, whose charity walk inspired the nation and raised almost 33 million pounds (more than $58 million Cdn)."
Stranger buys boy a basketball hoop after seeing him shooting hoops into a trash can (Good Morning America) I heart this. "Devin Hinkston, 30, was driving through the town of Alexandria, Louisiana, when he spotted a young boy playing basketball in his driveway. When he got closer, he realized the boy was using a trash can as a basketball hoop. Hinkston decided to change that."
Welcome, Potato Head! Beloved toy goes gender neutral — sort of (CBC) It's a start... "Hasbro created confusion [...] when it removed the gender from its Mr. Potato Head brand, but not from the actual toy. The company, which has been making the potato-shaped plastic toy for nearly 70 years, announced [...] that it was dropping Mr. from the brand in an effort to make sure 'all feel welcome in the Potato Head world.' That set off a social media frenzy over the beloved toy."

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mars: Nasa's Perseverance rover sends stunning images (BBC) Gorgeous! #OutOfThisWorld "Nasa's Perseverance rover landed on Mars at 20:55 GMT on 18 February after almost seven months travelling from Earth. Since then, it has sent back some amazing images from around its landing site, Jezero Crater, a 49km (30-mile) wide impact depression just north of the Red Planet's equator."
18 vintage photos of downtown Calgary in the early 1900s (Daily Hive) CALGARY STORY These are cool. "With new buildings popping up all the time in Calgary these days, we thought it would be fun to take a look back and explore what the city’s downtown and surrounding area looked like in the early 20th century."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

More signals of a Roaring '20s rebound for Canadian economy when pandemic ends (CBC) CANADIAN STORY And now for the rest of the story. "Gloomy headlines about the collapse of the Canadian economy, which faced its worst retreat since records began, may have obscured some startling new evidence for a strong rebound."
The Most Likely Timeline for Life to Return to Normal (The Atlantic) I sure hope so. Thanks to Andrea McManus for sharing this story. "The end of the coronavirus pandemic is on the horizon at last, but the timeline for actually getting there feels like it shifts daily, with updates about viral variants, vaccine logistics, and other important variables seeming to push back the finish line or scoot it forward. When will we be able to finally live our lives again?"
Co-founders of Lacombe-based charity receive one of Canada’s highest honours (Red Deer Advocate) LACOMBE STORY Very well-deserved. ViTreo is proud to be working with Eric on a number of his adventures. "Lacombe residents Eric Rajah and Brian Leavitt have received one of the highest honours in Canada. The two co-founders [of] the charity A Better World have received Meritorious Service Medals from the Governor General for creating a non-profit that invests in sustainable solutions to fight poverty in developing countries."
SpaceX completes another successful launch of massive rocket — accompanied by another explosion after landing (CBC) #SpaceIsHard. Keep it up guys, you will get there. "The third test of SpaceX's Starship rocket, that CEO Elon Musk hopes will one day ferry humans to Mars, launched from Boca Chica, Texas [...] and touched down softly, but exploded shortly thereafter."
University of Regina announces Jeff Keshen as new president (CBC) REGINA STORY Congrats to the UofR and to Dr. Keshen. "The University of Regina has announced a new president and vice-chancellor. Jeff Keshen [...] is the university's eighth president and vice-chancellor. Kenshen has a PhD from York University with a research concentration in the history of war and conflict."
Mayor of Estevan, Sask., invites Elon Musk to visit Boundary Dam CCS project (CBC)ESTEVAN STORY Bit of a stretch but hey, you never know until you try... "Estevan, Sask., is officially laying out the welcome mat for tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. [Mayor] Roy Ludwig officially sent the invitation to Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, in order to raise the profile of the SaskPower Boundary Dam Carbon Capture and Storage facility (CCS) located near the city."
Unleashing the future: Shell adds a team of robodogs to its Scotford operations (CBC) SCOTFORD STORY A way better use for these amazing robots than having them hunt humans on the battlefield. "A dog training academy is teaching new tricks to a pair of very special dogs and their human handlers at Shell's Scotford Complex. But with their abilities to open doors and take photos, the four-legged robots named Bolt and Gadget are clearly a cut above the average canine."
City of Regina formalizes corporate sponsorship program for branding of parks, buildings (CBC) REGINA STORY Nice work Regina! Thanks to Brent Barootes for sharing this story. "Naming rights for City of Regina parks and buildings are up for grabs under a new program aimed at trading sponsorship money for corporate branding. That's as long as you don't make your money from cannabis, tobacco or pornography. Fossil fuel companies, however, are welcome to apply."
McKinsey’s partners suffer from collective self-delusion (Economist) A sobering tale. "One of the best explanations for the triumph of a 'solution shop' like McKinsey was co-written by the late Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School in 2013. When hiring a management-consulting firm, he said, clients do not know what they are getting in advance, because they are looking for knowledge that they themselves lack. They cannot measure the results, either, because outside factors, such as the quality of execution, influence the outcome of the consultant’s recommendations."
Kielburger brothers say they won't testify before 'partisan' Commons committee (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #Hmmm "WE Charity co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger are declining requests to testify before two House of Commons committees."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

To learn a language faster, practice the alphabet. This and other steps beat rote memorization. (Better Humans) This sounds way harder but, this guy does know three languages.
The Best Cookbooks for Gifting (Heated) I love good cookbooks. Feel free to get me one anytime.
Here’s Why You Should Squat Consistently (In Fitness And In Health) But, oh so hard. Worth it but...#hard.
Veterinarians reveal 10 of the most common mistakes pet owners make (Insider) As someone who is about to get a new puppy, I am very interested. And, this is good info.
The Rule of 70/20/10 (Personal Growth) The secret to success, is to rest, not do meaningless work.
7 Books I Read More Than Once (Books Are Our Superpower) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is at the top for me. The rest are great as well.
12 Things I Stole From People More Successful Than Me (Mind Cafe) They are all excellent but #2 is the bomb.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

Texarkana cat lover's estate gives $1M to animal shelter (NWA Online) It happens more than you think with animal shelters. Good on her. "Representatives of a late, local widow who cared for dozens of cats at a time made her $1 million donation to the Animal Care and Adoption Center official with a [ceremony]."
The Royal gains boost to mental health research with anonymous $1.5 million donation (Kitchissippi Times) OTTAWA STORY Nice! "Thanks to a gift of $1.5 million from anonymous donors at the Ottawa Community Foundation’s fund, the Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR) will be able to make advancements to improve mental health."
Jazz owners, Imagine Dragons frontman and Apple announce joint $4M donation to support LQBTQ youth (Fox News) "The owners of the Utah Jazz, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds and his wife, Aja Volkman, and Apple are donating a combined $4 million to Encircle, an organization that provides support services for LGBTQ youth and their families."

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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