Weekly News Recap: May 26, 2023

Weekly News Recap: May 26, 2023

Ruth and Don Taylor, left, and Sue Tomney, YW Calgary CEO, pose for a photo during a media event hosted by YW Calgary announcing the largest private donation in the organization's history by the Taylor family on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. To honour the Taylor family's generosity, the name of the YW's affordable housing facility on 20 Ave S.E. has been changed to YW Taylor Family Home. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse. -- Edward Koch

🎓 CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL GRADUATES!

It is graduation season. Graduates are being celebrated for completing high school, for completing degrees and diplomas. We congratulate and celebrate you all.

SOME GOOD NEWS

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Prince Hussain Aga Khan and his wife Princess Fareen conclude visit to Calgary with a beautiful event at Glenbow; Prince and Princess walk through reception area and greet guests with warmth, enthusiasm and kindness (Barakah) CALGARY STORY "On Thursday, May 18, 2023, Prince Hussain Aga Khan made a presentation of his photographic exhibition The Living Sea – Fragile Beauty, at an event hosted by the University of Calgary at The Ampersand in downtown Calgary."

  2. I'm a Canadian soldier. I'm also Sikh. I shouldn't have to choose between faith and service (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "In 2018, I was about to be deployed to Romania as part of Operation Reassurance on a NATO Air Policing mission. As part of the pre-deployment process, every soldier on that mission had to pass a simulated gas test to ensure our military-issued gas masks had a proper seal in case the adversary used chemical weapons. When I was told by the military's departure assistance group I had to do this standardized test, I had a sinking feeling. You see, I'm a proud Canadian soldier and I'm also a proud Sikh, and this gas mask test was about to force me to choose between serving my country or honouring my faith."

  3. Tina Turner, powerhouse singer dubbed the queen of rock 'n' roll, dead at 83 (CBC) RIP Ms. Turner. You rocked our world. We will not see your like again. "Tina Turner, the American-born singer who left a hardscrabble farming community and an abusive relationship to become one of the top recording artists of all time, has died at age 83. She died peacefully after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland [...] Turner began her career in the 1950s during the early years of rock and roll and evolved into an MTV phenomenon."

  4. New study raises alarm over rapid global wildlife loss (CBC) #EEK "A new study is sounding the alarm over global wildlife loss, painting what the authors call "a considerably more alarming picture" of worldwide species population declines than previously thought. Of the over 70,000 animal species analyzed by the researchers in the recent study published in Biological Reviews, 48 per cent were found to have declining populations."

  5. The man who put Microsoft in the AI lead (Semafor) "Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott, who spearheaded the company’s $1 billion investment in OpenAI in 2019, has a message for you: The way you use your computer is about to drastically change. At Microsoft’s annual Build conference [...] Scott unveiled new tools that will allow software developers to quickly and easily build custom “copilots,” or artificial intelligence assistants, for virtually any task. In the background, these copilots will be joined together by a latticework of plugins that give them the ability to do things like book airline tickets, order meals, and schedule meetings."

  6. PhD students shocked after viral image from Canada varsity shows thesis being discarded in trash cans (First Post) EDMONTON STORY "Completing a PhD in the subject of one’s choice is not easy. It takes years of hard work, is expensive and not to mention the student’s career too depends on its successful completion, subsequent submission and grading. So, if a student comes across a dumpster full of discarded research copies which do not seem very dated, needless to say it causes outrage among the student fraternity."

  7. Are pets in too many public spaces? The case for and against pets at your next brunch, getaway (CBC) CALGARY STORY "Pet-friendly public spaces, like patios, restaurants and hotels, are more and more common in Calgary. Sites like BringFido and Go Pet Friendly list dozens of spots where pets are not only allowed, they're welcomed, with special treats and goodies on offer."

  8. What is it like raising guide dogs? Volunteers offer thought-provoking answers (CBC) CALGARY STORY "Cameron Northwood loves taking his dog, Zani to different locations, such as the mall, a loud hockey game, a bus ride around the city, and shopping trips to the grocery store. Zani, an eight-month-old black Labrador-retriever, is learning to confront new situations and navigate loud and unfamiliar spaces in Calgary. She's a guide dog who's being raised by Northwood, a volunteer puppy raiser at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB.)"

  9. The Professor Who Made $10 Billion By Cutting Google Its First Startup Check (Yahoo! Finance) CANADIAN CONTENT #RightPlace #RightTime "In the realm of hitting the jackpot, being in the right place at the right time and taking a gamble can prove life-changing. One person who embodies this serendipitous combination is Stanford University professor David Cheriton."

  10. Haysam Kadri named artistic director of Alberta Theatre Projects (CTV) CALGARY STORY Recognizing Haysam in this role is long overdue. Well done ATP. "Alberta Theatre Projects, one of the country’s top developers of new Canadian plays, announced Thursday that their next creative leader will be an Albertan. Haysam Kadri, who has spent the past 11 years as the artistic director of Calgary’s Shakespeare Company, will become the company’s next artistic director. The announcement hopefully brings to an end several years of disruption at the beloved, award-winning Calgary theatre company, following the death in 2020 of artistic director Darcy Evans. Kadri stepped in during the pandemic as interim artistic director, then stepped aside when the company named Vancouver’s Rohit Chokhani artistic director and executive director."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. The Many Faces of Poetry: Exploring the Unique Types of Poets (The Hub Publication) I am a big poetry fan. This is a fun read.

  2. Note-Taking is Not Enough: Knowledge Management for Researchers and Writers (Writing Cooperative) If you love highlighting, I am sorry to say...you are likely not learning anything. You need to distill these nuggets into something cohesive to really learn.

  3. The art of delegation — a practical guide for managers (People Collective) Most leaders cannot delegate well. This helps.

  4. I’d Rather Re-Read These 10 Books Over and Over Again Instead of Starting New Ones (Books Are Our Superpower) Many gems here, but one stands out: "Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed".

  5. The Ultimate Guide to Building an Email List (Ben Watkins) We are learning everyday.

  6. The 14 New Rules of Brand Strategy (Concept Bureau Insights) An excellent update on the widely successful list of six years ago.

  7. From Chaos to Clarity: The Essential Guide to Personal Knowledge Management (Jesal Gadhia) If you don't have a PKM system, you are really missing out.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Taylor family honoured for $10-million donation to YW Calgary's affordable housing efforts (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Congrats to all involved. ViTreo is proud to have played a role in this important landmark gift to YW Calgary. "A $10-million donation to YW Calgary will empower women and children fleeing domestic violence to take a step toward affordable housing, the women’s non-profit said."

  2. Family donation will buy Calgary Zoo otters a $2-million habitat redevelopment (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "A $2-million donation to the Wilder Institute from the Brawn Family Foundation will go towards redeveloping the North American river otter habitat in the zoo’s Canadian Wilds, which is currently under redevelopment."

  3. "Finally some action" - Fans react as F1 announces an immediate donation of $1mn to support the communities affected by flooding in Emilia Romagna (Sports Keeda) "Fans praised CEO Stefano Domenicali after he announced that F1 will be donating $1 million to support the communities affected by floods in the region of Emilia Romagna in Italy."

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 President & CEO Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca.

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