Weekly News Recap: July 26, 2019

Weekly News Recap: July 26, 2019

Jamie, left, and Chris Ruscheinski at the 2018 Gone Country music festival in Surrey, B.C. The twins have been raising money for cancer charities for the past 20 years. (Angela Ruscheinski)

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. -- C. S. Lewis

This week's highlights

  • Celebrate the anniversary of one of mankind greatest achievements #Apollo11
  • The annual salary survey for fundraisers #HowMuchAreYouMaking
  • Yet another beautiful human #ForgivnessIsCool
  • Stingray gives back to music, Ottawa invests in autonomous farming, the Midsummer's Ball turns 40, Calgary is getting it's arena, and somebody needs too wash a lot of corvettes #ItsAllNews
  • Saskatchewan appoints its first Indigenous Lt. Governor and Sam Steele gets a new biography #CongratsSaskatchewan
  • Noble pursuits, chaos and creativity, and how to delegate #Hacks
  • Prospects beat appearances, extortion is up, autonomous trucks are coming sooner, and autonomous cars are delayed #Platooning #WhoKnew
  • A transformational gift to amateur athletes in Canada #IHeartMatching
  • And so much more...

Human achievement

  • Video of the Complete Descent of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module (Kottke.org) This month, humanity celebrates one of our crowning achievements. Fifty years ago, we landed on the moon. Landing on the moon took ten years and the direct efforts of over 400,000 people and the collective efforts of all humankind. Even knowing the outcome, this video is riveting. I recommend watching it on the big screen if you can. 7/18/19

AFP Global

Meanwhile, in Canada

  • Astonishing winter-like jet stream threatens two provinces with July SNOW (The Weather Network) CANADIAN STORY Brrr. "There's no benchmark for a jet stream this strong roaring across western Canada in the middle of July. With such a cold upper trough and racing upper level winds in the middle of July, this could bring some snowy consequences to parts of western Canada to round out this week." Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this article. 7/18/19

Beautiful humans

  • I went to Nigeria to meet the man who scammed me (BBC) This story reminds me of Amanda Lindhout, the Canadian Journalist who was kidnapped and horribly abused in Somalia. Held prisoner for 15 months, Amanda now works to ensure that young men like her captors have different paths to follow. "When Maria Grette first discovered that the 58-year-old Danish man with whom she had fallen in love was actually a 24-year-old Nigerian '419' internet scammer, the 62-year-old Swede was distraught. But, soon, her feelings changed." 7/24/19

Stewardship

  • Thank you Canada! (Youtube) CANADIAN STORY Thanks to Charllotte Adkens-Weiler for sharing this. This is a really moving and effective video. "RMHC families have a surprise you won’t want to miss." 7/19/19

News

  • Calgary Flames reach agreement with city for new $550 million arena (Daily Hive) CALGARY STORY Congratulations! I honestly thought this might drag out for years (it has almost everywhere else). "Calgary Flames...Saddle-done. After years of negotiation, rhetoric, and headaches, we have an agreement. Finally. A Monday evening announcement has confirmed that 'fundamental terms and conditions' for the development and construction of a new 19,000-seat arena have been agreed to by the City of Calgary, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, and the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Limited." 7/22/19

  • Saskatchewan to help with a national cancer centre network (CKRM) SASKATCHEWAN STORY Congrats to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. It's a real feather in your cap to have national recognition like this. "Saskatchewan will play a role in a national cancer centre network aimed at developing precision cancer medicine for Canadians. The federal government has promised $150-million over the next five years for the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centre Network. The Terry Fox Research Institute is launching the initiative with the Saskatchewan component being set up at the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency in Regina." 7/22/19

  • Stingray will support National Music Centre with a $525K contribution for classical music residencies at Studio Bell (La Scene Musicale) CALGARY STORY Thank you Stingray and congrats to the National Music Centre. Well done. "The National Music Centre (NMC) will receive a $525,000 contribution from Stingray over the next seven years to support classical music residencies at Studio Bell. A handful of artists have already been selected to help launch the program over the second half of 2019. They include Montreal-based post-classical pianist Jean-Michel Blais, celebrated Calgary flautist Jiajia Li, and Edmonton musician Anders Muskens, who specializes in historical keyboards." 7/22/19

  • Ottawa invests $49.5-million into the “future of farming” (Lethbridge News Now) CANADIAN STORY The future of farming is autonomous. It is great that this investment is happening. "Natural Resources Minister Navdeep Bains announced Monday the investment of up to $49.5-million into the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN). 'The future of farming will require farmers to adopt new technologies and processes in order to stay competitive. By investing in Canadian agricultural innovation, our government is acting to maintain our global leadership in agriculture, while also helping to create and maintain highly skilled jobs across the country,' says Bains." Thanks to Scott Decksheimer for sharing this story. 7/22/19

  • Tourist Numbers Up This Year at the Royal Tyrrell Museum (Drumheller Online) DRUMHELLER STORY I heart the Royal Tyrrell Museum. I need to visit again soon! "'We've had a great summer so far, our attendance numbers are up since the beginning of our fiscal year, which is April 1st. We're up almost eleven thousand people over last year,' explained [Jason] Martin [the Director of Operations and Finance at the Royal Tyrrell Museum]." 7/22/19

  • Banff Centre’s 40th Anniversary of the Midsummer Ball raises $1,270,000 and still counting (Banff Centre) BANFF STORY Congrats! The Midsummer Ball is a truly an institution. "Donations continue to pour in and the final count will be available at the end of the week. The Midsummer Ball is the largest arts fundraiser in Western Canada, and put a major focus on Alberta artists who have succeeded through Banff Centre programs, including Jens Lindemann (Edmonton born trumpet virtuoso and Order of Canada recipient), Shauna Rolston (Edmonton born cellist, and one of Canada’s most celebrated musicians), and members of both the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra." 7/22/19

  • Gone Country for a cause: Twin brothers raise millions for cancer charities (CBC) SURREY STORY Amazing things happen when committed and invested people take an idea and make it a reality. I love this. "The seventh annual Gone Country music festival is taking shape, and on Saturday, this mostly empty field will be transformed into a full-throttle, sold-out, country music barn burner featuring headliners Aaron Pritchett and George Canyon. Gone Country is sure to be a boot-stompin, hootin' and hollerin' good time. But the event's mission is unique. Gone Country is firstly, and most importantly, a grassroots cancer charity fundraiser. All proceeds go toward fighting cancer and supporting those who live with it. Over its lifespan, organizers say the event has raised more than $2.2m for cancer charities." 7/20/19

  • 'Eureka': Canadian helps restore audio from Apollo 11 mission control (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT BTW, now this dude works for NASA. How cool is that! "The names of the first men to walk on the moon are legend now. They're central characters in a feat that once seemed unimaginable. But that giant leap wouldn't have happened without support from the crew at mission control, who made sure the Apollo 11 team came back home safely." 7/20/19

  • Talk of $10M for Arts Commons design work delayed to avoid budget confusion (CBC) CALGARY STORY "Conversations about funds for detailed design work for upgrading Arts Commons will have to wait until September while Calgary city council deals with the hot potato of finding $60 million to cut from this year's budget. The $10 million in funds, previously earmarked from the provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative, was to be released to Arts Commons sooner rather than later. But council decided Friday it would be best to have that discussion down the road to allow more focus on the budget cuts, which could include belt-tightening in areas like policing, fire and public transit." 7/19/19

  • Ian and Sylvia Tyson Inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (Exclaim) CANADIAN STORY How great is this! "The pair met in Toronto in 1959 and performed as Ian & Sylvia throughout the 1960s, eventually moving to New York and releasing their influential sophomore album Four Strong Winds in 1964 [...]. Both songwriters will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame separately. The induction ceremony will take place on September 5 at the National Music Centre during Country Music Week in Calgary." 7/18/19

  • Summer staff hired at Vernon cadet museum thanks to donation (Vernon Morning Star) VERNON STORY I have a soft spot for cadet stories. I was a cadet at Vernon in 1979. Thanks anonymous donor!" 7/18/19

  • Collection of Corvettes hiding underneath Manhattan to be raffled off (Driving) Pretty cool. Corvette cool. "The cars in the collection span the first 36 years of the model’s production, and they’re pretty consistent, options-wise; most have automatic transmissions, and a lot are convertibles, as well. Basically, good cruising Corvettes." 7/15/19

First Peoples of Canada

  • 'This is historic': Indigenous leaders applaud choice of Russell Mirasty as new Sask. Lt.-Gov. (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY What a terrific choice! "Former RCMP F Division Commander Russell Mirasty has been named Saskatchewan's lieutenant-governor, the Office of the Prime Minister announced on Wednesday. He is the first Indigenous person to occupy the position in the province [...]. Mirasty, a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, joined the RCMP in 1976 and became the first Indigenous person to command an RCMP division." 7/17/19

Books to read

  • History Hunter: New biography reveals Sam Steele’s role in Canadian history (Yukon News) CANADIAN STORY This biography includes previously unreleased documents from the Steele family papers at the University of Alberta. "A new book, Sam Steele: A Biography, can now be found in retail outlets in the Yukon. Written by Rod Macleod, professor emeritus of History and Classics at the University of Alberta, it is an account of one of Canada’s most iconic figures, and certainly one of the key figures during the Klondike gold rush." 7/18/19

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

  1. What's that bug? How to identify any plant or animal with your smartphone (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT This is cool. Not exactly sure how important this is to your life or your career but...knowledge is power. 7/18/19

  2. How to Use Humility to Do Anything You Want in Life (The Ascent) A really thoughtful article on the practical and positive outcomes of being humble. 7/17/19

  3. The 7 Noble Pursuits (P.S. I Love You) All of these you would have heard of. The order, description, and importance, maybe not. I found this to be a thoughtful and mindful read. 7/14/19

  4. How Chaos Can Make Us Creative. (The Startup) Take that Marie Kondo :-) Just kidding. Sort of. 7/7/19

  5. The 4 Communication Habits of Successful People (Productivity) Yay, I do all four :-) but not to the level I need to be doing. I need to seriously bump up #1 and #3. 2/22/19

  6. The Practical Guide to Delegating Work (The Founder Coach) Delegating is hard. This helps. 9/12/17

  7. Rule of Three: Bad Ideas, Arguments and Brainstorming (Better Humans) I never really thought about it this way. Once you have three ideas, you likely have way more than three ideas. 3/1/16

Uncommon knowledge

Philanthropic personalities

  • The Most Generous Athletes Involved in Philanthropy (Sportscasting) "Being an athlete isn’t just about making All-Star teams or winning championships. It’s also about being a role model to the younger generation and using your celebrity platform to do good things for others. Some of the sports world’s most famous athletes are also their most generous, so today we will showcase the athletes who do their best to give back to others." 7/22/19

Philanthropic controversy

Trends and shifts

  • More millennials base dating decisions on property-buying prospects than looks, survey suggests (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Beyond the Bricks, a survey commissioned by HSBC, found just 2.8 per cent of respondents said that appearance was their top consideration when choosing whom to date, compared to 12.7 per cent who said a property-related quality topped their list." 7/24/19

  • Extortion cases increased 170% from 2012 to 2018 in Canada: StatCan (Global News) CANADIAN STORY Grrr...ransomeware is evil. "Police-reported cases of extortion have exploded in Canada rising by roughly 170 per cent from 2012 to 2018, according to Statistics Canada, largely fuelled by an increase in online 'sextortion', ransomware attacks and other digital crimes. The latest numbers from StatCan show a 44 per cent jump from 2017 to 2018 according to police services from all provinces rising from 3,186 to 4,664. The rise is part of a years-long upward trend as the number of reported cases has grown steadily from 1,730 in 2012 to 4,664 incidents in 2018." 7/23/19

  • Self-driving platoons of trucks are coming to a highway near you (Quartz) I have no doubt that this is going to happen soon. "Peloton’s following technology wirelessly links two trucks together. The driver manages the lead truck’s steering, acceleration, and braking, and the trailing truck responds based on what the human-driven vehicle ahead does. This practice, known as platooning, has long been common in the trucking industry, as it can reduce fuel costs for the following trucks by cutting aerodynamic drag. With an automated platoon, drivers could see their productivity double overnight, and relieve fleet owners desperate to recruit more skilled drivers." 7/19/19

  • The Role of Philanthropy in Regional Economic Development: The Donor View (Nonprofit Quarterly) Always an interesting take from NPQ. "What is the relationship between philanthropic and regional economic activity? The traditional, and still typical if often implicit, conception of philanthropy is a unidirectional one in which economic growth leads to greater charitable giving. But this mostly unidirectional view should not be taken for granted." 7/19/19

  • With US Women’s Soccer Donation, Secret Hopes to Start a Sponsorship Trend (AdWeek) Now, the why. And it's awesome. "Secret chose to make a donation in order to [...] showcase the importance of prioritizing action over awareness. 'As a partner, advocate and supporter of the USWNT, we believe that visibility is so important for getting the players the attention and pay that they deserve,' said Sara Saunders, associate brand director for Secret at P&G. 'We took this opportunity to demonstrate that publicly in hopes that we’ll inspire others to contribute to their efforts as well.'" 7/18/19

  • Despite High Hopes, Self-Driving Cars Are ‘Way in the Future’ (New York Times) "Ford and other companies say the industry overestimated the arrival of autonomous vehicles, which still struggle to anticipate what other drivers and pedestrians will do." Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this article. 7/17/19

  • What Cindy Wagman Is Hearing From Her Podcast Listeners (AFP Global) CANADIAN STORY I heart podcasts. We have one too but Cindy's is the bomb, especially among smaller nonprofits. Nice work Cindy! Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this story. "One of the reasons she decided to start a podcast was to combat the feeling of isolation fundraisers can experience when working in a small shop, says Cindy Wagman, CFRE, who has spent a large part of her career working with small charities and is now president of The Good Partnership and co-host of The Small Nonprofit podcast [...]. After 39 episodes, The Small Nonprofit podcast is now the '#1 podcast for nonprofits in Canada.'" 7/4/19

Large gifts

  • D.C.’s First Elevated Public Park Just Got A $5 Million Donation (The DCist) I am a fan of elevated parks. And parks in general. "The forthcoming 11th Street Bridge Park will be D.C.’s first elevated public park, and will include an amphitheater, hammock grove, public plaza, and more built along 1.45 miles across the Anacostia River. Local officials announced the latest donation towards making this multimillion project happen at a press conference on Tuesday morning: utility company Exelon, which owns Pepco, is giving $5 million." 7/23/19

  • CAN Fund announces a $3 million matching donation by philanthropic leaders Eric and Vizma Sprott (Newswire.ca) CANADIAN STORY Boom. Athletes are almost never funded this way. What an inspired gift! "In anticipation of next year's Summer Games, Canadian Athletes Now Fund (CAN Fund) is charging forward on its mission to provide financial support to athletes representing Canada. One year and one day out from the Games, the renowned non-profit organization is honoured to announce a $3 million matching donation by Eric and Vizma Sprott, longstanding supporters of the charity." 7/23/19

  • McDonough donates $10 million to Worcester Art Museum, largest gift of its kind in museum’s history (Boston Globe) "The Worcester Art Museum announced Sunday that it has received a $10 million donation from the C. Jean & Myles McDonough Charitable Foundation — the largest gift of its kind in the museum’s history." 7/21/19

  • University of Chicago receives $25M donation for international students (Chicago Sun Times) "The University of Chicago has received a $25 million gift to support the financial aid program for international students, administrators said in a statement Thursday. The gift comes on the heels of a $10 million donation from the same anonymous donor, officials said." 7/18/19

  • Anonymous donor gives $25 million to Children's Hospital Los Angeles (ABC) "A donor who wishes to remain anonymous has made a $25 million donation to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the hospital says. The donation will support the expansion of the hospital's Neurological Institute and an overhaul of its Interventional Radiology diagnostic and treatment space." 7/18/19

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