Weekly News Recap: August 12, 2022

Sylvia Gellman, 101, stands next to a plaque commemorating the Examination Unit, the codebreaking bureau where she worked during the Second World War. Her hand is held by Julie McInnes, whose mother, Rita Bogue, also had a job there. (Joseph Tunney/CBC).

Women who stepped us were measured as citizens of the nation, not as women...this was a people's war, and everyone was in it. -- Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby

SOME GOOD NEWS

Seeing double in Twinsburg — more than 2,000 pairs of twins descend on Ohio town (CBC) I am seeing double. "For Marko and Nico Martinovic, identical twins from Toronto famous for the pranks they post on YouTube, there's probably no better place to learn about other twin hijinks than the world's largest gathering of lookalikes [...] It was founded in 1819 by identical twin brothers, Moses and Aaron Wilcox. The town, with a population just under 20,000, sets aside a few days each year to celebrate 'the uniqueness' of twins and multiples. The festival began back in 1976 to celebrate the bicentennial, with the decision that a town named in honour of the Wilcox twins set aside one day to celebrate twins each year. It has since attracted more than 80,000 twins and multiples over 47 festivals."
INSPIRATION | New Canadian Children’s Book Teaches About Philanthropy (Hilborn Charity News) CANADIAN STORY I love this! And congrats again Teresa for being awarded Outstanding Fundraising Professional of the Year by AFP Global. "Throughout her 25-year career in fundraising, Teresa Vasilopoulos talked to many parents and grandparents who were looking for an easy way to teach their children and grandchildren about the value of giving back and helping others. These conversations and the experience of teaching her own children about fundraising inspired Teresa to write a new children’s book called What Can You Do With Just One Dollar? And, as the 2022 recipient of the AFP Global Outstanding Fundraising Professional award, Teresa brings this recognized expertise to her writing."
Ford reveals an F-150 Lightning built for police work (engadget) #ElectricFuzz "Don't be surprised if you see an electric pickup truck assisting cops in the near future. Ford has introduced a version of the 2023 F-150 Lighting built for police, the Lightning Pro SSV (Special Service Vehicle). The new model is designed for tasks that don't involve pursuit, such as assisting at crime scenes or towing boats, and includes modifications to match. You'll find optional police lights for the roof, an instrument panel tray with easier equipment mounting, and toughened seating with steel intrusion plates in the front seatbacks. While this truck probably won't cart suspects to the station, it could in a pinch."
One of the World's Rarest 'Lost Birds' Photographed in Colombia (Gizmodo) #Amazing "Conservationists in Colombia have recently rediscovered one of the most elusive and mysterious creatures in the world: a singing and shimmering, emerald-green species of hummingbird known as the Santa Marta sabrewing. The sighting is only the second ever documented since it was first identified, and the first in over a decade. Sadly, the bird is one of many species in the area threatened by habitat loss."
Physicist trolls James Webb Space Telescope fans with a photo of a chorizo sausage (engadget) It's pretty funny. I recommend looking at the image. "With its captivating images of far-flung galaxies, it’s safe to say the James Webb Space Telescope has captured the imagination of the world over. It was also recently the subject of a not-so-charming prank. On July 31st, Étienne Klein, the director of France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, shared an image he claimed the JWST captured of Proxima Centauri, the nearest-known star to the sun."
Twisters, lightning and ominous cloud formations lure extreme weather fans (CBC) CALGARY STORY #StormNerds "Beth Allan used to be terrified of storms. In 2007, her mom decided she needed to face her fears head on. She signed up Allan for a storm-chasing tour — and she was hooked. 'The first time you see a storm, that adrenaline rush — it's like skydiving, right? You chase that forever.'"
Banding baby burrowing owls 'the best day of the year' — though fate of endangered species uncertain (CBC) MANITOBA STORY Nature is cool. "Wind whispers through silvery green grasses as Alex Froese's arm disappears into a dark hole in the ground on a Prairie pasture near Melita in southwestern Manitoba in July. She gently pulls out a baby owl. Then another, and another, passing them to her assistant, who puts them into a bucket. 'This is the best day of the year,' says Froese, director of the non-profit Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Project."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

Brad Donaldson named Lethbridge College’s new President and CEO (Lethbridge News Now) LETHBRIDGE STORY Congratulations Dr. Donaldson. "Dr. Brad Donaldson has been named the ninth President and CEO in the college’s history. He comes to Lethbridge from Calgary and will start in his new role on September 6, 2022. Donaldson has over 17 years of post-secondary experience, most recently as the Vice President – Academics at SAIT in Calgary."
A secret no more: Canada's 1st codebreaking unit comes out of the shadows (CBC) CANADIAN STORY My grandmother did work similar to this in the U.K. as a Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS popularly called the Wrens). #UnsungHeroines "For years, Sylvia Gellman's loved ones were left in the dark about what she did for a living in the early 1940s. But in a mansion that once sat along Laurier Avenue East, Gellman and her colleagues — many of whom were women — worked to assist a top secret mission: cracking codes and ciphers used in secret and diplomatic communications during the Second World War [...] A plaque honouring the Examination Unit, Canada's first cryptographic bureau, was unveiled at the Laurier House National Historic Site, next door to where Gellman once worked."
4 in 5 people who died last year while receiving child welfare in Alberta were Indigenous (CBC) ALBERTA STORY We need to do better. "Advocates and researchers are calling for the Alberta government to decolonize the child welfare system after a record number of children, youth and young adults died last year — about four-in-five of whom were Indigenous. Provincial data shows 49 people died while receiving child intervention services in fiscal 2021-22 — the most in a year according to publicly available data. It is an increase of 15 deaths from the previous year. Thirty-nine of those who died were Indigenous — the most since at least 2008-09, and an increase of 16 deaths from the previous year."
Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John dead at 73 (CBC) #RIPSandraDee We will not see your like again. "Olivia Newton-John, the Grammy-winning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with such hits as Physical and You're the One That I Want and won countless hearts as Sandy in the blockbuster film version of Grease, has died. She was 73." RELATED: A beautiful Instagram post from John Travolta.
Hockey Canada’s board chair Michael Brind’Amour steps down (Winnipeg Free Press) CANADIAN STORY "Michael Brind’Amour has stepped down effective immediately, Hockey Canada said [...] in a statement. The organization is under intense scrutiny for its handling of sexual assault allegations against members of previous men’s junior teams."
Loving gorilla mom kisses and shows her baby to visitors at Calgary Zoo (YouTube) CALGARY STORY #SimbaMoment "A female gorilla was seen introducing her new baby to visitors at the Calgary Zoo in a heartwarming moment, when video captured the mama gorilla grabbing her baby's arms and lifting it in the air before cradling it and kissing the baby's forehead, melting the hearts of visitors who witnessed the moment. A visitor was caught telling the animals: 'Thank you for showing us!' On Friday, the Instagram video shared by Viral Hog has wracked up more than 16,000 likes and 233 comments."
CHARITIES AND NONPROFITS FORCED TO ADAPT AS DEBT AND DEFICIT REDUCTION BECOMES FISCAL PRIORITY (Imagine Canada) CANADIAN STORY "In her opening remarks for the 2022 federal budget, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland states '[L]et me be very clear: We are absolutely determined that our debt-to-GDP ratio must continue to decline. Our pandemic deficits are and must continue to be reduced. The extraordinary debts we incurred to keep Canadians safe and solvent must be paid down.' This focus on reducing debt and deficit might signal the start of this conversation moving into the public debate. In this blog post, we will explore recent federal trends in debt and deficit levels and investigate how this has potential to impact the charitable and nonprofit sector. Lastly, we examine paths forwards for actors in this sector, should they see a reduction in funding."
Calgary’s 10 new inclusive playgrounds: Here’s where they’re located (CTV) CALGARY STORY I heart this. "The City of Calgary is celebrating the completion of 10 new inclusive playgrounds. Inclusive playgrounds cater to a number of diverse needs, letting all children play together without segregation or stigmatization, no matter their abilities. The city says the new facilities are barrier-free and accessible to children and caregivers with mobility challenges, and have features like directional braille indicator signs to help those who are blind or partially sighted."
World Rugby gives U of C $500K for concussion, injury research (CBC) CALGARY STORY UCalgary is rocking their concussion crew. #AndDeservedlySo "Rugby's world governing body has given the University of Calgary half a million dollars to study concussion and injury prevention among young women in the game. Former university rugby player and doctoral candidate Isla Shill is a co-leader of the international study drawing data from high school and club players aged 13 to 18 in Calgary, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Vancouver."
Reports of sexual assault jumped 21% in Alberta last year. Advocates aren't surprised (CBC) ALBERTA STORY #Ugh #NotProud "The rate of reported sexual assault in Alberta jumped 21 per cent last year, numbers released by Statistics Canada this week show. A similar trend is unfolding across the country. The national rate of sexual assault reported to police increased 18 per cent in 2021 to its highest level in more than two decades, the agency said. Those who work with victims believe the uptick is at least partly due to a cultural shift that took off in 2017 with the #MeToo movement, according to Deb Tomlinson, CEO of the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

Fundraising Tools: Program Performance—The Tie That Binds (AFP Global) I can't tell you how many times we get asked for our advice in this area. This is a great primer.
Segmentation & Strategy (Roger Martin) There are three key tenets to this article. They had me at #1 (and #2 and #3).
7 Pillars Of Self-Care. (Jahnvi Mehta) All great but #7 is not one we think of often enough.
12 Public Speaking Tips to Look Confident and Engage Your Audience (Better Humans) These are AWESOME. Oh, and don't be a T-Rex.
Four Toxic Behaviors All Leaders Should Avoid (ASE Center) I feel good that I don't do 1 - 3 but...I sometimes have trouble with #4.
Why thunderstorms seem to 'split' around cities (CBC) I knew it!
To-Do Lists Are Ineffective, Obsolete, and Exist in Vain (Illumination) For those of you (us) that focus too much on 'planning', this is a great read.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

Calgary Foundation makes largest-ever gift to UCalgary’s Indigenous Strategy (uCalgary) CALGARY STORY Great move Calgary Foundation. "The University of Calgary’s Indigenous Strategy, ii’ taa’poh’to’p, has received a $1-million gift from the Calgary Foundation — the largest single gift the strategy has received to date. The investment is an affirmation of the work the strategy has completed up to this point, says Dr. Michael Hart, PhD, UCalgary’s vice-provost and associate vice-president research (Indigenous engagement). 'That an outside entity like the Calgary Foundation is recognizing the important, impactful work being completed suggests that we’re a model for others, and that people believe in the work we’re doing,' says Hart."
Developer's $7.5 million donation recognized with new name for future BCIT building (Daily Hive) VANCOUVER STORY "The brand new Trades and Technology Centre building for the BCIT Burnaby campus will be named after local developer Concert Properties for their $7.5 million donation towards the construction cost."
Globe Theatre accepts $3 million donation, grants naming rights to MacCorquodale family (Global News) I like this naming. "Regina’s premiere theatre venue is changing its name after a $3 million donation by Andrew and Chantel MacCorquodale. The venue will now be known as 'The Globe Theatre at MacCorquodale Place'. The money will go towards a $10 million capital campaign to remodel the Prince Edward building, which the theatre occupies."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Vincent DuckworthAugust 12, 2022Comment