Weekly News Recap: August 16, 2019

Weekly News Recap: August 16, 2019

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on the Malizia II yacht in Plymouth, England, on Tuesday, ahead of her journey across the Atlantic to New York, where she will attend the UN Climate Action Summit next month. ( Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful. If not, it can’t be helped. — Frederick S. Perls

This week's highlights

  • Greta begins her journey #BonVoyage
  • Important outcomes from AFP/Chronicle of Philanthropy Report #JobDissatisfaction
  • Beakerhead is coming to Prince's Island, Edmonton is getting a hospice, a homeless man builds his own gym, and Jane Goodall is feted #TheNews
  • An 9-year-old Indigenous girl is recognized by UNESCO #Courage
  • The difference between stress and anxiety, being yourself, and beyond BMI #LifeHacks
  • What's in a (baby) name #YouMightBeSurprised
  • A Lethbridge couple builds a billion-dollar business #InspiringAndCool
  • Jeff Bezos treats charities like adults #ThankYou
  • Books aren't dead, kids aren't playing enough sports, and millennials are actually going to save us #IKnewIt!
  • A grateful couple make a gift to a northern Saskatchewan hospital #AllNationsHealing
  • And so much more...

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News

  • Beakerhead announces 2019 program, move to Prince's Island Park for finale (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Yay. Nice move Beakerhead. "Beakerhead is going downtown for the 2019 edition of the festival, it announced today in a press release. The art, science and engineering mash-up festival runs Sept. 18-22 and will have its big finale on Prince’s Island Park on Sept. 21." 8/13/19

  • Calgary designers create ‘amazing’ reading forts for kids cancer camp (Global News) CALGARY STORY Such a great opportunity and outcome for everyone involved. "A summer camp for young cancer patients near Calgary is getting something new for its young campers — custom-built reading forts where the kids can take a break and recharge. Designers and builders have teamed up to create five of the forts for Camp Kindle, about an hour’s drive northwest of Calgary." 8/13/19

  • Shovels break ground for Edmonton's first purpose-built hospice (CBC) EDMONTON STORY I found it surprising that Edmonton did not have a purpose-built hospice. Glad to see this happening. "Unlike Calgary, Red Deer and Okotoks, Edmonton doesn't have any purpose-built residential hospices for people nearing the end of their lives. That's set to change by the end of next year." 8/12/19

  • Nick Lees: Visionary surgeon turning Edmonton into a leader in brain science (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY "Enter Dr. Keith Aronyk, then clinical department head for neurosciences at the University of Alberta Hospital and a visionary responsible for bringing some of the most advanced technology in the world to the hospital. Instead of conventional brain surgery, one of the most invasive of all surgical procedures requiring much pre-operative preparation and even more post-operative care, [a patient] underwent Gamma Knife radiosurgery." 8/12/19

  • New affordable housing in Bowness ends homelessness for 30 Calgarians (CBC) CALGARY STORY "About 30 Calgarians who've struggled with homelessness will soon start moving into a new affordable housing project in the city's northwest this summer. Federal and provincial officials teamed up [...] to announce the completion of the Clayton, a $5.7-million new facility located on the 7000 block of Bowness Road." 8/11/19

  • An ‘overwhelming’ response: $4,451,000 funds raised and counting (El Paso Inc.) "As El Paso grieves alongside the families of 22 people shot dead at the Cielo Vista Walmart, the outpouring of support has been unprecedented. More than $4,451,000 in donations have poured into local organizations collecting funds for the victims in the first six days after the Aug. 3 massacre. The nonprofits and foundations said they’ve kept their donation estimates conservative because funds continue to pour in, and some companies are pledging additional donation matches." 8/11/19

  • Lady Gaga responds to Dayton, El Paso, and Gilroy shootings with philanthropy (Mashable) Go Lady Gaga! I love your heart. "In a Facebook post, Gaga announced her intent to 'fully fund the classroom project needs' in Dayton, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; and Gilroy, Calif. Those three communities have all suffered in recent weeks in the wake of mass shootings that left, in total, close to 100 people dead or injured [...]. The classroom philanthropy comes out of a partnership between DonorsChoose.org, an organization that aims to help classrooms in need, and the Born This Way Foundation, a youth-oriented non-profit Gaga co-founded with her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, in 2011. According to the pop star, it's going to help 14 classrooms in Dayton, 125 classrooms in El Paso, and 23 classrooms in Gilroy." 8/11/19

  • It's hard to find a gym when you're homeless. So Shane Knight built one in the woods (CBC) SURREY STORY Inspiring. "Shane Knight doesn't have a fixed address but if you're ever looking for him, the gym is a good place to start. He's a health nut who wears heavy chains around his neck when he does dips and carries protein powder with him in a Ziploc bag. Knight, 39, is as dedicated to fitness as anyone you'll find anywhere, but working out has become more difficult in recent years — it's hard to find a gym when you're homeless." 8/10/19

  • P.E.I. couple makes donation to help Queen Elizabeth Hospital (The Guardian) PEI STORY Great planned gift story. "Scott and Laura-Lee Lewis of York, P.E.I., want to continue to help their community long after they are gone. The couple has given two separate life insurance policies valued at a total of $500,000, split evenly between the QEH Foundation and the Community Foundation of P.E.I. After their death, both charities will establish a Scott and Laura-Lee Lewis Endowment where the principal is invested and only the income is spent each year." 8/9/19

  • Harry Stevens' name stripped from federal building in Vancouver over Komagata Maru (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY "The federal government has stripped one of its Vancouver buildings of its name in a move it calls a symbolic gesture of reconciliation to victims of the Komagata Maru, a steamship that arrived in Vancouver's harbour more than 100 years ago only to be turned back to India." 8/9/19

  • Dallas Cowboys Make Donation To El Paso Mass Shooting Victims’ Fund (CBS)"In the wake of the mass shooting that left 22 people dead and 24 injured in El Paso on Saturday, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation and the Dallas Cowboys committed $50,000 to the El Paso Community Foundation Victims’ Fund, established to assist those families affected by the August 3 shooting." 8/7/19

  • Dame Jane Goodall awarded 2019 Prize for Outstanding Environmental Peace (RTL Today) I heart this women. "Goodall is renowned for her innovative community-centered approach to conservation, highlighting the idea that putting local communities at the heart of conservation can improve the lives of those beings surrounding that community, as well as the environment." 7/1/19

First Peoples of Canada

  • ‘I was very lucky to play sports’: Indigenous Sports Council Alberta receives $1 million in federal grants (Edmonton Journal) CANADIAN STORY Nice move Canada. "The announcement was made [...] by Science and Sport Minister Kirsty Duncan, who was in Edmonton for the day before heading back to Ontario. The funding is part of a contribution from Ottawa of up to $47.5 million over five years to expand sports and physical activity programming across Indigenous communities." 8/12/19

  • Saddle Lake Cree Nation girl earns recognition from UNESCO (CBC) EDMONTON STORY A courageous young woman. "Encouraged by a teacher to enter a speech competition put on by the Elk Island Public School District in the last school year, the Sherwood Park youngster decided to tell the history of Treaty 6 and her experience living on reserve." 8/10/19

  • U of A design grad uses fashion line to pay tribute to Indigenous culture (The Gateway) EDMONTON STORY These designs are awesome. "For the next collection, Indigenous Metamorphosis, Jagodzinsky plans to work with animal hides and weaving to convey the importance of personal growth and the interconnected nature of life, including 'relationships, communities, and natural systems.' In his eyes, Jagodzinsky sees LUXX as a way to bring Indigenous culture to the forefront of the fashion and design industry, which has historically underrepresented Indigenous peoples." 8/6/19

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

  1. How good are you, really? The role of confidence in workplace productivity (The Startup) Fantastic piece on providing useful feedback. 8/11/19

  2. Are You Stressed or Are You Anxious? (Elemental+) It's a short read. But worth it. Turns out, I am both. Just not all the time (thankfully). 8/8/19

  3. Are You Committing This Mistake With Your Creative Work? (Personal Growth) The danger of fulfilling other people's expectations, in art, and in life. 8/6/19

  4. Six Smart Ways to Assess Your Health That Have Nothing to Do With BMI (Forge) Down with the body mass index! 8/8/19

  5. The 12 Best Project Management Tools for Online Entrepreneurs (BetterMarketing) We have been searching for just such a list. I hope this helps you like it is helping us. 8/4/19

  6. How to find the best coaches and mentors (The Startup) A seven-time criteria list on an important process. 7/23/19

  7. The Power of Writing Stuff Down (Work) I am a huge checklist fan. 'Nuff said. 5/17/19

Uncommon knowledge

  • The Pleasure of Ballet (Gay Mag) I have many friends who are ballet lovers. I am slowly joining them. "It takes so much work, that someone will inevitably say, to make a show like this happen. They are not wrong; in fact, they might have no idea just how right they are. It has taken almost four centuries of work to make a show like this happen." 6/4/19

  • Mud Maker: The Man Behind MLB’s Essential Secret Sauce (Sports Illustrated) Baseball nerds rejoice. "Jim Bintliff’s collection of lies is small and sharply curated, each one loose enough to be plausible and mundane enough to limit interest in verifying it [...]. [But the lie] always does the trick. It prevents anyone from exploring what he’s actually doing, which is what he’s done for decades, what his father did before him, and his grandfather before him: Bintliff is collecting the mud that is used to treat every single regulation major league baseball, roughly 240,000 per season." 8/7/19

  • Baby naming time? Here’s how people judge what’s in a name (The Conversation) CANADIAN CONTENT Like its or not, names matter. "There has always been an interest in how the name of a thing affects our interpretation of it. Does it matter what something or someone is called? Imagine that you are going to meet either “Anne” or “Kate” (or “Owen” or “Kirk”). Would you expect different kinds of people, based on their names? Who would you expect to be kinder? Who would you expect to be more outgoing?" 8/7/19

Opinion

  • Importance of small-scale philanthropy (Business Line) So important. Especially today. "Anand Giridharadas, author of a highly critical study of philanthropy, Winners Take All, suggests that we will never achieve social justice through 'a system that perpetuates vast differences in privilege and then tasks the privileged with improving the system.' The problem, as he sees it, is not just that those with privilege cannot truly understand the needs of those without, but rather that the mechanisms inherent in creating economic inequality cannot be used to reverse the imbalance." 8/11/19

Philanthropic personalities

  • Greta Thunberg's environmentally friendly sailing adventure no pleasure cruise (CBC) Greta, you are great. We wish a safe voyage. That is all. "Greta Thunberg's two-week voyage to the United States will be no pleasure cruise. The 16-year-old climate change activist, who has inspired student protests around the world, will leave Plymouth, England on Wednesday, bound for New York in a high-tech, but decidedly low-comfort sailboat. Highlighting the urgency of cutting carbon emissions, the young Swede last month announced that while she would not fly to environmental conferences, she had found a way to get there without hurting the planet." 8/14/19

  • The Unlikeliest Power Couple: Meet Texans Robyn And Mark Jones—And Their Billion-Dollar Empire (Forbes) Inspiring story. "Wife, stuck at home raising six kids, is frustrated with husband’s time away from home on his consulting job. Maybe she could start a little business on the side and, if it works out, draw him into it. So she starts an insurance agency. Eventually, he joins. Nifty idea. Sixteen years later, the family’s stake in that agency is worth $1 billion. This is the story of Robyn and Mark Jones, teenage sweethearts in Lethbridge, Alberta, who, to the consternation of their families, got married when they were barely out of high school. " 8/12/19

  • Sir Ian Wood presented with Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy (The Courier) Congrats! "The medals are awarded once every two years to a handful of global philanthropists in memory of Dunfermline’s Andrew Carnegie, who died 100 years ago. Sir Ian, chairman of The Wood Foundation which was established in 2007, is the only European on this year’s list and said he was 'very proud and honoured' by the accolade. 'I feel a particular pride in representing Scotland on this, the 100th anniversary of the passing of our greatest national philanthropist,' the 77-year-old said. 'My own philanthropy has undoubtedly been at least partly inspired by Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist turned philanthropist who gave people huge opportunities locally and globally.'" 8/12/19

  • Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to fighting homelessness — and in an unusual move, he's letting the charities control how it's spent (Business Insider) Mr. Bezos does not do anything like the status quo. We can all learn from that. And, it is refreshing to see someone treating charities like adults. "Bezos' scouting process for the recipients of the Day 1 Families Fund grants was also non-traditional. Foundations typically announce grants and accept applications from prospective recipient nonprofits. In the case of the Day 1 Families Fund grants, Recode reported that an advisory board composed of eight experts in homelessness put together a shortlist of prospective charities and invited them to apply for the grants. (One charity head told Recode that she was called directly by Bezos' personal attorney, Paul Dauber, inviting her to apply). The bulk of the application was a simple, 500-word essay for charities to describe how they would spend the millions of dollars from the grant to combat family homelessness." August 2019

Philanthropic controversy

  • Bribe or donation? Parent's admissions scandal defense questions the difference (NBC) "The legal strategy taps into a reignited debate about the role wealth can play in influencing admissions. Amid public outrage over the bribery scheme, some critics have said it's equally unfair that schools give preference to the children of donors and alumni." 8/13/19

  • London Library Becomes Latest Arts Institution To Reject Sackler Family Money (Forbes) "The London Library, an independent lending library founded in 1841 by the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle, has decided to distance itself from a $1.2 million donation from the Sackler family in 2012. The library confirmed to Forbes that $1 million (£900,000) of the $1.2 million donation was 'never taken forward' and the '£900k pledge accordingly has not been fulfilled.'" 8/12/19

Trends and shifts

  • Page-turning turnover: Huge demand spurs Victoria book store to move to larger location (CBC) VICTORIA STORY Long live the book! "In a world of tablets and smartphones, it's hard to imagine a book store doing so well it needs to be relocated to a larger venue. But that's what's happening at Russell Books in downtown Victoria, where demand has prompted a move to bigger digs across Fort Street." 8/14/19

  • Kids aren't playing enough sports. The culprit? Cost (ESPN) We need to take cost out of this equation. It is too important to leave to the free market. "People forget the true purpose of sports for kids is a developmental experience to help each kid fall in love with physical activity, become healthy, learn some things about themselves [...]. How do we make sports more for kids and less about the professional model? The professional model is cool, but you don't give kids a college textbook when they're in kindergarten." 8/11/19

  • Swedes are switching from planes to trains — here's why (NBC) In the final analysis, the Swedes are going to be on the top of the podium of climate heroes. "Pär Holmgren can be forgiven for looking haggard as he steps off the train in central Stockholm. After all, he’s withstood a 24-hour commute from his job in Strasbourg, France — some 850 miles away from his home. 'The alternative of going by plane doesn’t really exist in my mind,' he said. 'To me, there aren’t any airplanes going between Stockholm and Strasbourg.'" 8/10/19

  • Canada’s millennials are an upgrade to previous generations (University of Lethbridge) CANADIAN STORY I am not the least bit surprised. I learn so much everyday from this generation. "No surprise, their research found that millennials love the internet and their smartphones. That love of technology, combined with higher levels of education, means millennials can expect to be the most informed generation in Canadian history. The research also shows millennials embrace the idea of diversity and are more inclined than older generations to accept social, demographic and lifestyle variations." 8/7/19

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