Weekly News Recap: September 13, 2019

Weekly News Recap: September 13, 2019

Canada's Bianca Andreescu celebrates with the championship trophy after winning the U.S. Open women's singles final against against Serena Williams on Saturday in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each of the contestants more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right. -- Dale Carnegie

This week's highlights

  • Bianca Andreescu #SheTheNorth
  • You see a need and you fill it #HurricaneDorian
  • A sales tax for Alberta #NotOnMyWatch
  • Bob Church and Rod Coneybeare #Passages
  • Joe Fafard #ALegacyBeer
  • Indigenous two-spirit couple wins amazing race #TeamAhkameyimok
  • A day from hell #WhatToDo
  • Complex geometry and crochet #IKidYouNot
  • Dolly Parton and Mr. Rogers #PhilanthropicPersonalities
  • EpsteinGate #Ugh
  • Nobel laureates and Burning Man #TurnsOut
  • Scooters and euthanasia #NotRelated
  • Trico Foundation makes biggest gift ever #SocialEntrepreneurism
  • And so much more...

Bianca!

  • Bianca Andreescu is the best in the world — it's just not official (yet) (CBC) CANADIAN STORY CANADIAN CONTENT "Andreescu is the first woman to win the title in her U.S. Open debut, and the first player born in the 2000s to win a tennis Slam. You can debate exactly where this ranks, but it's unquestionably one of the greatest moments in Canadian sports history." 9/9/19

  • Mental strength helped Bianca Andreescu win U.S. Open, former coach says (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "An Edmonton tennis coach says she's proud of her role in developing Bianca Andreescu, who defeated Serena Williams at the U.S. Open on Saturday to become Canada's first Grand Slam singles champion. Lan Yao-Gallop, who coaches at the Saville Community Sports Centre, spent two years working as a national coach for Tennis Canada in Toronto. There she taught a group of four girls that included Andreescu." 9/9/19

  • The U.S. Open Gave Us a Revelation, an Iconic Champion, and a Look at the Future of Tennis (The Ringer) CANADIAN CONTENT "[In] the U.S. Open final, Andreescu faced Serena Williams in front of a crowd so loud that, at one point, it compelled her to cover her ears. And still! The Canadian played like a fireball, bludgeoning strokes and fist-pumping wildly and punctuating big moments with come ons that could be heard clear across the East River back in Manhattan." 9/8/19

  • Bianca Andreescu wins U.S. Open, becomes 1st Canadian to claim a Grand Slam title (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Wow. Just wow! What a match. What a pair of champions. Congrats to Ms. Andreescu! "Bianca Andreescu is the U.S. Open champion. The Mississauga, Ont., teenager downed tennis great Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 [...] to become the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title. The 19-year-old used her powerful forehand — and was helped by an uncharacteristically bad service game from the veteran Williams — for her third tournament win of the season, and biggest by far of her career, in her first U.S. Open main draw appearance." 9/7/19

Hurriane Dorian

  • Hurricane Dorian: Anonymous man spends thousands on 100 generators to send to hurricane victims in Bahamas (Evening Standard) Philanthropy is alive and well in this human. 'You see a need and you fill it.' "The man has friends from the affected islands and spent almost $50,000 (£40,700) on supplies including food and chainsaws. His benevolence came to light after a passerby heard about the mammoth order in a Costco shop Jacksonville, Florida. The benefactor - who is a farmer - does not want to reveal his identity because he thinks people should be focusing on the destruction and suffering caused by the rains and winds." 9/5/19

  • Mastercard To Make $200,000 Donation To American Red Cross (The Tribune) "MASTERCARD [...] announced it will make a donation of $200,000 to the American Red Cross and also partner with the organisation, among others, to expand aid delivery to The Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian." 9/5/19

  • Disney will donate over $1M to relief efforts in Bahamas after Dorian (The Hill) "The company said the $1 million donation will go toward supporting nonprofit relief agencies committed to recovery and rebuilding efforts in the region. The corporation also said it will be providing a 'range of resources' to Disney employees in the Bahamas who were impacted by the hurricane." 9/3/19

Alberta's Budget

  • Parkland Institute calls for Alberta sales tax (Global News) ALBERTA STORY "'We site a variety of studies that show raising a dollar from a sales tax is less expensive than raising a dollar of personal income tax or corporate tax,' said co-author Bob Ascah. Both the minister of finance and political scientists have said a harmonized tax is not going to happen in the next four years. The Parkland Institute launched its study in the spring after the UCP announced it would create a panel to look at Alberta’s finances." 9/9/19

  • Alberta could run near $40B deficit by 2040 if changes not made, paper suggests (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Continued downtrends in the oil and gas industry paired with costly expenditures will plunge Alberta further into deficit to the tune of $40 billion by 2040, according to a new paper released by the University of Calgary." 9/5/19

  • Alberta needs to take ‘bold action’ in order to balance provincial budget, review says (Globe and Mail) ALBERTA STORY "Alberta needs to consider drastic spending cuts, including lower wages for public servants, fewer doctors and the closing of hospitals and universities if it wants to bring its budget back to balance, a review commissioned by Premier Jason Kenney has concluded." 9/3/19

News

  • Corbella: Bob Church was Alberta's true Renaissance Man (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY I knew Dr. Bob Church. I met him a number of times at UofA events and when my former boss (and huge admirer) Dr. David Lynch and I would visit with him at one the many science or engineering events we would all be at. Bob Church was everything this article speaks about and more. I am huge fan. Bob Church died on September 6 at the age of 82 following a bout with pneumonia. We will not see his like again. "After postgraduate studies at the U of A and at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, he obtained his doctorate from the Institute of Animal Genetics in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1965. He went on to be a founding member of the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Medical Research Council of Canada and many others, served on numerous corporate boards, was president of Church Livestock Consultants, all while volunteering for 20 years at the Calgary Stampede before becoming president in 1989. " 9/11/19

  • CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY ACCEPTS HISTORIC DONATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING (Calgary Public Library) CALGARY STORY What a great gift and a lovely tribute to Ms. Anderson's mother! Thanks to Susan Anderson and congrats to the Calgary Public Library and the Calgary Public Library Foundation. "The Calgary Public Library Foundation is delighted to announce a transformational gift from Calgary entrepreneur and philanthropist Susan Anderson; one of the largest gifts in the Foundation’s history. This generous donation will support early childhood literacy by enhancing the Library’s Early Learning Strategy." 9/10/19

  • Rod Coneybeare, former CBC host and Friendly Giant puppeteer, dead at 89 (CBC) CANADIAN STORY RIP Mr. Coneybeare. I loved Rusty rooster and Jerome the Giraffe and everything on The Friendly Giant. "Rod Coneybeare, who enjoyed a three-decade run at the CBC hosting, producing and appearing on a variety of shows, including voicing the beloved characters Rusty and Jerome from The Friendly Giant, has died." 9/9/19

  • Confidence continues to grow in Red Deer economy (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY Great story on how Red Deer has positioned itself as a viable (and affordable) option for companies to locate or relocate to. "While the economy has been slow, smart companies have been using the down time to diversify and get ready for what’s coming next. That’s why Wajax and other companies are setting up or expanding operations in Red Deer." 9/9/19

  • Social agencies feel pinch as funding hits new lows (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY :-( "Local agencies have already seen reduced funding from the United Way and the Calgary Homeless Foundation amid funding uncertainties as they await [the upcoming] provincial budget. Meanwhile, corporate and community donations are also declining, as Calgarians face their own financial burdens amid the economic slowdown." 9/9/19

  • Vancouver Art Gallery waits on federal funds as Calgary venues get $100 million-plus commitments (Vancouver Sun) VANCOUVER STORY "The owner of one of Vancouver’s top art galleries is wondering how long the Vancouver Art Gallery will have to wait for federal funding for a new gallery building. Andy Sylvester from Equinox Gallery said he found it 'embarrassing' that after 11 years of lobbying, the federal government still hasn’t indicated how much it is contributing to a new gallery building." 9/6/19

  • Alberta men under 25 and over 55 face highest unemployment rates, says StatsCan (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "The job market in Alberta remains stalled, with younger males and men nearing retirement bearing the brunt, according to new numbers released by Statistics Canada." 9/6/19

  • Sask. sculptor Joe Fafard honoured with special commemorative beer (CBC) REGINA STORY A terrific way to recognize the late Joe Fafard. Well done Bushwakker! "Raise a glass. Joe Fafard, the acclaimed Saskatchewan artist who died earlier this year, is being honoured with a commemorative beer. The Bushwakker brewpub in Regina is revealing the special brew at its monthly First Firkin [event]." 9/6/19

  • New CEO has big plans to revitalize Glenbow Museum (CBC) CALGARY STORY Can't wait! "Former Smithsonian curator Nicholas R. Bell to oversee 'full transformation'" 9/5/19*

  • 'Congratulations, Saskatchewan!': $286M children's hospital grand opening held Thursday (CBC) SASKATOON STORY Woot! "Officials [...] praised the hundreds of Saskatchewan residents who worked for nearly a decade to realize the dream of a children's hospital for the province. 'Congratulations, Saskatchewan! You did it. You did it!' Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation CEO Brynn Boback-Lane said just before the official ribbon cutting for the $286-million facility [...] in Saskatoon." 9/5/19

  • NorQuest College CEO latest post-secondary executive to quit (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY Jodi has been on our podcast and she is an amazing leader in the sector. She will be missed. "The president and CEO of NorQuest College, Jodi Abbott, has resigned and will leave the post next January, six months before the end of her contract. Her resignation is the latest in a string of Alberta post-secondary executives who have left their posts." 9/5/19

  • Calgary charity says it's feeding 4,500 hungry school kids each day (CBC) CALGARY STORY We are so lucky to have BB4CK in Calgary. "Kids in Calgary head back to school this week, and an increasing number of parents are worried about being able to provide their kids with the most important thing a student needs to succeed — a healthy lunch. Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids, a charity that assembles lunches for children across the city, said it's expecting to feed around 4,500 hungry students at 227 schools each day." 9/5/19

  • Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds make a whopping $2 million donation to human rights organizations (The News) "[The] 32-year-old ‘Gossip Girl’ star and the 42-year-old ‘Deadpool’ actor revealed that they will be donating a whopping $1 million each to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund along with the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights." 9/5/19

  • Calgary sports legend Kadatz honoured by CW (GoDinos.com) CALGARY STORY A lovely and well-deserved tribute. "Legendary University of Calgary football coach and athletic director Dennis Kadatz has taken his rightful spot in the Canada West Hall of Fame. Kadatz, who is regarded as the father of the athletic program at the University of Calgary, was announced as the conference's latest Hall of Fame inductee [...]. His legacy lives on annually as Calgary's Athlete of the Year awards are named in Kadatz's honour." 9/4/19

  • Calgary and Area Child Advocacy Centre names new CEO (Calgary Sun) CALGARY STORY Congrats! "A new chief executive officer has been named for the Calgary and Area Child Advocacy Centre (CCAC). Karen Orser, who most recently served as president of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Calgary and Area, will take over the head role at CCAC, formerly the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre, to advance its mission of assessing, investigating, intervening and supporting survivors of child abuse." 9/4/19

  • Margaret Atwood makes Booker Prize short list, Giller Prize long list (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I heart this human! "Awards buzz is ramping up for author Margaret Atwood, who is again in the running for both the Man Booker Prize and the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Atwood, who won the former prize in 2000 for The Blind Assassin, has landed a spot on this year's short list for The Testaments, organizers announced [...]." 9/3/19

  • Calgary ranked world's 5th most livable city by Economist Intelligence Unit (CBC) CALGARY STORY Congrats Calgary! "Calgary has been ranked as the world's fifth most livable city, according to an annual ranking of 140 cities compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit. That's down a spot from last year, but the city still boasts the same near-perfect score it did in 2018, coming in behind Osaka, Japan, and ahead of Vancouver and Toronto. Vienna captured first place." 9/3/19

  • Top 100: Charity Industry Influencers (onalytica) Congrats to all. Special mention to Vu Le, Tom Ahern, Mike Geiger, Michael Rosen, Gail Perry, Ian MacQuillin, Paul Nazareth, Alice Ferris, Tania Little, and Leah Eustace. 9/3/19

  • Thompson Rivers University named 'coolest school' in North America for 2019 (KamloopsBCNow) KAMLOOPS STORY "The Sierra Club released its annual rankings for the coolest schools across the USA and Canada, and TRU topped its list. TRU stood atop 283 other colleges and universities thanks to being ahead in areas such as sustainable energy, purchasing, public engagement, water, waste, and buildings." 9/3/19

First Peoples of Canada

  • Indigenous, 2-spirit couple from Alberta wins The Amazing Race Canada (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Congrats! What an accomplishment. Thanks to ViTreo associate Mick Mulloy for sharing this story. "Now that they've been crowned the winners, the married couple — who identify as two-spirit, a term used by some Indigenous people to describe their gender, sexual and spiritual identity — said they want to use their fame to continue fundraising for a cultural healing centre in Alberta's Kehewin Cree Nation." 9/11/19

Books to read

  • Pre-Order - 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week (Amazon) I am going to try it. How about you? "Internet pioneer and renowned filmmaker Tiffany Shlain takes us on a provocative and entertaining journey through time and technology, introducing a strategy for living in our 24/7 world: turning off all screens for twenty-four hours each week. This practice, which she’s done for nearly a decade with her husband and kids (sixteen and ten), has completely changed their lives, giving them more time, productivity, connection, and presence. She and her family call it 'Technology Shabbat.'" 9/24/19

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

  1. Six important features to consider while choosing a donation software (London Loves Business) "Are you planning to integrate a donation form on your nonprofit website or website in general? Well, you require an online donation software with multiple features. But, what are the characteristics that every nonprofit must include in the list before selecting a donation suite?" 9/6/19

  2. INFOGRAPHIC: Books and records (Canada Revenue Agency) CANADIAN CONTENT And here is a handy infographic to remind you of just what is required by CRA. "A registered charity must keep adequate books and records. A charity's books and records must allow the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to: verify revenues, including all charitable donations received; verify that resources are spent on charitable programs; and verify that the charity's purposes and activities continue to be charitable." 9/6/19

  3. How Asking Affects the Asked (The Agitator) "The mere act of asking someone’s opinion, whether you do anything with it or not, increases their liking for you. A study from the for-profit world found that customer retention increased 15 percentage points between those people who had a complaint but didn’t tell anyone (31% retention) and those who made a complaint that wasn’t resolved (46%). In short, you can increase your donor retention substantially simply by asking people their opinions and then doing nothing about it. Of course, that’s not the recommended strategy – it’s clearly better to do something about the information that people give you [...]." 8/30/19

  4. The Most Important Strategy to Use When You Have the Day from Hell (P.S. I Love You) We have ALL been here. You're welcome. 8/30/19

  5. How To Read Academic Content Once and Remember it Forever (Better Humans) Well, actually, more nerdy humans. Metacognition anyone? 8/29/19

  6. Focus on Communication, Not on Correctness (Live Your Life On Purpose) Yes, a very short (2 minute) read. But with brevity, conciseness. Oh, and "share ideas, don't pontificate". Wait! I might be doing a bit of pontificating in this recap. Occasionally. 7/31/19

  7. How To Be Insanely Creative in Life (Live Your Life On Purpose) "Disconnected time" and "nothingness" are the secret. Just ask Nicola Tesla. 10/8/18

Uncommon knowledge

Opinion

  • Twitter philanthropy: Noble endeavor or evil conspiracy? (betanews) We first shared this concept of 'Twitter Philanthropy' in last week's recap. "Philanthropy is a funny thing. Do it the 'right' way and you’re a saint. Do it the 'wrong' way -- as defined by the trolls of Twitter nation -- and you’re an evil, corrupt opportunist capitalizing on the bad fortune of the downtrodden. It’s a lesson that Bill Pulte, CEO of Pulte Capital & Blight Authority, is finding out the hard way. After championing urban renewal through his campaign of tearing down and clearing abandoned homes in economically depressed areas (i.e. 'urban blight'), the grandson of the legendary founder of Pulte Homes is turning his attention to a more targeted form of giving: Specifically, he’s advocating for the direct transfer of cash to needy individuals and families from willing donors, with Twitter as the medium connecting the two sides." 9/9/19

Philanthropic personalities

  • Which Name Belongs On The List Of Modern Education Philanthropists? Dolly Parton. (Forbes) This is an amazing legacy! "Parton the philanthropist has been busy ever since Parton the singer hit the big time. Much of her giving is done anonymously, but some of her projects include scholarships for high school students and a birthing unit for the local hospital [...]. But her crowning achievement may well be the Imagination Library [...]. The program manages the selection and mailing of the books, pays for all the overhead, and keeps track of the data base for the program which now sends books to 1.45 million children per month." 9/8/19

  • The commanding love – and faith – of Mister Rogers (Globe and Mail) What an amazing reminder from a great man. "The Toronto International Film Festival has just begun, and one of the more anticipated movies on offer is A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the story of fictional Esquire journalist Lloyd Vogel profiling broadcaster Fred Rogers, who is played by Tom Hanks." And here, a quote from Mr. Rogers himself. 'I’m wary of people who insist on trying to make other people feel bad about themselves. The more I look around me and within me, the more I notice that those who feel best about themselves have the greatest capacity to feel good about others.'" Thanks to ViTreo associate Mick Mulloy for sharing this great article about a great human. 9/6/19

  • “Play the Long Game.” Talking Philanthropy and Theater With a Seasoned Arts Leader (Inside Philanthropy) Excellent perspective from an arts leader. "Years ago, the futurist Peter Schwartz met with [Susan Medak, Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s managing director], and when [she] asked him whether the future appeared bleak for the theater, his response was, ‘Are you out of your mind? You are live, authentic and unmediated. That will have greater and greater currency over time.’ He basically said, ‘You just may have to wait out some hard times until we get to that point.'" 9/3/19

  • What it means to be an executive director: A frank discussion with three nonprofit leaders (Charity Village) CANADIAN CONTENT A bit of variety from outside of Ontario would be nice but still, great insights. "Recognizing that the role of executive director is somewhat mysterious (and not always initially appealing) to those not in the job, CharityVillage wanted to demystify the role a little bit by talking with executive directors of varying experience and size organizations. We heard from first-time EDs, EDs who moved from a smaller to larger organization, and now three senior executive directors who can help us understand more of what the role might entail and what success looks like." 8/21/19

EpsteinGate

  • Brown University suspends director linked to MIT Epstein donation scandal (New York Post) Fundraisers are not immune. "Peter Cohen, the former director of development for the MIT Media Lab who now works as director of development for computer science and data initiatives at Brown, was placed on administrative leave from the Ivy over the weekend in the wake of a bombshell New Yorker report that claimed staff at the research center concealed large contributions from Epstein by marking them as anonymous." 9/9/19

  • MIT Media Lab head Joichi Ito resigns over Epstein donations (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49623084) "MIT President Rafael Reif confirmed the resignation of Joichi Ito [...] following media reports. Mr Reif added that university was engaging a law firm to conduct an independent review. It comes a day after a New Yorker article outlined donations Epstein made and solicited for MIT." 9/9/19

  • How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein (The New Yorker) Ugh. It's bad when you unknowingly accept funds from a donor who is 'disqualified'. It's beyond the pale when you accept funds knowingly from such a donor. "The M.I.T. Media Lab, which has been embroiled in a scandal over accepting donations from the financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, had a deeper fund-raising relationship with Epstein than it has previously acknowledged, and it attempted to conceal the extent of its contacts with him. Dozens of pages of e-mails and other documents obtained by The New Yorker reveal that, although Epstein was listed as 'disqualified' in M.I.T.’s official donor database, the Media Lab continued to accept gifts from him, consulted him about the use of the funds, and, by marking his contributions as anonymous, avoided disclosing their full extent, both publicly and within the university." 9/6/19

  • MIT Media Lab founder: Taking Jeffrey Epstein’s money was justified (MIT Technology Review) Sometimes you get bad advice. This is one of those times. "MIT Media Lab director Joichi Ito has faced pressure to resign after revealing that he took research funding from financier and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. But today Nicholas Negroponte, who cofounded the Media Lab in 1985 and was its director for 20 years, said he had recommended that Ito take Epstein’s money. 'If you wind back the clock,' he added, 'I would still say, ‘Take it.'" 9/4/19

Philanthropic Controversy

  • Charities charged for donations under Irish residency scheme (Irish Times) Umm. "Charities have been asked to pay agents thousands to secure donations of €500,000 from foreign multimillionaires seeking Irish residency, as part of a State-run programme. The payments have been sought as part of a programme under which wealthy people from outside the European Economic Area can get Irish residency in return for making substantial commercial investments or a €500,000 charitable donation." 9/9/19

  • Ethical College Admissions: VIPs (Inside Higher Ed) "Was the Operation Varsity Blues scandal a victimless crime? Were the colleges targeted by Rick Singer and his clients victims, blissfully ignorant spectators, or unindicted co-conspirators? Is money the ultimate plus-factor in selective college admissions, and do universities use admission slots as a thank you gift similar to a public radio tote bag? Can a bribe be considered a philanthropic donation? Those questions are all raised by the defense strategy for one of the Operation Varsity Blues defendants, Miami financier Robert Zangrillo. He is accused of paying $200,000 to the fake charity established by Singer and another $50,000 to the athletic department at the University of Southern California to facilitate his daughter Amber's admission as a transfer student." 9/9/19

Trends and shifts

  • 'Aging with attitude': How to fix technology's ageism problem (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT For some reasons...as I get older...this becomes more important to me. "The world of tech is notoriously ageist. It was Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, after all, who said, 'young people are just smarter.' But according to experts, the youth-obsessed industry is going to have to change its ways. Statistics Canada reports that people over 60 are the fastest-growing segment of internet users nationwide. The Pew Internet Study released in 2017 found that seniors in "high-adoption groups" (i.e. those who were affluent or highly educated) represented the largest jump in smartphone ownership in the U.S. in recent years." 9/9/19

  • Forget what you may have been told. New study says strangers step in to help 90 percent of the time (MSNBC) Boom. Take that apathy. "Bystanders will intervene 9 times out of 10 to assist the victim in a public fight, an international team of researchers found in a study called “Would I be helped?," published in American Psychologist [...]. After reviewing surveillance footage of more than 200 violent altercations around the world, the researchers concluded that having more bystanders around makes it more likely that someone will intervene." 9/6/19

  • Can Philanthropy Boost City Government without Displacing It? (Nonprofit Quarterly) "The philanthropic response has been highly valued by area nonprofits. So highly, in fact, that when a team of academics asked 138 Flint nonprofits to name who was the 'most important community leader,' the local United Way came in first place, followed by the Community Foundation, the C.S. Mott Foundation, the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, and the Red Cross. 'The City of Flint government,' notes Rozycki, 'came in last.'" 9/6/19

  • A Nobel-Winning Economist Goes to Burning Man (New York Times) To all my Burner and wannabe Burner friends, this one's for you. Well, actually, it's for all of us. We need more Nobel Prize winners to be out in the world like this. "Mr. Romer came to the desert imagining himself as an objective outsider: de Tocqueville among the Burners. But Black Rock City started to rub off on him. One morning, a man who called himself Coyote, who was responsible for surveying the city’s streets, took Mr. Romer around. At the far edge of town, they found a roller coaster that looked likelier than most things at Burning Man to harm you. It was designed for one fool at a time, strapped into an oversized car seat that shot down one side of a 31-foot wooden U shape and up the other. Mr. Romer, surprising himself, walked up to it. 'Should I do this?' he asked Coyote. 'If you kill a Nobel Prize winner, it’s on you.' Then he climbed the stairs to the top of a contraption that had been constructed just days before, in a city with no building codes. Heavy metal was blaring. Mr. Romer was trussed into place. A guy with 'PEE HERE' painted on his back took his glasses. And then someone gave him a push." 9/9/19

  • Edmonton less business friendly than rest of region, survey finds (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "The City of Edmonton isn't doing enough to attract and retain business, suggests a survey released by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. 'The city needs to do more to help businesses remain competitive, grow and thrive,' said Janet Riopel, president and [CEO]." 9/5/19

  • Why Euthanasia Rates at Animal Shelters Have Plummeted (New York Times) Frankly, I am just glad it is happening. "A recent paper in the journal Animals found that up until about 2010, the drop in shelter euthanasia tracked very closely with the drop in intake. After that, the authors wrote, it appeared that adoptions helped to further drive down euthanasia rates. Nearly all of the shelters in the Times analysis increased adoptions over the 10-year period surveyed. 'Rescuing an animal has become a badge of honor,' said Matt Bershadker, the president and chief executive of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 'People proudly go to dog parks and walk around their neighborhoods talking about the animal that they rescued from a shelter.'" 9/4/19

  • Welcome to San Diego. Don’t Mind the Scooters. (New York Times) Scooter litter. That's what I call it. "A year ago, electric rental scooters were hailed as the next big thing in transportation. But their troubles in San Diego show how the services have now hit growing pains." Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this story. 9/4/19

  • Eight Myths of US Philanthropy (Stanford Social Innovation Review) A brilliant and important article. It tackles religious giving, giving by immigrants, giving my millennials, and endowments to name just half of the list. Thanks to ViTreo research associate Ken Kempcke for sharing this article. "[The] proposal [to tax large endowments] has prompted protests from the wider social sector, which cites the role endowments can play in supporting long-term fixed costs such as research, facilities, HR, IT and financial systems, salaries, and scholarships, subsidies, or grants that give those in need access to social service programs. At issue is the question whether endowments serve to tie up cash that could be used to better effect or function as the lifeblood that allows nonprofits to plan for the long term and advance their missions." Fall 2019

  • Massive Machine Learning Study Demonstrates Gender Stereotyping And Sexist Language In Literature (Forbes) The study needs some nuance but, in general, are we surprised? "An unsupervised machine learning study presented at the 2019 meeting of Association for Computational Linguistics—which examined 3.5M books published between 1900 and 2008—indicates that men are described based on their behavior, where women are described based on appearance." 8/30/19

Large gifts

  • As capitalism evolves, Calgary poised to be a leader (UCalgayr) CALGARY STORY What a wonderful gift from one of Calgary's most philanthropic families. Congrats to all. "Haskayne School of Business launches new Trico Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Centre with $5-million gift [...]. The centre, announced [...] has been made a reality thanks to the generosity of Wayne and Eleanor Chiu, BComm’85. A $5-million gift from their Trico Charitable Foundation will go towards UCalgary’s $1.3-billion Energize: The Campaign for Eyes High." 9/10/19*

  • Bruce Museum Receives $5 Million Donation for Expansion (Fairfield's Hamlet Hub) "The Bruce Museum’s Campaign for the New Bruce has received a $5 million gift from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation." The Bruce Museum is a museum in downtown Greenwich, Connecticut with both art and natural history exhibition space. 9/11/19

  • $1 million donation to boost aphasia research (UQ) Congrats all around. Nice gift. "A donation of $1 million to The University of Queensland will offer hope to thousands of Australians left without the ability to communicate following a stroke. The funding from Bowness Family Foundation will support research into aphasia – a language and communication disorder that occurs in one-third of all strokes and affects about 120,000 Australians." 9/5/19

  • University Hospital Foundation makes historic $10-million donation to Mazankowski Heart Institute (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY Boom! Way to go UofA Hospital Foundation! "The University Hospital Foundation announced its largest one-time gift ever [...] with its donation of $10 million to the Mazankowski Heart Institute in celebration of the institute’s 10th anniversary." 9/5/19

  • HBS Receives $32 Million Donation From Media Pioneer Frank Batten (The Harbus) "Frank Batten, HBS Class of 1952, and business leader who led Landmark Communications, Inc., to become a multimedia enterprise consisting of several newspapers and television stations, including The Weather Channel, has donated $32 million to the School. The donation, part of HBS’s capital campaign that aims to raise $500 million by 2005, will be used to support enhancement of Harvard Business School’s residential campus." September 2019

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