Weekly News Recap: September 25, 2020

Weekly News Recap: September 25, 2020

The University of Toronto has received a $250-million donation it says will be used for health-care research and innovation. A philanthropic couple donated the money to the school's faculty of medicine and affiliated hospitals.

The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity. –- Leo Tolstoy

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SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Toronto boy who loves garbage trucks gets big surprise on 3rd birthday (CBC) TORONTO STORY Oh my, no, no it does not. This is the best. "The workers from GFL Environmental Inc. made sure that Wolfgang had a very special birthday by bringing a few gifts, such as hats and colouring books and a high-visibility employee T-shirt. 'The boys came bearing gifts, howling out their windows and took time to play with Wolfy,' Wehkamp wrote. 'He even got to honk the horn! Does it get any better!?'

  • It's a boy! Researchers confirm sex of famous killer whale's newborn (CBC) I heart this. "The newly arrived calf of a southern resident killer whale famed for her marathon display of grief is male, the Center for Whale Research has confirmed. Known for now as J57, the baby orca was spotted [...] near Point Roberts, Washington state, rolling and spyhopping alongside mother J35, also known as [Tahlequah]."

  • Face mask vending machines are becoming a reality in the U.S. (Input Magazine) I love my Keen's even more now. "Keen may be known best for its footwear, but the Portland-based brand is continuing fashion's call to action during the pandemic by introducing face mask vending machines in the United States and abroad."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court justice and women's rights champion, dead at 87 (CBC) A role model to all humans. Women need to be every room where decisions are made. RIP RBG. We will NOT see your like again. "U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women's rights champion who became the court's second female justice, died [...] at her home in Washington, the court says.." RELATED: How an Edmonton artist came to paint Ruth Bader Ginsburg's portrait for Time*

  2. Calgary theatre creates $6,000 grant for artists who are disabled, deaf or mentally ill (CBC) CALGARY STORY ViTreo is proud to be working with Inside Out Theatre. Congrats to all on this amazing initiative. "Arts organizations have been hit hard during the pandemic, but one Calgary theatre company says it has created a grant to help artists during these unprecedented times. Inside Out Theatre, a not-for-profit, disability-led theatre company, is offering an 'artistic basic income' grant to two Alberta-based artists identifying as disabled, deaf, hearing impaired or living with mental illness. Col Cseke, artistic director of Inside Out Theatre, told the Calgary Eyeopener that artists will be chosen at random and will receive $6,000 each."

  3. Nearly 70% of young Canadians say their mental health has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 (Newswire) CANADIAN STORY Ugh. "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the mental and financial health of Canadians, a Sun Life survey indicates that 68 per cent of young Canadians (age 18-34) say their mental health has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The survey also highlights that 71 per cent of British Columbia residents report negative affects on their mental health because of the pandemic."

  4. Laura Jo Gunter appointed NAIT’s seventh president and CEO (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY Congrats! "The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) has a new president and CEO: Laura Jo Gunter. Gunter, a national leader in the post-secondary and private sectors, [has] assumed her new role [...]. She comes to the Edmonton-based polytechnic after serving as president and CEO of Bow Valley College in Calgary."

  5. Russ Girling, who led TC Energy through 'unprecedented growth,' to retire with Keystone XL pipeline unfinished (CBC) CALGARY STORY "The long-standing chief executive of TC Energy Corp. is set to retire having overseen a corporate name change and dramatic growth and stock price appreciation, although without achieving completion of the contentious Keystone XL pipeline project. The Calgary-based pipeline, utility and power generation company has announced that Russ Girling will retire at the end of this year after 10 years as president and CEO, also giving up his seat on the board of directors."

  6. New CEO at Heritage Park plans to bring new ways for Calgarians to rediscover shared history (CBC) CALGARY STORY Woot! Welcome home. "Lindsey Galloway, who has held top positions at both the Calgary Zoo and the Calgary Stampede, has been named the new president and CEO of Heritage Park. Galloway returns to Calgary from the Edmonton Valley Zoo, and as he told The Homestretch, plans to get right to work at the historical attraction."

  7. Pastry chef-turned-pipefitter wins national award for top woman in trades (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Boom! How great is this! "A former pastry chef now working as a pipefitter in the Edmonton area has won a national award for women in the trades. The Alberta Council of Turnaround Industry Maintenance Stakeholders (ACTIMS) gives out one award and two bursaries (for apprentices) annually to women who are members of building trade unions in Canada."

  8. Edmonton council endorses Indigenous names for city's revamped wards (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Yes. Please. "Move over ward numbers, here come Anirniq, Dene and Nakota Isga. Edmonton city council supported the adoption of Indigenous names to represent Edmonton's 12 redrawn ward boundaries in a preliminary vote [...]. The Indigenous names will replace the previous ward numbers 1 to 12, if council gives final approval due in December."

  9. Call me Ka'nhehsí:io: Why I'm reclaiming my Kanien'kéha name (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I love these reclamations. "My chubby cheeks and soft blond hair reminded my grandmother of a Cabbage Patch Kid. In the mid-1980s, the must-have toy launched a new line of dolls with nylon hair that could be combed rather than the standard yarn hair. The dolls were known as corn silk kids and thus, there was inspiration for my name. In Kanien'kéha, the Mohawk language, Ka'nhehsí:io means fine silk or beautiful ribbon. It's pronounced GUN-heh-SEE-yo."

  10. Already battered, Alberta braces for the energy transition — can it also embrace it? (CBC) CALGARY STORY Exactly. What does our future look like? "[Guerilla] artists armed with stencils and spray paint appended a single word to the slogan on massive red signs welcoming drivers to Calgary. In matching lettering below 'Be Part of the Energy,' they added 'Transition.' You might call these surreptitious edits or acts of vandalism. Either way, they didn't last long. The stencilled words were painted over within days but not before they sparked a new round of discussion about a topic that was once almost taboo in this city. What does a low-carbon future look like?"

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. How to nail a virtual job interview as companies move hiring process online (Halifax Today) CANADIAN STORY This has to be nerve-wracking. But...these tips may help.

  2. 4 Things Self-Disciplined People Don’t Do (Personal Growth) Willpower? Not so much.

  3. A Zen Parable For When You Feel Stuck in Life (Age of Awareness) Are you ready to surrender?

  4. Want to Fall in Love With Your Partner Again? Science Says to Ask Them These 36 Questions (Inc.) Brilliant. And the questions are good too.

  5. Give up These Things If You Feel like You’re Stuck in Life or Had Enough (The Ascent) Yep. It's bad timing to say so...but you do have to give up on your "career safety pants".

  6. Careers of the Future: 42 Professions of Tomorrow (The Startup) I am pretty sure I am best suited to be a "Joy Adjutant".

  7. The Oldest Debts in History (History of Yesterday) Death and taxes. Oh, and debt. Nerdy but also...pretty interesting.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. University of Toronto receives single largest gift in Canadian history from James and Louise Temerty to support advances in human health and health care (UToronto) TORONTO STORY Some gifts just take your breath away. Size, sure. But the intention, that's where I get choked up. The Temerty Foundation has been pushing for a better society since its inception. This! This makes me proud to be a Canadian. It also humbles me with the power of philanthropy. "The transformational gift from the Temerty Foundation, established by James and Louise Temerty, will support advances in machine learning in medicine; biomedical research and collaboration across Toronto’s health-science network; innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship; equity and accessibility in medical education; and the creation of a new state-of-the-art Faculty of Medicine building for education and research."

  2. $32 million donation strives to expand College of Engineering programs (The Daily Cardinal) "The UW-Madison College of Engineering received a $32 million donation pledge from The Grainger Foundation of Lake Forest, Illinois — the largest donation in the College's history."

  3. Emmy Awards will include $2.8M donation to fight child hunger (Fox News) Nice! "Every Emmy Award that's handed out during [the] show will come with something extra — a $100,000 donation to fight child hunger. The Television Academy announced [...] that each network and streaming service competing on the telecast has pledged the donation for every Emmy they win. With 23 Emmys being handed out and the academy committing $500,000, that will mean a donation of $2.8 million to No Kid Hungry, a group working to relieve child hunger brought on by the coronavirus crisis."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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