Weekly News Recap: January 1, 2021

January 1, 2021 Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: January 1, 2021

Envelopes marked 'Secret Santa' and delivered anonymously to homes in west Edmonton contained a poem championing hope in dark times and a $250 gift card for Walmart. (Submitted by Christina Ignacio-Deines)

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. -- Mohammed Ali

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2021! We made it! It has been a year like no other. A year of loss, yes. But also many quiet gains. For many, the gift of time with children and parents. For others, the regaining of the outdoors or a love of cooking. For all of our losses, we remember. But for all of our gains, we rejoice. On behalf of all of us at ViTreo, we wish all of you a safe and prosperous new year.

2020 in Photographs

Loneliness, concerts, window visits: 2020 captured in photographs (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Beautiful. "We will remember 2020 as a year of heartbreak and heartwarming moments, of triumphs and losses. CBC Saskatchewan wanted to get your perspective. We asked for photographs that sum up how you feel about 2020. Here are some of the images our listeners and readers shared."
Calgarians capture stunning shots of last full moon of 2020 (CBC) CALGARY STORY Stunning images to end a sombre year. "On Tuesday, we did a callout for your photos of the last full moon of 2020 — dubbed the 'cold moon.' Here are some of the fabulous shots you sent us in response, featuring shots taken in Calgary and surrounding communities."

SOME GOOD NEWS

Andrea Bocelli and His Eight-Year-Old Daughter, Virginia, Duet on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” in Special Christmas Concert (Everything Zoomer) Watch with tissue. Sig. Bocelli and his daughter are at it again.
Kids reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Moving. "Four children share how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their lives, what scares them, what they miss and how they’re preparing for an unusual holiday season."
'We've really felt the love': Store owners notice more Calgary shoppers intentionally supporting local (CBC) CALGARY STORY #BuyLocal "There is no doubt that this holiday season has been different than years past, but some shop owners say Calgarians have stepped up when it comes to supporting local.
After several break-ins, this thrift store decided to let people shop for free (CBC) CAMPBELL RIVER STORY Nice! "It's a Merry Thrift-mas on the north Island. After repeated break-ins and incidents where people would rummage through the store's trash bins, the Qualitown Thrift Store in Campbell River has started a program to let homeless persons shop for free."
Secret Santa delivers poems and $250 gift cards to hundreds of Edmonton homes (CBC) EDMONTON STORY This is such a great story. "On the morning of Christmas Eve, Elisha Tennant found an envelope marked 'Secret Santa' on the front steps of her Edmonton home. Inside was a poem championing hope through dark times — and a $250 Walmart gift card. When she found the gift, Tennant started to cry."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

How Canadians will know when it's their turn to get vaccinated (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #CantWait "The Public Health Agency of Canada says the entire country should have enough doses on hand next year to vaccinate every Canadian who wants a shot by the end of September. But those timelines may differ depending on the province and territory."
Stampede officials 'hopeful' for 2021 comeback after world-famous rodeo felled by COVID-19 (CBC) CALGARY STORY "A world-famous annual rodeo that survived the Great Depression, two world wars and a devastating flood seven years ago was felled by a microscopic virus this year and will have a different look if it's allowed to go forward in 2021." RELATED: Calgary Stampede struggling financially due to COVID-19.
Governor General Announces 61 New Appointments to the Order of Canada (Governor General of Canada) CANADIAN STORY Congratuations to all and a special congratulations to Bob Steadward, Dr. Lori West, Gina Cody, Doug Stollery, and Frances Wright.
The pandemic undercut Canada Post's business model — and showed it a new one (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "The global pandemic posed major challenges to Canada Post — and pointed the way to a new business model for the Crown corporation — as limits on in-person shopping drove consumers online. Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said that while the pandemic-fuelled explosion in home parcel deliveries was not enough to offset revenue losses caused by a drop in regular mail and extra operational safety costs, it did give the corporation a glimpse of its likely future."
Canadian charities predicting a bleak future as the pandemic drags on (CTV) CANADIAN STORY Ugh. "Canadian charities and food banks are struggling to help the millions of vulnerable citizens who are relying on their services more than ever. Nearly 70 per cent of Canadian charities are dealing with a drop in donations and 70 per cent have fewer volunteers compared to the start of the pandemic."
Crokicurl an unconventional option for outdoor play during pandemic (CTV) CALGARY STORY We watched as they built one at Lac Pelletier in Saskatchewan. It's awesome. "The odd bedfellows of the sport of curling and the board game crokinole are expected to draw curious onlookers to a community centre in southeast Calgary. Phil Fulton, a member of the Acadia Recreation Centre's crokicurl committee, has been flooding the crokicurl rink and painting the lines over the past few weeks."
$160K voluntary parking fees raised for Kananaskis ski trail grooming cut by UCP (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Woot! "A cross-country skiing group says its volunteers have collected $160,000 of the $200,000 it set out to raise to ensure that nordic ski trails keep getting groomed in popular areas of Kananaskis Country after the Alberta government cut funding for the service."
Cree artist inspired by her surroundings uses makeup for Indigenous designs (CBC) THUNDERCHILD FIRST NATION STORY These designs are lovely. "A young Cree woman from the Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan is taking her love of makeup to the next level. Nightsong Wapass's steady hand and intricate eye shadow designs are catching people's attention."
Jeanne Lougheed, supporter of the arts and wife of former Alberta premier, dead at 92 (CBC) ALBERTA STORY RIP Mrs. Lougheed. We will not see your kind again. "Jeanne Lougheed (née Rogers), an advocate for the arts and wife of former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed, has died."
How a Charity Superstar Innovated Its Way to Political Scandal (Bloomberg) CANADIAN STORY "The Kielburger brothers courted celebrities, became voluntourism pioneers, and built a Davos-friendly model of philanthrocapitalism. Then a Canadian Covid-relief deal got people asking questions."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful (elemental+) "This second go-around is very taxing. My 'surge capacity' is at its limits."
What My Son’s Final Words Taught Me About Happiness (Human Parts) A beautiful story and great learning. #BringTissue
Public Speaking Hacks to Keep Your Cool and Present With Confidence (Better Humans) Excellent and practical advice for seasoned and newbie presenters alike.
The Deal Breakers You Should Never Tolerate (Medium) 2021 is when I stop being a people pleaser.
The Ted Talk That Changed My Life (In Fitness And In Health) Who would have thought that bad habits could be broken by this simple idea?
Why The Expanse should become your next favourite sci-fi show (The Guardian) It really is a brilliant, smart and engaging show. I have watched it from the beginning of season one. It is still some of the best television out there. "Everyone wants to know which show will be the next Game of Thrones. Sci-fi drama The Expanse, originally of the SyFy channel and now of Amazon (its fifth season dropped last week), is not that. But, on first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking so."
The History of Poop Is Really the History of Technology (Wired) Fascinating.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

Galapagos’ CEO makes donation of €10 million in the form of personal shares to African Parks (GlobalNewsWire) Nice gift. "Galapagos [announced] that Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos, has committed to make a personal €10 million donation to African Parks, a non-profit organization that serves at the front lines of wildlife conservation, ecosystem restoration, and community development."
Twitch Pledges Its Commitment To Sustaining Accessible Gaming With $1 Million Donation To AbleGamer (Forbes) I love this! "As next-generation consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X trickle out to consumers, it’s an opportune time to remind people that accessibility in gaming is important. As with other aspects of technology, it is incumbent upon console makers and game studios to ensure their titles have accommodations for gamers with disabilities. Video games have historically been woefully inept in the accessibility department, but has improved with a combination of hardware and software tools."
Jets make $1 million donation among 4 organizations (USA Today) "The New York Jets made a $1 million donation to four organizations as part of the team’s social justice, inclusion and diversity efforts. All Stars Project, Innocence Project, New York Urban League, and Year Up , which have the the goal of reducing barriers and creating opportunities for individuals in need, each will get $250,000. Jets players, coaches, and staff will volunteer time and expertise on various upcoming projects with each organization."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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