Weekly News Recap: January 28, 2022

Weekly News Recap: January 28, 2022

Captain Glogauer was the first Jewish Rabbi to deploy on board a Royal Canadian Navy ship, which was HMCS Winnipeg during Operations Neon and Projection. RCN

Don’t be afraid of discovering that the 'real you' may be different than the 'current you.'
-- Rabbi Noah Weinberg

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • A 10-year-old girl survived a blizzard in Russia ... by hugging a stray dog for 18 hours (USA Today) #Amazing! "A 10-year-old girl managed to survive 18 hours overnight in a freezing winter blizzard in Russia. Her survival secret: A stray dog. After going missing from school in Uglegorsk, Russia, and getting caught in the freezing cold snow storm, the girl clung to the warmth of the stray animal before a pack of authorities and volunteers could target [her.]"

  • Kutztown 8th-grader creates Teen Banned Book Club (Reading Eagle) I love this story and I admire this teen. "A Kutztown teen created a Teen Banned Book Club in Kutztown to discuss and celebrate challenged stories, exploring both classic novels and current hot topics. Joslyn Diffenbaugh, a 14-year-old 8th grader at Kutztown Middle School, wanted to create this club after reading about what kinds of books are being banned in schools nationwide and locally based on topics of race, gender identity and sexuality."

  • Tongan man survives 27 hours at sea after tsunami (CNN) #Wow "A 57-year-old Tongan man being hailed a real-life Aquaman for surviving 27 hours at sea after Saturday's devastating tsunami struck his island said he went under nine times before latching onto a log and making it to safety. 'On the eighth time I thought, the next time I go underwater that's it, because my arms were the only things that were keeping me above water,' Lisala Folau, who is disabled and cannot walk properly, told Reuters from Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa."

  • Man builds his own pandemic curling rink on Quebec river (CBC) CHELSEA STORY #CantKeepACurlerDown "Doug Taylor decided to make his own curling stones last year when the COVID-19 pandemic meant he couldn't do much else. This year — with facilities closed — he decided to make his own rink on the Gatineau River in Chelsea, Que. The 5,500-square-foot rink sits on river ice that's about 30 centimetres thick, Taylor estimated. That's also how thick the Rideau Canal has to be before skaters can hop on."

  • Cheeky social media posts from City of Prince George resonate with residents (CBC) PRINCE GEORGE STORY Sometimes you just have to find the humour in something. Well done PG! "After experiencing a record snowfall earlier this January, the city of Prince George shared an important message with its residents through one of its social media channels: 'It's not our fault.' As complaints came in to city hall about mounds of powder making it difficult to drive, the city's official social media manager explained the situation with a tongue-in-cheek tone on Facebook, writing, 'We would throw it back up in the sky if we could but this is not a municipal service we offer at this time.' The post went on to explain the services the city does offer, including clearing the end of driveways, and shared safety tips on navigating the snowy streets. Residents responded with more than a thousand reactions and shares, primarily positive, with some praising the post's humorous take and conversational messaging."

  • What does it mean to 'sonder?' Author invents new words that resonate during the pandemic (CBC) I like it. 'There I was, sondering along...' "Minnesota author John Koenig grew up feeling a bit 'alien' as an American child transplanted in Switzerland, with his family. Koenig, 38, now back in Minneapolis, says those childhood feelings of isolation during his decade in Geneva, a place he saw as a melting pot of cultures and languages, got him thinking about how few words the English language has for emotional states. So like an Icelander or Inuit surrounded by snow, Koenig invented words to describe — in his case — his inner landscape."

  • How to Make One of the West Coast’s Most Beloved Chicken Sandwiches at Home (Inside Hook) OMG, these look delish! "If 2022 has gotten off to a wobbly start, credit Matt Horn for putting some points in the win column: The Bay Area’s top pitmaster (and Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient for Horn Barbecue) just opened Kowbird, his second Oakland restaurant, and given cause for celebration to anyone who loves his justly renowned 'West Coast-style' barbecue."

  • The Delicious History of Phở in 10 Facts (Mental Floss) Mmmm...Phở. I do like a steaming bowl, especially on a cold day. "Phở is a delicious dish, but it also tells us a lot about the history of Vietnam, and about how cultures collide. Here are a few facts you can drop the next time you enjoy a bowl."

  • Jazz legend Eleanor Collins adds to list of honours with unveiling of Canada Post stamp (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Nice. And well-deserved. "Even after breaking several barriers to become known as Canada's first lady of jazz, Eleanor Collins says it's still 'surreal' to see herself featured on a stamp. 'My picture on a postage stamp? Can you repeat that?' the 102-year-old asked jokingly. 'You know, it's just so surreal.' The commemorative stamp of the singer was unveiled virtually [...] by Canada Post."

  • Canadian skier honours First Nations with helmet designed by Shuswap artist (CBC) CANADIAN STORY This helmet rocks. #SoCool "Alpine skier Cassidy Gray and Shuswap artist Trinda Cote have collaborated to elevate the struggles of Canada's First Nations peoples to the world stage. Gray, from Invermere, B.C., grew up learning about local First Nations peoples in school. Ahead of the 2021-22 World Cup season Gray decided to honour them by reaching out to the Shuswap band and asking them to connect her with an artist to design her helmet."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. First Rabbi deploys in RCN ship to better understand challenges sailors face (Royal Canadian Navy) CANADIAN STORY This is just awesome. "Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Winnipeg’s Chaplain made a bit of history during the ship’s recent deployment on Operations Neon and Projection in the Indo-Pacific. Captain (Capt) Rabbi Dr. Noteh Glogauer was the first Jewish Rabbi to deploy in a Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) warship."

  2. Nick Lees: Head of University of Alberta Hospital Foundation's Edson roots serve her well (Edmonton Journal) EDMONTON STORY Great story, well told. Nice work Nick. "Abbott says Michael became her biggest cheerleader and confidence builder, and added to her mother’s vision. She became a world and Olympic-level figure skating official and judged at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Also, told at school she was not university material, Abbott went on to gain a doctorate and serve as president and CEO of NorQuest College for a decade. During her tenure at NorQuest, Abbott’s leadership more than doubled the student population and opened a stunning new campus edition in 2017, the Singhmar Centre for Learning."

  3. Free virtual counselling available to Albertans through U of C's Werklund School of Education (CBC) CALGARY STORY We can all use this right now. Good work UofC! "The University of Calgary is offering free mental health supports to Albertans who are struggling with the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Its Werklund School of Education has three programs offering virtual counselling to Albertans looking for support:"

  4. New Survey Shows that Social Media Users are Increasingly Concerned About Data Privacy [Infographic] (Social Media Today) About time. "Are you more concerned about the security of your online information than you were last year? A raft of high profile hacks, along with reports of data misuse, have sparked a new wave of debate over how social platforms utilize the information that you submit, or how it can be made available to others. And according to a new survey by Go Verizon, more people are now considering what they can do about it, and how they can better protect themselves online."

  5. Bring in the clones: Instagrammers are genetically replicating their pets (Input Magazine) "Although Udvar-Hazy’s pack of clones may seem exceptional, the act of bringing back a pet is becoming more common — and it’s especially evident on Instagram. The team behind top petfluencer Tinkerbelle, a five-pound papitese with more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, revealed in 2019 that Tinkerbelle’s DNA was being stored for cloning."

  6. Trends in private and public funding in Canadian colleges, 2019/2020 (Statistics Canada) CANADIAN STORY "College revenues in Canada were $13.3 billion in 2019/2020. Since 2008/2009, revenues have remained relatively stable, increasing on average by 1.8% per year between 2008/2009 and 2019/2020, compared with an increase of 3.3% between 2001/2002 and 2007/2008. Public funding, although still the major source of revenue in most provinces, has declined steadily since 2008/2009, from 67.0% to 54.7% in 2019/2020. At the same time, the share of revenues from student fees increased from 19.6% in 2008/2009 to 34.1% in 2019/2020, which was driven mainly by the increase in enrolments of international students in colleges across the country."

  7. Meat Loaf - Paradise By The Dashboard Light (YouTube) Meatloaf passed away, reportedly from complications related to COVID-19, at the age of 74. This song was a big part of the soundtrack of many of our lives. RIP Marvin Lee Aday (aka Meatloaf). We will not hear your like again.

  8. 'A warm, glowing lantern': Design unveiled for Saskatoon's new downtown library (CTV) SASKATOON STORY Beautiful! "The design of Saskatoon's new central library draws inspiration from both traditional First Nation and Métis [architecture.] 'The exterior walls are sloped on each level, inspired by the tipi form, and follow a basket weave pattern. The transparency of the building evokes the translucency of the tipi. During the day, you can see all the activity inside the building, and at night, the library becomes a warm, glowing lantern — a beacon at the heart of [Saskatoon.]' t The exterior of the library is made up of modular panels - featuring a pattern to prevent bird strikes - which will create a curved appearance. The design and placement of the solid and glass panels will be studied to reinforce the overall expression of the building and relate to the interior planning while also reducing solar heat gain. The base of the building will be a natural stone, which is iconic to [Saskatoon.]"

  9. PCL Celebrates 100 Years of Building in Edmonton, Northern Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (Yahoo Finance) EDMONTON STORY I was privileged to know and work with John and Barbara Poole and Bob Stollery. John's father started Poole Construction Limited and Bob took it into the modern age. Today, PCL builds projects all over the world. Congratulations! "Over the last century, Edmonton Buildings has partnered on more than 4,800 construction projects, building some of the most significant infrastructure and other developments in the Alberta Capital Region, including West Edmonton Mall, University of Alberta, Stollery Children's Hospital, Edmonton International Airport, the ICE District and Rogers Place, and PCL's first Edmonton project in 1922, the Edmonton Public Library."

  10. Red Cross swimming lessons take final lap as program set to end after 76 years (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I had those badges. Hard won for me, a crappy swimmer. It truly is the end of an era. "It's the end of an era for Canadians who grew up taking swimming lessons and collecting multi-coloured Red Cross badges. The Canadian Red Cross announced early January that it is winding down its swimming program by December 2022 to direct more attention to humanitarian demands, such as disaster and pandemic response, opioid harm reduction and care giving for seniors. The organization is encouraging its water safety training partners to transition to Lifesaving Society Canada — a charity that offers water safety education programs including lifeguard training, as well as swimming lessons for everyone from young children to adults through the Swim for Life program."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. The Top 12 Technologies to Watch in 2022 (OneZero) Some of these are amazing. Some are downright scary. All are very probable.

  2. The 100-Hour Rule: Forgotten Study Shows How You Can Become World-Class In 100 Hours (Accelerated Intelligence) I can be done and...it does not need to take 10,000 hours.

  3. 3 Simple Life Habits Norwegians Swear By During the Winter Blues (In Fitness And In Health) I take a spoonful of fish-oil every morning. You should too. Especially in winter.

  4. Hoping for the Best? Expecting the Worst? Here’s a Better Strategy To Deal With Uncertainty (Better Humans) Man, can we use this right now. A fairly in-depth look at better ways of dealing.

  5. I Quit the Gym and Got in the Best Shape of My Life (In Fitness And In Health) Some great non-gym resources in here.

  6. How I Completely Transformed My Body in One Year (Better Humans) This guy is the real deal. Very approachable but also, very clear in his goals. I love his meal prepping work (follow the link in the story...it's worth it).

  7. OUTCOME BASED ROADMAPS : Unleash the Power of a Shared Vision and Purpose (Start It Up) Many of us are charged with preparing road-maps of one sort or another. This is a great primer.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. $25 Million Donation To Establish UNC Triple Negative Breast Cancer Center (Chapelboro.com) "The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center just received its largest donation ever. A $25 million dollar gift from an anonymous donor is establishing the UNC Lineberger Center for Triple Negative Breast Cancer."

  2. US$4.5 Million Donation Heading Sea Shepherd’s Way (Deeper Dive) More of this please. "The Age of Union Alliance has announced a massive US$4.5 million/~€3.98 million donation to Sea Shepherd. The move is designed to support Sea Shepherd in its operations to work with governments worldwide patrolling the oceans to protect them from unregulated fishing. The massive donation will be used to fund the operation of a 56m/184ft Sea Shepherd vessel to be called Age of Union for three years. The ship will begin patrolling in January 2022, and her first tour will aim to prevent dolphin bycatch off the coast of France. after that, the vessel will head to the west coast of Africa for a period of three months."

  3. Rihanna's foundation donates $15 million to climate justice (ABC) Nice. We visited Rihanna's birthplace, Barbados, they adore her -- she is a national treasure and hero. And rightfully so. "Rihanna is backing her belief that climate change is a social-justice issue by pledging $15 million to the movement through her Clara Lionel Foundation. The 'We Found Love' singer on Tuesday announced the donation to 18 climate justice organizations doing work in seven Caribbean nations and the United States."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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