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Weekly News Recap: January 7, 2022

Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: January 7, 2022

Popovici, 22, is originally from Canada and said the mole caught her eye because she is soon to be a medical student. (Submitted by Nadia Popovici).

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Do your work then step back; the only path to serenity. -- Lao-tzu

PHOTOGRAPHY

  • A year in pictures for Canada in 2021 (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Clearly not the greatest year but the advent of vaccines and our showing at the Olympics took the sting out of some of it. "Take a look back at an extraordinary year in Canada, much of it captured in photos by The Canadian Press."

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • A teacher learned one of her students might go hungry over winter break. She now feeds thousands of kids each year. (Washington Post) I love this teacher. "Elementary school teacher Turquoise LeJeune Parker was a few days away from the start of her holiday vacation when she received a text message from the mother of one of her second-grade students. The parent wondered if Parker knew where she could find food for her children during the school’s two-week winter break because her refrigerator and pantry were almost empty. Her kids relied on free school breakfasts and lunches to get them through the day."

  • Crisis response teams achieve 70% reduction in people taken into custody under Mental Health Act (CBC) CANADIAN STORY More please. This is a great program. "Const. Scott Woods and mental health worker Sarah Burtenshaw check in on an elderly woman who believes neighbours are spraying a substance into her apartment. This is not the first time she's called 911. Woods and Burtenshaw are members of Hamilton's mobile crisis rapid response team. The program pairs a police officer with a mental health worker to answer 911 calls involving people in mental health crises. In the eight years since the program launched in Hamilton, there has been a marked reduction in taking people in mental health crisis into custody."

  • Virginia family gets keys to Habitat for Humanity's first 3D-printed home in the US (CNN) The future of affordable home ownership. How great is this! One Virginia family received the keys to their new 3D-printed home in time for Christmas. The home is Habitat for Humanity's first 3D-printed home in the nation, according to a Habitat news release. Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN it partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to begin the process. Alquist's crew printed the house."

  • These Sackets Harbor teenagers became frontline emergency responders during the pandemic (NCPR) Next time someone makes a negative remark about the state of our youth, share this with them. #AmazingHumans "Three teenage boys were shouldering an almost unfathomable burden. They were responding to heart attacks and car accidents and suicides. Transporting COVID-19 patients to the nearest city hospital. In New York, like many states, 17 year olds can become certified EMTS. 16 year olds can ride along and assist. But usually they're not alone, the way Brunet, Brazie, and Hardison often were. They say it was never an option for the three of them to stop running the town’s ambulance. Brunet says that they never even considered it."

  • Fans honor comedy legend Betty White by donating to animal shelters (Click on Detroit) Please think about giving on Jan. 17 and everyday. "Many people knew and loved Betty White for the work she did in Hollywood, but she would always say that her real passion was animals. The legendary entertainer died at the age of 99 on Dec. 31. White’s passion has led many of her fans to come together to continue to further that passion by saving animals. You have probably seen posts encouraging people all over social media to donate to a local shelter in honor of what would have been White’s 100th birthday on Jan. 17."

  • Seattle Kraken fan called a hero after noticing Canucks staffer's cancerous mole during game (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT This story blew my mind. This woman literally saved this guy's life. It is a great read. "A Seattle Kraken fan is being praised as a hero — and awarded $10,000 — after helping the assistant equipment manager of the Vancouver Canucks identify a cancerous mole on his neck in the middle of a game."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Glenbow to open temporary exhibition space at the Edison (CTV) CALGARY STORY Awesome. "The Glenbow is getting a new temporary exhibition space. The new location will be just down the street from the current Glenbow building on Ninth Avenue, which is undergoing renovations until 2024. The new location is the Edison [...] which the Glenbow is repurposing into temporary exhibition space as part of the City of Calgary's Downtown Strategy."

  2. Tech firms slowly moving into Calgary's hollowed out downtown core (CBC) CALGARY STORY Slow but sure, I can feel the tide turning. "In the nearly two years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced workers out of Calgary's downtown towers and into home offices, the city's core has changed. Many of the changes are subtle. On Fourth Avenue S.W., the 1980s-era Sun Life Plaza building is now The Ampersand — revamped and modernized by commercial landlord Aspen Properties in an effort to attract startups and companies of the future. In the revitalized East Village area, the massive $80-million parkade opened by the city last spring is home not just to car and bike stalls, but to Platform Calgary, a non-profit organization that will offer incubation space for startups and programming for entrepreneurs."

  3. Canada's English dictionary hasn't been updated in almost 2 decades. What does that say about us? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Time to step up Canada. "Hailed as the 'maven of Canadian English' by the Washington Post and known widely as Canada's 'word lady,' Katherine Barber was renowned for researching and documenting how language works in this country. In 1991, she became the founding editor of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary — the country's first authoritative and comprehensive reference work for Canadian English — with the first edition publishing in 1998. But despite her work, it has been nearly two decades since the most recent edition was released (the COD's second edition was published in print in 2004, and released online in 2005) while Barber herself died in April 2021. The entire Canadian Oxford research staff was laid off in 2008 due to declining sales, and responsibility for identifying our country's words was placed largely in the hands of researchers in the United States and Britain (though Canadian researchers continue to add Canadian influence)."

  4. All-female class from Little Red River Cree Nation earns heavy equipment operator certificates (CBC) LITTLE RIVER CREE NATION STORY More please. "An all-women class from Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta graduated recently with their heavy equipment operator certificates. Lakeisha Metsikassus, 22, has already secured a job as a heavy equipment operator with the public works department in her home community of Fox Lake. 'I [hope] to inspire other women to do whatever they want to do,' she said. Little Red River Cree Nation has three communities: Fox Lake, John D'Or Prairie and Garden River. The program was hosted in Garden River."

  5. Canada Pledges $31.5 Billion to Settle Fight Over Indigenous Child Welfare System (New York Times) CANADIAN STORY A great step forward in acknowledging and starting the reparations process for a shameful period of Canadian history. Well done all. "The Canadian government announced Tuesday that it had reached what it called the largest settlement in Canada’s history, paying $31.5 billion to fix the nation’s discriminatory child welfare system and compensate the Indigenous people harmed by it. The agreement in principle forms the basis for a final settlement of several lawsuits brought by First Nations groups against the Canadian government. Of the overall settlement, 40 billion in Canadian dollars, half will go toward compensating both children who were unnecessarily removed, and their families and caregivers, over the past three decades."

  6. The Only Woman in the Room (Toronto Life) HAMILTON STORY This is a long read but it's worth it. Amazing woman. Her experience is, unfortunately, not uncommon. "Irene Cybulsky was a superstar surgeon—the only woman in Canada to head a cardiac surgery division—but her all-male staff resented her. When she was replaced with a man, she found a novel way to seek justice."

  7. The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill (Wired) This is more than an important story. It is a riveting 'who-done-it' and a thrilling chase for truth. There are many told and untold heroes of this pandemic. Here is a group who we need to know more about -- medical dogma meets decades-long error. "Marr is an aerosol scientist at Virginia Tech and one of the few in the world who also studies infectious diseases. To her, the new coronavirus looked as if it could hang in the air, infecting anyone who breathed in enough of it. For people indoors, that posed a considerable risk. But the WHO didn’t seem to have caught on. Just days before, the organization had tweeted 'FACT: #COVID19 is NOT airborne.' That’s why Marr was skipping her usual morning workout to join 35 other aerosol scientists. They were trying to warn the WHO it was making a big mistake."

  8. The NAIT grad who brought the world closer to a cure for diabetes (techlifetoday) EDMONTON STORY I had the privilege of working with this entire team and Ray in particular as the 'Edmonton Protocol' was at the epicentre of diabetes news worldwide. Little did I know that I would become a diabetic years later. Ray was always very proud of his NAIT education. #GreatStoryNAIT "Functioning islets, Rajotte knew, could potentially rectify type 1 diabetes, brought on when these mini-organs failed, allowing blood glucose to go unchecked. What if functioning ones could be frozen for future transplant like a kidney? So he learned to isolate islets from rat pancreases, cryopreserve them and use them to cure sick animals. Rajotte had no personal motivation to address diabetes. No one in his family suffered from it. But he knew how devastating it was (and continues to be), decreasing quality of life and ultimately shortening it, largely because of complications brought on by relentless blood glucose fluctuations, including blindness, kidney disease and nerve damage."

  9. Dating is about to see a historic shift (Mashable) "We've all faced specific pandemic-fueled challenges in the past two years, and daters aren't any different. Last year, we were forced to date through screens or not at all. This year, we had a hodge-podge of varying desires — and COVID mandates — as we all attempted to navigate dating through a seemingly-endless pandemic. Given the ride the last couple years have been, what will 2022 bring us in terms of finding love? Dating experts have a few predictions, including a continued use of virtual dating, a push towards serious relationships for some and non-monogamy for others, and an emphasis on mental health and vulnerability."

  10. Alberta's isolation period for COVID-19 cases drops from 10 days to five (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Yet another (as if we need one) reason to get vaccinated. #PleaseVaccinate "[People] in Alberta with at least two doses of vaccine who test positive for COVID-19 will only need to isolate for five days instead of 10. Health Minister Jason Copping announced the change [...] in the face of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, saying it was based on evidence that fully immunized people have shorter infectious periods. Symptoms must be fully resolved by the end of the five-day period, otherwise people must continue to isolate. For five days after isolation, those people will be required to wear a mask around others at all times when in public. The decision was based on evidence that fully immunized people have shorter infectious periods, Copping said."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. 6 Little Habits I Swapped for a Happier, More Productive Life (Personal Growth) Such a smart idea. Swap don't drop. My favourites are #4 and #5.

  2. This is the Most Powerful Productivity Tool You Need for the New Year. (Gray Miller) Such a cool idea. I am dedicating one of my notebooks to this idea.

  3. 52 Realistic Micro-Habits to Live a Little Better Every day (Amardeep S Palmer) Small steps taken one at a time add up to big gains. A great list. My favourites include #1, #8, #23, #26, #32, #34, and #40.

  4. 10 Super Simple Tips To Have More Energy During The Day (Better Advice) I tried the Wim Hoff method. It worked!

  5. Taking Your Emotional Temperature Daily Will Change Your Life (On The Couch) Such a great process. I am taking mine from now on.

  6. 10 Lessons in Self-Mastery from the Tao Te Ching (Personal Growth) I found wisdom in every line of this post. I keep all my recap posts but some I keep close to the top of my list. This is one.

  7. A Profoundly Powerful Practice to Include in Your Nighttime Routine (The Ascent) Ask your subconscious a question. It will work hard to answer if for you.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Los Angeles Zoo receives $1 million anonymous donation for conservation efforts (California News Times) "A non-profit organization supporting the Los Angeles Zoo has announced that anonymous donors have donated $ 1 million to fund the zoo’s first conservation strategy plan. This is a five-year effort to put into practice the zoo’s pledge to protect animals. Plants and habitat."

  2. $26M donation to create orthopedic professorship at Penn State College of Medicine (Beckers Spine Review) "A $26 million commitment from philanthropists will help create an early career professorship in orthopedics at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pa. The gift from Peter and Ann Tombros will establish a fund for the Penn State Center for Medical Innovation and establish the [professorship.]"

  3. $50M donation to create the Hamm Institute for American Energy at OSU (Fox) "Harold Hamm and Continental Resources donated a combined $50 million to create the Hamm Institute for American Energy at Oklahoma State University. The goal of the Hamm Institute is to educate the next generation of energy leaders."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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