Weekly News Recap: October 22, 2021

Weekly News Recap: October 22, 2021

New Alberta mayors Jyoti Gondek and Amarjeet Sohi. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTOS

The more women we elect to public office, the more wholesome the whole process will be, whether it's government, politics, whatever. -- Nancy Pelosi

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • At this Fort Worth lunch spot, customers pay what they can and everyone gets fed (ABC) This is truly an amazing story of philanthropy. "Williams opened the restaurant on the south side of Fort Worth in late 2017. The idea, though unconventional, was simple. A seasonal menu, swapped out four times each year, with a variety of fresh items like soups, salads, burgers, wraps, pastas and desserts. A menu without prices. 'At first, people thought I was crazy,' Williams said. Customers are invited to pay what they can, whether that be more than expected or nothing at all."

  • A half-mile installation just took 20,000 pounds of plastic out of the Pacific - proof that ocean garbage can be cleaned (Yahoo) This is the beginning of something great. "The Ocean Cleanup launched its first attempt at a plastic-catching device in 2018, but the prototype broke in the water. A newer model, released in 2019, did a better job of collecting plastic, but the organization estimated that it would need hundreds of those devices to clean the world's oceans."

  • Applications to US nursing schools rise as students want to ‘join the frontline’ (Guardian) Honour the young, for they shall save us all. #Amazing "Nurses around the US are getting burned out by the Covid-19 crisis and quitting, yet applications to nursing schools are rising, driven by what educators say are young people who see the global emergency as an opportunity and a challenge."

  • They manage to track a guitar stolen 45 years ago thanks to the Internet and facial recognition (Market Research) CANADIAN STORY I LOVE this story. "The guitar stolen decades ago from Canadian musician Randy Bachman, from rock groups The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has reappeared thanks to the perseverance and creativity of a fanatic and facial recognition technology. The orange instrument, brand Gretsch, Model 6120 Chet Atkins, from 1957, was lost after being left unattended for five minutes along with other luggage in a hotel room in Toronto [...] while the lodging bill was paid before leaving the place. 'It was terrible. I cried all night, I loved this guitar so much' Bachman recalled in statements a CBC News. The incident occurred in 1976 and despite years of searching, which involved music stores, the police did not obtain any results. [...] In the middle of the covid-19 pandemic, the musician was staying at home recording videos for YouTube, when he received an email from a fan, in which he assured that he had found his instrument."

  • First Nations' project to reduce number of children in care is proving successful, report shows (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY More please. "Three years after the Huu-ay-aht First Nations declared a public health emergency over the number of their children in government care, more than 30 kids have been returned to their home territory thanks to a social services initiative created to support families and prevent children from losing their connections to culture, land and community."

  • Edmonton Opera & CapitalCare present Hearts, Minds & Music (YourTube) EDMONTON STORY #GrabATissue This is beautiful. "Edmonton Opera & CapitalCare present Hearts, Minds & Music a video displaying the power of the arts to affect health."

  • NASA spacecraft Lucy soars into sky with lab-grown diamonds (CBC) #LucyInTheSkyWithDiamonds "A NASA spacecraft named Lucy rocketed into the sky with diamonds Saturday morning on a 12-year quest to explore eight asteroids. Seven of the mysterious space rocks are among swarms of asteroids sharing Jupiter's orbit, thought to be the pristine leftovers of planetary formation."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. New mayors elected in historic victories in Calgary and Edmonton (CBC) “Alberta's two major cities are set to make history in their mayoral races after Monday's municipal elections across the province. Jyoti Gondek is to become Calgary's first female mayor and Edmonton voters appear to have elected the city's first person of colour as mayor. Gondek will replace Naheed Nenshi, who held the city's top job for more than a decade. ‘Thank you, Calgary, with all of my heart,’ Gondek said late Monday during her victory speech. ‘Thank you for engaging in democracy and sending a clear signal about what our future looks like.’”

  2. Why the world is facing a global energy crunch (CBC) "Power shortages are turning out streetlights and shutting down factories in China. The poor in Brazil are choosing between paying for food or electricity. German corn and wheat farmers can't find fertilizer, made using natural gas. And fears are rising that Europe will have to ration electricity if it's a cold winter. [...] Analysts blame a confluence of events for the gas crunch: Demand rose sharply as the economy rebounded from the pandemic. A cold winter depleted reserves, then the summer was less windy than usual, so wind turbines didn't generate as much energy as expected. Europe's chief supplier, Russia's Gazprom, held back extra summer supplies beyond its long-term contracts to fill reserves at home for winter. China's electricity demand has come roaring back, vacuuming up limited supplies of liquid natural gas, which moves by ship, not pipeline. There also are limited facilities to export natural gas from the United States."

  3. Canadian pianist wins one of the world's most prestigious piano competitions (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Well done! "A Canadian has won one of the world's most prestigious piano competitions. The jury of the 18th Frederic Chopin international piano competition chose Bruce (Xiaoyu) Liu of Canada as the winner of the 40,000-euro ($57,000 Cdn) first prize in the 18th Frederic Chopin international piano competition that often launches pianists' world careers."

  4. It's been nearly 20 years since inflation has been this high in Canada (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Yikes. "Canada's inflation rate rose to a new 18-year high of 4.4 per cent in September, with higher prices for transportation, shelter and food contributing the most to the jump in the cost of living. Statistics Canada said Wednesday that the transportation index, which includes gasoline, rose by more than nine per cent. Gasoline prices have risen by almost 33 per cent in the past year, the data agency said. In addition to the cost of a fill-up, a major factor in the cost of transportation is the price of a car, which is also going up at a swift pace. The data agency calculates that prices for new cars rose by 7.2 per cent in the past year."

  5. Having COVID-19 or being close to others who get it may make you more charitable (The Conversation) "People who got COVID-19 or were directly affected by the disease, either by losing loved ones or having close friends or relatives become infected by the coronavirus, are more likely to give to a charity to support pandemic relief. That was one of the main findings from an online study we conducted in May 2020 with 932 adults living in the United States and replicated in June of that year with 723 adults who reside in Italy."

  6. Kananaskis park pass raises $10M in its first few months (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Turns out, we do care about our parks. "The Kananaskis park pass has generated more than $10 million in revenue in its first five months, says the Alberta government. Since June 1, all personal and commercial vehicles stopping in Kananaskis Country and the Bow Valley corridor were required to have the Kananaskis Conservation Pass. Day-use passes cost $15 per vehicle, while an annual pass, which can be used 365 days from its date of purchase, is $90."

  7. Oil production in Alberta higher than ever (The Owl) ALBERTA STORY Interesting. "Oil production in Alberta over the first 8 months of 2021 totalled 865 million barrels for an average of 3.6 million barrels per day. This is the highest rate of production on record. The oil sands accounted for 86% of total production over this period."

  8. Former U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell dies of complications from COVID-19 (CBC) RIP sir. We will not see your like again. "Colin Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants who rose to become the first Black U.S. secretary of state and top military officer but whose reputation was tainted in 2003 when he touted spurious intelligence to the United Nations to make the case for war with Iraq, has died at the age of 84. Powell died of complications from COVID-19, his family said early Monday on his Facebook page. He was 84."

  9. Why some young Albertans are leaving the province (CBC) ALBERTA STORY #Ugh. "Fresh research and surveys, along with cold, hard statistics, point to a trend of more people leaving the province than coming in. Since April 1 of last year — or the past five consecutive quarters — more than 15,000 people have left Alberta for good, according to Statistics Canada. Out-migration of Albertans to other provinces has left Alberta with a net loss of more than 5,000 this past quarter alone."

  10. New Data Shows Online Fundraising’s Tremendous Growth — Plus 3 Predictions (NonprofitPRO) "One-time online giving grew 15.6% last year, according to the study. Within that, recurring donations continued to outpace one-time gifts despite the pandemic and email communications played a huge role in the success of online fundraising."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. 8 Traits of Emotionally Stable People (Personal Growth) #7 and #8 are great and I am living #1 everyday.

  2. Learn Anything Faster By Using The Feynman Technique (Cantors Paradise) I will never forget the video where Dr. Feynman showed us just how the space shuttle Challenger failed.

  3. How to Give Others Advice (The Right Way) (Better Humans) Excellent...advice.

  4. A Fifteen-Minute Prioritization Technique Every Content Creator Needs to Work Ten Times Faster (Start It Up) I have not seen this before. I like it. Focus on tasks with Low Input + High Output.

  5. The Trinkets She Left Behind (Personal Growth) A beautiful story and message about the real power of jewelry.

  6. Stop Wasting Your Time — 8 Hacks Based on Science (Calendar) They are all good but #2 really set me to thinking.

  7. What I’ve Learned From 2 Years of Running (Sarah Begley) This article makes running fun again.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Lululemon pledges $75 million to wellbeing programs (bizwomen) CANADIAN STORY #Boom "Lululemon Athletica inc. has committed $75 million to supporting physical, mental, and social wellbeing programs by 2025, starting with a $5 million investment in three nonprofits, and through the launch of a Centre for Social Impact. Lululemon said that through the Centre, it will invest in removing barriers through philanthropy, research, and advocacy, amplifying its existing social impact programs, with a goal to positively impact more than 10 million people."

  2. Stamford Health Receives $5 Million Donation from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Stamford Health) "Today, Stamford Health announced that it has received a philanthropic commitment of $5 million from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation as part of its Campaign for Women and Babies."

  3. RBC Foundation gives $1M to support internships for underserved students and Co-op placements at non-profits (Concordia) MONTREAL STORY Nice work RBC! "A $1-million gift from the RBC Foundation to Concordia University will strengthen Canada’s first university-led internship program for students from historically underserved backgrounds and will help students who seek non-profit sector experience."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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