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Weekly News Recap: March 10, 2023

Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: March 10, 2023

Canadian Tire Corp. says its new multi-million dollar Women's Sport Initiative will support the expansion of women's professional sports leagues and programs in Canada. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press/File)

If fighting for equal pay and paid family leave is playing the gender card, then deal me in! -- Hillary Clinton

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Dave Grohl Braved The LA Storms And Spent 16 Hours Making 500 Servings Of Barbecue For People At A Homeless Shelter (UPROXX) Just another reason to love the Foo Fighters. "In case you missed it, the Los Angeles area has been dealing with some uncommonly intense weather recently; [A few weeks ago], there was a blizzard warning in LA, which is believed to be only the second one on record ever. While that was going on, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl decided to make use of his barbecue skills and help out."

  • Heinz to give new boat to man who survived on ketchup while lost at sea (The Guardian) My kids have been right all along: man can apparently live on ketchup alone. "The Heinz food company, based in Pittsburgh, has made contact with the saved sailor, Elvis François, about buying him a new sailing vessel after it launched a social media campaign which was titled #FindtheKetchupBoatGuy that quickly went viral. François had abandoned his old boat when he was finally rescued."

  • Black Vietnam vet finally awarded Medal of Honor for bravery (AP News) It is never ever too late to right a wrong. "Nearly 60 years after he was recommended for the nation’s highest military award, retired Col. Paris Davis, one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat, received the Medal of Honor on Friday for his bravery in the Vietnam War. After a crowded White House ceremony, a grateful Davis emphasized the positive of the honor rather than negative of the delay, saying, 'It is in the best interests of America that we do things like this.' Thanking President Joe Biden, who draped a ribbon with the medal around his neck, he said, 'God bless you, God bless all, God bless America.' The belated recognition for the 83-year-old Virginia resident came after the recommendation for his medal was lost, resubmitted — and then lost again."

  • Canada grandma helps stop fraud scheme targeting senior citizens (BBC) CANADIAN STORY #WahWah "Tired of receiving scam calls, a woman in Ontario, Canada, was fed up when she got a call from fraudsters pretending to be her grandson in need of money. Instead of simply hanging up as usual, Bonnie Bednarik went along with the ruse, telling them she would give them the $9,300 [...] When the alleged scammers came to collect the money, they were shocked to find police waiting for them. Police say they had defrauded at least two other victims."

  • He proposed 60 years ago, then broke her heart. Now they've finally tied the knot (NPR) "Sixty years after he first ended their engagement, Priscilla Matheny got a Facebook friend request from the man who broke her heart. She declined it (queen!) but her romance with Ed Sneckenberger proved to be far from over."

  • VIDEO: THE SUPER CUTE PENGUINS AT THE CALGARY ZOO GOT A SNOW DAY! (iHeartRadio) CALGARY STORY "We love penguin snow days! 🐧🌨️ With the recent heavy snowfall hitting our city, many of us chose to stay warm indoors – but not these birds! Watch as our king penguin colony eagerly headed outdoors and into that fresh white powder! ❄️ It's winter enrichment at its best. #YourZooYYC"

  • Folk artist Lewis Mallard made a Hamilton splash in his duck costume. He's now migrating to Toronto (CBC) TORONTO STORY I love ducks. Not sure why... "Performance artist Lewis Mallard, known for wearing a duck costume since calling Hamilton home in 2019, is preparing to leave his roost and migrate to his original home — Toronto. Lewis Mallard moved to Hamilton to be a full-time caregiver for his dad, who had Alzheimer's disease. His father passed away a year and half later, but Mallard decided to stay in the Ontario city. According to the artist, he discovered the design for Lewis Mallard from an epiphany he had while lounging at Gage Park in Hamilton."

  • Eagle-versus-cat standoff in Vancouver park captured in photos, video (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY Not the brightest cat. "An East Vancouver man captured an unlikely animal encounter when an everyday house cat and a majestic bald eagle had a tense faceoff in a park. Peter Davidson was at the Cunningham Elementary playground, near Nanaimo Street and East 37th Avenue, with his two-year-old son [...] Also at the park was Bruno, his neighbour's friendly orange tabby. Then it got a little more crowded: a bald eagle swooped down onto the field to drink from a puddle."

  • These grizzly bear cubs were orphaned. We followed them for a year to see if they could survive in the wild (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY A (mostly) beautiful story. "In the fall of 2020, five grizzly bear cubs — Arthur, Raven, Isa, Cedar and Muwin — arrived at the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter in Smithers, B.C., the only facility in North America that rewilds orphaned grizzly bear cubs. The bears were quickly dubbed 'the Fab Five' by scientist Lana Ciarniello. The cubs spent the next several months at the shelter, with limited human contact, before they were to be released back into the B.C. wilderness. Then the bears were tracked via GPS collars as part of the first long-term study on rewilded grizzly bears in North America (funded by the Northern Lights Wildlife Society and the Grizzly Bear Foundation). Usually, young grizzly cubs that are orphaned die in the wild, or are euthanized or put into zoos because it's assumed they cannot survive in the wild."

  • Little Atlantic puffin rescued on busy N.B. roadway (CBC) NEW BRUNSWICK STORY "An Atlantic puffin found itself in a bit of a bind after wandering onto a busy New Brunswick road, far from where the seabirds are supposed to be found this time of year. David Gordon came across the puffin flapping around on the busy Coverdale Road in Riverview [...] 'My wife was like, 'That looks like a penguin,' said Gordon, who darted out into traffic to rescue the bird after he and two other drivers swerved around it."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. First-ever Canadian lunar rover will hunt for water ice on the moon (Troy Media) CANADIAN STORY #GoCanadaGo "The first-ever Canadian rover to set wheels on the moon is currently under construction for a mission set to launch as early as 2026. The rover will explore the moon’s south polar region in search of water ice in the lunar soil."

  2. Red Deer Polytechnic receives $300,000 donation from Welikoklad family; renames Simulation Lab (rdnewsNOW) RED DEER STORY A lovely gift. "Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) leaders and members of the Welikoklad family toured the newly named Welikoklad Simulation Lab on Wednesday to learn more about the upgrades made possible through a $300,000 donation from Bill and Irma Welikoklad."

  3. Burman University President Awarded Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (Lacombe Online) LACOMBE STORY Congrats D.r Agrey! "On March 2, 2023, Dr. Loren Agrey, President of Burman University, was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to our community. The award was presented by Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Advanced Education for Alberta. Dr. Agrey was nominated for the award by Advanced Education who cited the demonstration of exceptional qualities and outstanding service to our province and the field of adult education as criteria for the nomination."

  4. Breaking down the rising cost of shawarma (CBC) OTTAWA STORY "Shawarma has long held a special place in the stomachs of Ottawans as a way to fill up quickly with a low-cost, delicious dish. It's the kind of lunch that leaves plenty of leftovers, and some see it as the perfect way to end a night out. Everyone swears their favourite spot is the best in town. Lately, some consumers have noticed a change — meals that once ran in the $10 range have in some cases doubled in price."

  5. Canadian companies throw support behind women's pro sports, national soccer team (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Now, this is leadership. Well done Canadian Tire. "Canadian Tire Corp. has announced a new commitment to improve gender equity in sports, saying at least half the money it spends sponsoring professional sports will go toward women by 2026. The retailer says its new multi-million dollar Women's Sport Initiative will support the expansion of women's professional sports leagues and programs in Canada. The company says it has added five new sports partnerships to its roster and will boost its existing support for organizations that drive inclusion and diversity in sport."

  6. Canadian women's soccer team takes fight for pay equity to Parliament (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Members of the Canadian women's soccer team take their fight for pay equity to Parliament today. Captain Christine Sinclair, Janine Beckie, Sophie Schmidt and Quinn are scheduled to appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage [...] The four serve as the women's team player representatives. The Canadian women, like their male counterparts, are embroiled in a bitter labour dispute with Canada Soccer, the sport's governing body."

  7. Calgary office workers bringing bustle back to downtown, at least during work week (CBC) CALGARY STORY Parkades are full at 9 am in some spots...as I found out recently. "The hustle and bustle of downtown Calgary life appears to be trickling back as more employers are requiring workers to file into the office at least a few days a week. Yet as the city marks three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, some habits that formed in the past 36 months have proven hard to shake, such as working from home and eating at restaurants. Cristina Schultz, recruitment manager at About Staffing in downtown Calgary, said employers in the city are increasingly pivoting back to an in-person model after experimenting with hybrid work over the past year."

  8. Economists say the job market is hollowing out. What does that mean for Calgarians? (CBC) CALGARY STORY The winds of change... "Welding is loud, dirty work — precarious in Alberta in that it's tied to the constant ebbs and flows of the economy. After 10 years, Laurn MacIsaac is proud of a career she thinks she can count on. But the apprentices who work under her? Not so much. 'The ones that I've talked to have said that the trades were kind of like a gateway to make money so that they can pay off their next choice of education,' she said. Work is changing. Attitudes are changing — in Calgary and across the country."

  9. Nordstrom closing down in Canada, shuttering all 13 stores (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Just like Target. #CanadaIsHard "Nordstrom Inc. says it is winding down its Canadian operations and closing all 13 of its stores in the country. The company filed for protection from its creditors this week under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, a Canadian law that manages the orderly wind-down of businesses [...] Nordstrom launched in Canada in 2014. The chain has six Nordstrom stores and seven Nordstrom Rack locations."

  10. How accurate are dog DNA tests? We unleash the truth (CBC) CANADIAN STORY When a DNA tests asks you to list the breeds (or your suspected ancestry), I am more than a little suspect with the results. "If you're puzzled about the breed of your dog, you aren't alone. There are a number of dog DNA companies to help owners uncover the mysteries of their mutts. But a Marketplace test found dog DNA tests geared toward consumers won't necessarily give owners the answers they're looking for. Marketplace recruited two mixed-breed dogs, one purebred dog and one human (Marketplace's very own Travis Dhanraj) to test the accuracy of consumer dog DNA tests. Their DNA was sent to four companies that claim to specialize in dog genetic testing: Wisdom Panel, Embark, Accu-metrics and DNA My Dog. Nearly all the results were different, even for the same dog, despite all claiming nearly 100 per cent accuracy rates."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. The Essentialist Mindset: Achieving More with Less (Nikita Soloviov) Less is more. And you will likely be happier as well.

  2. 20 Mind-Blowing Ways to Use ChatGPT You Never Knew Existed (Mhfigurelli) Are you sick of ChatGPT stories yet? No? Me neither 😃.

  3. How 30 Minutes of “Me Time” Per Day Increases My Productivity (Kyle Hemington) Take breaks, your work will thank you for it.

  4. Why Are Dumbbells Called Dumbbells? (Art of Manliness) I knew you would want to know.

  5. The 3-Hour Rule: Daily, Distraction-Free Focus & Deep Work Made Simple (Ramon Williamson) Hard to schedule but oh so worth it.

  6. How Much Time Are You Spending in Your Zone of Genius? (Lisa DeAngelis) Cool little grid to try out.

  7. Things to pay attention to when designing a survey: Lessons learned from 2 past research studies (Yimeng Wang) I wish they taught this in university.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. USOPC receives record $10 million donation for mental health (ESPN) "The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is receiving a record $10 million donation to support its expanding mental health programming. The donation, which is the largest standalone gift in the 10-year history of the committee's charitable arm, comes from the Rieschel Family Foundation headed by longtime supporters Yucca and Gary Rieschel."

  2. Husson receives $2 million donation supporting scholarships and Sawyer Library (CBS) "Husson University has received a $2 million gift from a familiar name to those on campus. The plans for the money from the estate of philanthropist John M. Webber are two fold. $1 million will support scholarships for deserving accounting or finance students. The other million will enhance the collections of the Sawyer Library. The Webber family has long been a supporter of the school. John’s father, G. Peirce Webber, was the lead donor responsible for creating the G. Peirce Webber Campus Center and the Webber Scholarship at the University."

  3. The Chinese Canadian Museum Receives Major Gifts From Two Stalwart Families of the Chinese Canadian Community in Canada (GlobalNewswire) "The new Chinese Canadian Museum is pleased to announce it has received $2.8 million from the Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy and family through the Lee Tak Wai Foundation and $1 million from the David and Dorothy Lam Foundation. These transformational gifts will go a long way to support the museum’s ongoing work as it prepares to open its doors this July 1 on Canada Day. The Chinese Canadian Museum is the first of its kind in Canada and will be located in the historic Wing Sang Building in Vancouver’s Chinatown."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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