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Weekly News Recap: June 9, 2023

Vincent Duckworth

Weekly News Recap: June 9, 2023

Paul Albrechtsen, who died in 2019, founded Paul's Hauling Ltd., which started as a small operation that hauled salt water and oil for the petroleum industry. His estate made a $27 million gift to cancer care in Manitoba. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. -- William James

SOME GOOD NEWS

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Kurt Browning prepares for final skate of legendary career (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #Idol "When we worked together broadcasting figure skating, Kurt Browning used to affectionately refer to me as, 'The Talking Dog.' Now, as we sit on the couch in his living room, surrounded by his memories, and with his little dog Rocky perched between us, one of the greatest performers in the history of the sport is doing the lion's share of the speaking. As it has always been, I find myself under his spell. Kurt is one of those characters who grabs your attention the first time you see him, as I did when, as a 21-year-old, he skated to 'Grand Canyon Suite,' and attempted the 'Quad' at the Calgary Olympics in 1988. He was stunning then. He remains that way to this day. I am a fan and I can hardly believe that this sportsman, who I idolize, is my friend."

  2. How Russia's Wagner Group cashes in on conflict and chaos in Africa (CBC) #IHateThis "There's money to be made in chaos and the Russian private military contractor known as the Wagner Group knows how to capitalize on it. PMC Wagner (Private Military Company), as it is formally known, is part mercenary force and part multinational enterprise. It has commanded a great deal of international attention for its role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine and for its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin's ties to the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin. But it has been building its business — and its influence — in Africa for several years, where it has traded its security forces, military training and propaganda services for access to valuable economic resources, according to the Council on Foreign Relations think tank."

  3. An 'embarrassing' gear shortage has Canadian troops in Latvia buying their own helmets (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #Ridiculous "There's a phrase soldiers use to describe equipment they've bought themselves to augment what the army gives them. They call it Gucci gear, after the luxury fashion designer. For Canadian troops deployed in Latvia, those private purchases have been decidedly more practical than luxurious — given the fact that they're taking part in more live fire training exercises meant to deter Russia from setting foot in the Baltic country. They've been buying their own modern ballistic helmets equipped with built-in hearing protection that doubles as a headset. They've also personally purchased rain gear and vests and belts to carry water and ammunition. And the number of complaints about the ill-fitting body armour issued to female soldiers has been growing."

  4. I lassoed queer joy in a rodeo-loving town, despite my assumptions about rural life (CBC) WILLIAMS LAKE STORY I love Willy's Puddle. "After graduating from university in Vancouver, I applied for an internship and moved sight unseen to central British Columbia for a year. Aside from disclosing to my internship manager that I was gay, suggesting implicitly and perhaps prejudicially, 'please consider this as you place me in a rural community,' I didn't think much about my queerness as I anticipated my move. I was just relieved to have some semblance of a post-grad plan, and too busy purging my worldly possessions on Craigslist, scouring the internet for a car and playing Life in a Northern Town by The Dream Academy on repeat. All I could gather about life in Williams Lake, B.C., from my quick Google search, was that it was home to one of the largest professional rodeos in the country. Meanwhile, I am extremely allergic to horses."

  5. Platinum-blond grizzly's fence-climbing acrobatics spur new measures from Parks Canada (CBC) BANFF STORY #AnimalsHaveSuperpowers "A platinum-blond grizzly living in the Rockies along the Continental Divide is up, active and hungry from her winter's rest. Lucky for Bear 178, whom locals have nicknamed Nakoda, the Trans-Canada Highway ditches in Banff and Yoho parks provide a ripe, lush, green and yellow buffet this time of year — full of dandelions free for the eating. And there's little standing between Nakoda and her next roadside meal — not even the wildlife fencing installed to keep her and other animals safe from cars and trucks. 'She was up, up, and over that fence. Very, very graceful,' said hobby photographer Gary Tattersall. 'I was surprised she was able to dance on the top of the pole and come down bum-first. I was amazed at her agility.'"

  6. The Calgary Zoo is letting you see its new baby gorilla this weekend (PHOTO) (Daily Hive) CALGARY STORY ❤️ "We have some cute new photos and exciting news about the adorable baby gorilla that was recently born at the Calgary Zoo. The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo has announced that the sex is confirmed and the newest member of the zoo is a bouncing baby boy! Now that they have figured that out they can begin the naming process."

  7. A profile of philanthropy work in Canada (Globe and Mail) CALGARY STORY Amazing work all around. Well done UCalgary. Well done Hunter Family. "A decade ago, the concept of teaching entrepreneurial thinking at the University of Calgary was just a novel idea. The question was, can entrepreneurial thinking be taught? That changed in 2013 when the Hunter Family Foundation donated $5-million to Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business, laying the foundation for the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation – a program designed to inspire, educate and empower future entrepreneurial leaders. The transformative impact the UCalgary program had on business students prompted the foundation to make an additional $40-million donation in 2017, establishing the campus-wide Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, expanding the benefits to all UCalgary students."

  8. VIDEO: #TheMoment Iceland's president and first lady got screeched in (CBC) NEWFOUNDLAND STORY Soon, this will be me. Newfoundland, here I come. "Icelandic President Guðni Jóhannesson and First Lady Eliza Reid get screeched in — a Newfoundland tradition — after their flight home from a state visit was delayed."

  9. Calgary-based biosand filter organization celebrating 30 years of providing clean water (CTV) CALGARY STORY Congrats! We heart CAWST! "The Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) has recorded 1.7 million biosand filters built in communities all over the world, thanks to the training the charity has provided since 2001. Taryn Meyers, senior manager of marketing and engagement, says they're made with simple elements that can be found locally and consist mainly of concrete and filtered sand. 'You have a layer of sand that is specifically sifted so that it's the right size and the right mix,' Meyers said. 'Then, you pour your water in and the water that goes in it actually creates a microbiological layer and that's the part that's special about it. This microbiological layer, it consumes all the bad organisms that would make you sick.' Meyers has travelled all over the world promoting the biosand filter and often hears how it's changing the lives of people struggling with safe drinking water. Her last trip was to Kenya."

  10. VIDEO: Rats in the PM's residence: Why nobody has saved 24 Sussex | About That (CBC) OTTAWA STORY This is a sad tale. "The official residence for the prime minister, 24 Sussex Drive, hasn't had significant renovations in decades. It's full of mould, asbestos and rats. Andrew Chang discusses how things got this bad and why no prime minister wants to spend the millions of dollars needed to fix it."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Note Making vs Note Taking (Tara H) Note making will change your life.

  2. Why Strategic Thinking and Action Outweighs Strategic Planning (Red and Yellow Strategy) "Add two items to the classic list and it will work out way better."

  3. The Truth About Our Leaders (Purposeful Life) Turns out arrogance tends to win. #Sad

  4. Your Team Needs a Strategy — Here’s How to Write One (Better Programming) I am using this right now with ViTreo.

  5. The “Next Big Thing”: 8 New Technologies That Will Change The World (Predict) DAO...er...what? Turns out ViTreo is one.

  6. Camping expert advises how to poop in the forest (CBC) A top skill for all those who love the outdoors.

  7. Don’t Build a Major Gifts Program Without a Culture of Philanthropy (PlannedGiving.com) Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Same goes for fundraising.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Every Puppy Should Have a Boy: Nearly $1 Million in Estate Donations Left to Kelowna BC SPCA (CANADA TOPNews.MEDIA) KELOWNA STORY #DogsRule "The bond between a boy and his dog became unbreakable and apparently eternal after one man’s love for his dog turned into a major donation to the Kelowna BC SPCA. After Paul Bilyk’s death in 2021, the BC SPCA was approached by representatives of his estate, who explained that the Kelowna branch would receive significant assistance. Bilyk chose to leave $910,764 to the non-profit because of his childhood pet, a dog he adopted from the Kelowna BC SPCA years ago. Karin Massar, senior community charitable giving officer, said Bilyk always remembered how much joy his dog brought to his life, and he wanted to say thank you."

  2. Stony Brook University to Receive $500 Million Donation From Former Professor (NBC) #Wowzers "Stony Brook University, a part of the public State University of New York system, will receive $500 million from a philanthropic foundation started by a hedge fund billionaire who once taught math there, the foundation announced Thursday."

  3. $27M donation leaves CancerCare Manitoba Foundation CEO 'unspeakably humbled' (CBC) MANITOBA STORY Nice gift! "A massive donation of $27 million, made to CancerCare Manitoba Foundation by a private charity, "will forever change the future of cancer care in this province, foundation president Patti Smith says. The money from the Paul Albrechtsen Foundation is the single largest gift to a health-care organization in the province's history, Smith said at the [announcement.]"

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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