Weekly News Recap: August 2, 2024

Weekly News Recap: August 2, 2024

Toronto native Summer McIntosh, 17, holds the Canadian flag after becoming the first Canadian woman to take gold in the race that combines butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

Holding an Olympic Games means evoking history. -- Pierre de Coubertin (primarily responsible for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1894)

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Backpack-wearing dogs enlisted to rewild urban nature reserve in Lewes (The Guardian) Wolves are a keystone species. "Backpack-wearing dogs are being enlisted to 'act like wolves' to help rewild an urban nature reserve in the East Sussex town of Lewes. Before wolves were persecuted to extinction in the UK in about 1760, they were known to roam large areas, typically covering 12 miles (20km) or more each night. In doing so, wolves would inadvertently pick up wildflower and grass seeds in their fur, dispersing them many miles away and helping establish new colonies of plants, which is vital for biodiversity and for ecosystems to thrive."

  • An electrode in the brain restores the career of saxophonist Joey Berkley (NPR) #TechIsCool "Berkley had his surgery in March 2021. After a lot of rehab, he regained enough control over his left hand to begin to record again. [He] released a new suite he wrote about his experiences called A Suite Life. 'I just wanted to write some songs when I got home that expressed what this whole journey has been like,' he said."

  • VIDEO: A neurological disease stole Rep. Jennifer Wexton's voice. AI helped her get it back. (NPR) A good use for AI. "When Rep. Jennifer Wexton gave remarks on the House floor [...] she spoke using a voice that she and her colleagues thought they’d never hear again. After a rare neurological disorder affected her ability to speak, the Virginia Democrat now enlists artificial intelligence to speak using her old voice."

  • VIDEO: How do Calgary police horses stay cool during heat wave? (CBC) CALGARY STORY Love these horses. "The CPS mounted unit employs various methods to ensure their horses remain productive and comfortable when temperatures soar. For example, during these super warm days, the patrol stays close to the river instead of their usual patrol downtown."

  • Man punches grizzly in face during bear attack in northern B.C. (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY #OrSoHeSays just kidding, I am sure it happened. "Corbett said the man in this most recent situation 'swung as hard as he could,' which prompted the bear to run off into the bush. The man was able to ride his bike out of the park and catch a ride home from other park users, Corbett said. Corbett, who has been a conservation officer for 13 years, said this is the first time he's heard of someone punching a grizzly in the face."

  • VIDEO: 9-year-old Saskatoon girl uplifted by neighbour's kindness after bike theft (CBC) SASKATOON STORY #AlwaysGoWithBeKind "Frustrated, Bunmi turned to social media to get the word out and vent her anger. That sparked a neighbour, Tyrone Berthlette, to step up and take Laura shopping for a new bike."

  • Rescuers untangle gear from humpback whale off B.C.'s coast (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY #Ugh stop leaving your fishing gear around folks. "Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it has successfully untangled fishing gear from a humpback whale off British Columbia's coast that was first spotted by a ferry passenger. Paul Cottrell, the department's marine mammal co-ordinator, says a rescue team found the whale off Texada Island after the ferry passenger called it in [...] and managed to free the animal from 'recreational prawn gear' that was stuck in its mouth."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: Canada's Summer McIntosh wins gold medal in women's 400m individual medley (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #WeAreAllProudSummer If you watch her sing our national anthem, you will note that she sings in both of our official languages. "Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh claimed the first gold medal of her just-burgeoning career [...] with a dominating victory in the 400-meter individual medley at the Paris Olympics. The 17-year-old McIntosh collected her first career medal on the opening night of swimming, taking a silver in the 400 freestyle behind Ariarne Titmus — and ahead of Katie Ledecky. Now, McIntosh has the best colour of all."

  2. VIDEO: Calgary welcomes first electric fire truck (CTV) CALGARY STORY #Cool no, I mean it, it probably runs cool. "The newest addition to Calgary Fire's fleet aims to protect the environment by reducing emissions and minimizing fuel usage. CFD saying it also requires less maintenance than diesel trucks."

  3. VIDEO: 'They were mean to me': 7-year-old Saskatoon girl describes lemonade stand robbery (CBC) SASKATOON STORY This seems like one of the worst robberies to do. "Police say two teenage boys are facing a variety of charges after [the] robbery of the lemonade stand on Davidson Crescent in Saskatoon. Officers made the arrests several blocks away, near Confederation Mall."

  4. VIDEO: Canadians mourn Jasper as beloved mountain town devastated by wildfires (CBC) JASPER STORY I was in Victoria on my way to chair a meeting when I heard the news. I cried "To scroll social media [...] is to be swept into a collective grief for Jasper, Alta., after a wildfire roared into the historic resort town [...] leaving vast stretches of it burned to the ground. Online, people are sharing photos and memories of the beloved town and national park in the Canadian Rockies that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tearfully described as 'magic' in a press conference [...]."

  5. VIDEO: Does Canada need a national emergency response agency? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Umm, yes we do. "The federal minister responsible for emergency preparedness hasn't ruled out the possibility of creating a national emergency response agency, which at least one expert says Canada desperately needs."

  6. VIDEO: FIFA strips Canada of 6 points in Olympic soccer, bans coach Bev Priestman for 1 year in drone spying scandal (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #NationalEmbarrassment "FIFA says it's deducting six points from the Canadian women's Olympic soccer team and banning three coaches for one year, including head coach Bev Priestman. The decision comes after some staff members on the team were accused of using a drone to spy on other teams at the Olympics and other events."

  7. TC Energy signs deal to sell minority stake in pipeline to Indigenous groups (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #Woot "TC Energy Corp. is selling a minority stake in its Western Canadian natural gas transmission network to a consortium of Indigenous communities for $1 billion. The Calgary-based pipeline company said the deal [...] will enable 72 Indigenous communities to take a 5.34 per cent stake in its Nova Gas transmission system and Foothills pipeline assets, which together comprise a 25,000-kilometre network of natural gas infrastructure assets spanning Western Canada."

  8. VIDEO: Loblaw, George Weston to pay $500M for bread price-fixing scheme in record antitrust settlement (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Ugh. Thanks to Katia for sharing this story. "Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500 million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in a bread price-fixing scheme. The class-action case was brought against a group of companies that includes Loblaw and the Weston companies, Metro, Walmart Canada, Giant Tiger, and Sobeys and its owner, Empire Co. Ltd."

  9. When India's vulture population collapsed, half a million human deaths followed: study (CBC) Such an interesting story. "Vultures may not be the most popular animal in the world, but the work they do is essential for human life, a new study has found. New research attributes 500,000 human deaths in India over the course of five years in the early 2000s to a collapse in the country's vulture populations."

  10. Canada's premiers forced to confront escalating climate change-related disasters (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "As Canada's premiers reckoned with housing, health care and their contentious relationship with Ottawa during meetings [...] in Halifax, many of them remained consumed by climate change-related natural disasters that have only escalated since they returned home."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Icebreakers You Can Steal For a Better Meeting (I Promise) (Better Humans) These are gold for anyone who facilitates. Thank you Katia!

  2. New Discoveries from the Largest-Ever Study of Unhealthy Times to Eat (Illumination) Stop eating after dinner.

  3. The Main Pulling Exercise You Need To Achieve A Stronger And Wider Back (In Fitness And In Health) I so want to be able to do these.

  4. I Stopped Journaling Every Day Because It’s a Waste of My Time (Practice in Public) A little counterculture.

  5. Avoiding Dementia, Next Level: The Role of Magnesium (Feed Your Brain) It’s a crucial element, but deficiency is rife.

  6. These 7 Simple Everyday Japanese Habits That Transformed My Life (Illumination) I definitely sit in warm water everyday #IHeartMyHotTub

  7. These Are My 10 Favorite Nonfiction Books from the 1,000+ Books I’ve Read in My Life (Books Are Our Superpower) Some old standbys but also some new ones. What's stopping you?

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. USA Rugby announces transformative gift from Kynisca's Michele Kang (USA Rugby) What a great gift. "The USA Rugby today announced an unprecedented donation from Michele Kang, owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and London City Lionesses women’s soccer clubs. Kang, who is dedicated to the advancement of women’s sports through Kynisca Sports International, the first global, female-owned, multi-club organization in women’s football, will gift $4 million over the course of four years to the USA Women’s Rugby Sevens team as it looks to grow the sport and provide improved resources to its players and coaching staff in anticipation of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles."

  2. Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank receives $2 million donation (CTV) TORONTO STORY "Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank has received a significant and much-needed donation from the U.S.-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [The] Etobicoke-based food bank announced that it is the recipient of a $2 million donation from the Mormon church, which has approximately 50,000 members in Ontario and 17 million members worldwide."

  3. Record $4.3 million raised for heart health in Alberta as children and Lauren Coughlin win big at CPKC Women’s Open (CPKC Women's Open) ALBERTA STORY "Big crowds and memorable performances during the CPKC Women’s Open helped Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) raise a record $4.3 million for heart health in Alberta, with $3.8 million to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and $507,000 to the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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