Weekly News Recap: December 20, 2024

Weekly News Recap: December 20, 2024

From left: Dr. Sinda Vanderpool, president of St. Mary's University, Gary Strother, chair of the board of governors, Linda Woitas and Clayton Woitas with the commemorative plaque presented at the announcement event for the creation of the Woitas Centre for Inclusive Education at the university. Photo by Courtesy, St. Mary's University / Postmedia Network

At Christmas, all roads lead home. – Marjorie Holmes

BEST OF THE HOLIDAYS

Dear readers, thank you subscribing to another year of uninterrupted weekly news recaps (this is edition 475). From all of us at ViTreo to all of you; our readers, our clients, our potential clients, our friends, and our collegues, we wish you a wonderful holiday break. May your time be filled with family, with memories, and with love.

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Mind Blowing Images of a Humpback Whale’s Eye (Moss and Fog) This is just wow! "Underwater photographer Rachel Moore took the pictures of a lifetime when Sweet Girl, a massive Humpback whale came close to her lens. Moore took advantage of an opportunity to swim close to a friendly and inquisitive female whale [...] and found a moment when the whale was particularly calm and patient, and the two spent nearly five minutes together, Moore with camera in hand."

  • VIDEO: Meet the World's Smallest Owl (YouTube) This will make your week. And it's a good Father's Day watch as well. "Watch the elf owl, the smallest owl in the world, hunt food for its chicks."

  • Hopeful Images From 2024 (The Atlantic) I was particularly moved by the images from Seville and Turkey given what has happened in those areas of the world this past year. "[Images] from 2024 of families and friends at play, expressions of love and compassion, personal victories, volunteers at work, assistance being given to those in need, and small and pleasant moments."

  • Hundreds of bookstore staffers receive holiday bonuses from author James Patterson (AP News) What a thoughtful gesture and...I agree. "Staffers at Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama, San Francisco’s City Lights Books and The Nook in Cedar Falls, Iowa, are among 600 booksellers receiving $500 holiday bonuses from James Patterson, the bestselling novelist who has been awarding independent store employees since 2015. 'Booksellers save lives. Period,' Patterson said in a statement released [...] through his publisher, Little, Brown and Company."

  • It turns out Taylor Swift fans are generous tippers (Quartz) Not surprised. "In honor of Swift’s 35th birthday – which falls just days after the conclusion of her two-year world tour – Uber released data on how Swifties traveled to and from the pop superstar’s concerts. 'All told, riders traveled more than 2.7 million miles to see the Eras Tour—that’s like going around the world 110 times,' Uber said in a statement on X."

  • VIDEO: This school bus is decked out as a gingerbread house for the holidays (CBC) #MerryChristmas "Stepping aboard Judy Steinhoff's bus will transport you to more than just school: It's a gingerbread wonderland, complete with mock fireplace, a Christmas tree and gingerbread her students have decorated."

  • VIDEO: How a surprise visit with King Charles gave these Canadian women a 'top of the mountain' moment (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT What a treat for these ladies. "They had just finished their own private tour of Buckingham Palace and were still there having tea when the ornate doors at the far end of the well-appointed room opened up. Seventy years earlier, a formative trip had taken the dozen Canadian women — as wide-eyed 17-year-olds — to England at the time of Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Now, as women in their late 80s, they were back in London to retrace their steps from 1953. They were surprised to see Elizabeth's eldest son — now King Charles — coming over to greet them."

  • VIDEO: #TheMoment Taylor Swift surprised sick children with a hospital visit (CBC) "Just ahead of her 35th birthday, pop superstar Taylor Swift visited a children’s hospital in Kansas City, Mo., in her first public appearance since the end of her record-breaking Eras Tour."

  • This whale made an epic trek across 3 oceans — possibly for the ladies (CBC) Nice. "Why did a humpback whale swim a record-breaking 13,046 kilometres, traversing the planet and crossing three oceans? It's possible he got lost on his usual route, or that a changing climate forced him to travel farther afield in search of food. But marine research scientist Aylin Akkaya suspects he's simply a 'cool dude' scouring the oceans to meet hot new babes."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: Canadians return to Canada Post with relief — and shakier faith in the service (CBC) CANADIAN STORY My faith was a little bruised to be sure. "Canada Post trucks, conveyors and mail carriers swung back into motion [...] after a month-long strike by more than 55,000 postal workers left letters and parcels in limbo and a massive backlog to sort through. Following a ministerial directive, the country's labour board ordered employees back to work when it determined the two sides stood too far apart to reach a deal by year's end. The resumption of operations brought relief to Canadians across the country amid the peak holiday shopping season, though some customers' faith in the 157-year-old institution emerged a little bruised."

  2. Climate Giving Surges 20% in 2023, Outpaces Growth in Global Philanthropy (Climate Works) #Finally "Climate funding surged 20% in 2023, outpacing the overall growth in global philanthropic giving for the first time since 2020, according to ClimateWorks Foundation’s 2024 Funding Trends Report."

  3. VIDEO: Why Christmas trees in Europe are so much cheaper than in Canada (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT Definitely not what we are paying. "[Today...] you can find a two-metre (6½-foot) Nordmann fir for the rock-bottom price of 15 euros ($22), bundled in the corner of a dimly lit grocery store."

  4. ‘Brain Rot’ Is the Word of 2024, According to Oxford (Mental Floss) #Ugh "Each year, Oxford University Press—the publisher behind the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary—chooses a word or phrase from the national discourse to be its Word of the Year. For 2024, their selection is a popular condemnation for consuming low-quality information. The unofficial mental health diagnosis is dubbed brain rot."

  5. VIDEO: 100 Days of Solo Travel in 3 Minutes (YouTube) I love this! "Recap of [a] Balkan road trip. A journey filled with minimal planning, embracing spontaneity and exploring stunning landscapes."

  6. Early humans were 'big game hunters' with mammoth appetites, new research shows (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Less gathering...more hunting. "New research examining the eating habits of the people who lived in North America during the Ice Age suggests they were skilled hunters with meaty, mammoth appetites [...] The new insights came from a chemical analysis of the bones of a Clovis child, the only human remains of the period to survive, and a cache of Ice Age animal fossils unearthed from Alberta and sites across the northwestern Great Plains."

  7. Rosebud theatre was facing a financial deficit and a pandemic. Now? It's thriving (CBC) ROSEBUD STORY I am a huge fan of Rosebud. Very lovely to hear this redemption story. "In 2020, the Rosebud Theatre was on the brink of financial collapse. Its deficit was nearing $500,000 and then the pandemic decimated all of the planned shows for the year. 'We were just scrambling, to be honest. We were even having bankruptcy talks,' said the theatre's executive director, Paul Muir. As a way to raise money in 2020, tickets were sold for a documentary about the theatre, located about 80 kilometres northeast of Calgary. Muir says despite the difficult situation, they never lost hope for the then 37-year-old theatre and school of arts, which is synonymous with the hamlet itself."

  8. VIDEO: New not-for-profit vet hospital in Calgary aims to address accessible, affordable pet care (Calgary City News) CALGARY STORY ViTreo is proud to be working with CATF on this important project. "The Canadian Animal Task Force has launched a capital campaign to raise $1 million to open Calgary’s first fully subsidized animal hospital."

  9. VIDEO: 'I could hear bones shatter': P.E.I. kiteboarder recounts shark attack that took his leg (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #Eeek! "Half a year ago, the 27-year-old professional kiteboarder from the Acadian community of Mont Carmel, P.E.I., was attacked by a shark while snorkelling in the Caribbean. His right leg was amputated. Arsenault thought he would never be back on the board, but through positivity and drive he's again doing what he loves."

  10. VIDEO: Bin-busting bears in Tofino and Ucluelet making quick work of bear-resistant garbage cans (CBC) TOFINO STORY #ThoseBears "About a dozen smarter-than-your-average bears have learned how to burglarize the bear-resistant garbage bins used by residents in Tofino and Ucluelet, according to wildlife officials [...] 'Bears are very adept at problem-solving,' said Hansen. 'There's an internal spring in the carabiner, and they figured out how to twist them and break that spring.'"

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. The 15 Best Museums in the U.S. You Had No Idea Existed (Thrillist) We have visited the first two on this list...and more than once. All of these look amazing.

  2. We Asked 22 Sommeliers: What’s Your Go-To Wine to Gift? (VinePair) I am a wine guy and even I found this very helpful. You're welcome.

  3. These are the best ways to avoid getting sick when travelling this winter (Condé Nast Traveller) It's the worst. You look forward to the two weeks of PTO and then...you get sick. This will help.

  4. The case for not overthinking (Vox) I did not overthink this article.

  5. Updated Movie Ratings (McSweeneys) These are fun.

  6. Napkin Etiquette 101: What To Do With Your Napkin At Your Next Fancy Dinner (The Takeout) We can all learn and this one is a useful thing to know.

  7. Where Does Bacon Come From? (The Takeout) Yes, we know..."from a pig" but, more to the point, what part of the pig?

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: What is proton beam therapy? Huge donation funds groundbreaking work at Duke Health (WRAL.com) #Wow "An anonymous donor has promised $50 million -- the largest philanthropic gift ever for Duke Health -- to fund a cutting edge treatment for some cancers."

  2. Parker: Calgary philanthropists donate $7M to foster inclusive education program at St. Mary's University (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Congrats to all. "Last week, St. Mary’s University held a celebratory ceremony to honour Clayton and Linda Woitas for their outstanding generosity — donating $7 million to establish the Woitas Centre for Inclusive Education in the university’s faculty of education."

  3. Chicago Symphony Orchestra receives $50 million from Zell Foundation (Philanthropy News Digest) "The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) has announced a $50 million gift from Helen and Sam Zell on behalf of the Zell Family Foundation."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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