Weekly News Recap: August 11, 2023

Taylor Swift Gives $100,000 Bonuses to Eras Tour Truckers. TMZ.com

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. -- Abraham Lincoln

SOME GOOD NEWS

Family repays Ronald McDonald House with 'Barbie-palooza' doll donation (We Are Iowa) 475 Barbies! #Amazing "Nearly 30 years after the nonprofit first opened its doors to them, the Wyatt family donated a Barbie collection to the Ronald McDonald House to be auctioned."
An Ode to the Caesar, Canada’s Most Beloved Brunch Beverage (Vine Pair) #AllHailCaesar "Canada is — to put it lightly — quite fond of the Caesar, a cousin of the Bloody Mary starring a tomato-and-clam-juice blend. The vodka-based cocktail can be found on bar and restaurant menus across the country, and it’s become a point of national pride: According to data from Tourism Calgary, 400 million Caesars are consumed annually in Canada, and in 2009, the Parliament of Canada declared the Caesar as the country’s official cocktail. The libation even has its own annual holiday — National Caesar Day — that kicks off the Victoria Day long weekend each May. It’s even inspired a new store in Calgary (the city recognized as the recipe’s birthplace) that opened in July."
'Hank the Tank,' the bear behind 21 home invasions, has been captured near Lake Tahoe (NPR) Turns out, it's actually Henrietta the Tank. "A large black bear who is believed to be a notorious bandit and a hungry, uninvited houseguest was apprehended by wildlife biologists on Friday. Authorities in the town of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., have been on the lookout for exceptionally large animals since February 2022, after they reported that one single, male bear had been the cause of '152 reports of conflict behavior,' including 28 home break-ins. They referred to the animal as 'Hank the Tank,' setting off the internet's affection."
There’s something magical about Calgary’s Folk Festival (The Gauntlet) A signature family event for our family and friend group. "The Calgary Folk Music Festival is a much-anticipated annual event, going on its 44th year. With the dedicated efforts of 2,000 community volunteers, the festival runs like a well-oiled machine. The festival has become a destination event, earning its reputation as the perfect musical island escape, as over 53,000 attendees come together to celebrate the power of music and culture."
'Very random': Juvenile seal wanders into Northland Bunnings (1 News) "A juvenile seal caused quite a stir among customers at a Northland Bunnings this morning, as staff used ovens and dishwashers to keep the unexpected visitor safe."
Simone Biles quietly returns to gymnastics with plenty left to offer (The Guardian) Welcome back! #GOAT "All eyes will be on Simone Biles when the seven-time Olympic medalist hailed as the greatest gymnast of all time returns to competition for the first time in more than two years on Saturday at the US Classic in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, in the northwest Chicago suburbs."
Petting other people's dogs, even briefly, can boost your health (NPR) This is what those of us with dogs have always known. "What's four-legged, furry, and often serves up a quick little mood boost? That's right, a dog. It turns out even short, friendly interactions with canines can be good for our health. I started pondering the power of dogs during one of my daily strolls around my neighborhood. Almost invariably, I'll run into at least one person walking their dog. If I get the OK to pet the pooch, it's a joyous moment of cooing and sloppy kisses. I always walk away from these canine exchanges feeling just a bit more relaxed, and happy. And that got me wondering, could these short interactions with other people's dogs actually be good for me?"
#TheMoment a curious bear stole a golfer's new bag (CBC) "Jerome Gignac was out for a leisurely round of golf in Coquitlam, B.C., when a bear took an interest in his new golf bag."
B.C. couple shares 'amazing' osprey rescue during boating trip (CBC) "On July 23, Natalie Parent and her husband, Ed, set out on a pontoon boat trip with a group of friends on Shuswap Lake, near Salmon Arm, B.C. During their excursion, they made a new friend — after an unexpected rescue mission. Natalie says the 1.8-kilogram osprey, boasting a 1.5-metre wingspan, had been struggling in the water — the same spot from which a bald eagle had flown away. "[The osprey] didn't get out of the water at all — actually, when we got closer, it almost seemed as if he was trying to swim towards the boat to get some safety," she told host Chris Walker on CBC's Daybreak South. After watching the osprey struggle for about 15 minutes, Ed decided to take action, jumping into the water armed with a pool noodle and a towel."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

U of C students develop a smartwatch technology to help individuals who are hearing impaired (The Gauntlet) This is brilliant! "Four electrical engineering students from the University of Calgary have successfully developed a smartwatch software that translates American Sign Language (ASL) into English. This technology, which is sponsored by Garmin, was founded by Omar Erak, Dillon Sahadevan, Ranbir Briar and Omar Radwan."
Behind All the Talk, This Is What Big Oil Is Actually Doing (New York Times) "If you’ve been listening to the world’s major energy companies over the past few years, you probably think the clean energy transition is well on its way. But with fossil fuel use and emissions still rising, it is not moving nearly fast enough to address the climate crisis."
Thinking beyond AC: 7 ways architects are redesigning buildings for extreme heat (Fast Company) Watch for fins and elevators at one end of the building instead of the middle. "As heat waves get hotter, longer, and much more frequent, better air-conditioning alone isn’t enough to keep occupants comfortable—we also need to redesign buildings to help them stay cooler, and avoid millions of ACs straining the grid so much that the power goes out. Designs that have been proven in the Southwest in cities like Phoenix may also now make sense in the Northwest in cities like Portland, Oregon. Here are seven strategies that architects are using."
Why I’m no longer donating to your no-good, very bad nonprofit (Nonprofit AF) Vu Le at his best. "I have been very disappointed to say the least. Some nonprofits don’t respond at all. Some wait excessively long periods of time before getting back to me. One time I had to wait a whole month like an animal for a handwritten thank-you note. Another organization received a huge grant from another donor, and I expected them to know immediately how that money would affect their operations, and more importantly, how it would affect me. My various attempts demanding answers were met with silence. In fact, across multiple charities I donate to, all seem to be avoiding communicating with me, which can only mean they are all no-good, very bad."
U.S. lab says it repeated fusion energy feat — with higher yield (The Washingon Post) I so hope this is true. "A group of U.S. scientists say they have repeated their landmark energy feat — a nuclear fusion reaction that produces more energy than is put into it. But this time, they say the experiment produced an even higher energy yield than one in December that got international attention for making a major step forward toward the long elusive goal of producing energy through fusion."
Valet bike parking service latest bid to draw more people to downtown Edmonton (CBC) Cool idea. I hope it works. "Free, monitored bike parking is the latest initiative aimed at drawing more Edmontonians downtown. New valet bike parking at the corner of 103rd Street and 102nd Avenue opened on Friday as part of a pilot project that will run throughout August and at least part of September. Bike Edmonton volunteers are on hand to make sure bicycles are tagged and locked securely in a cage while their owners are out and about downtown."
T&T Supermarket is more than just a grocery store — it helped me learn the language I resisted as a kid (CBC) "By the time T&T laid me off from my job in 2017, I felt that I had developed the foundation needed to learn the language on my own. In those nine years, I went from speaking kindergarten-level Cantonese to Grade 3-level Cantonese and Mandarin. Now it may not seem like a lot, but for me, it was enough."
Taylor Swift gives ‘life-changing’ $100,000 bonuses to Eras Tour truck drivers (CNN) I am not a card-carrying Swiftie but after this, I am thinking about it. Nice move Ms. Swift. "On the eve of wrapping up the US leg of her wildly successful Eras Tour, Swift on Monday thanked a slew of crew members who have done serious heavy lifting on the road with her — among them, the tour’s truck drivers — with a hefty bonus. Swift stunned the tour’s trucking staff by giving each trucker a check in the amount of $100,000, Michael Scherkenbach, founder and CEO of Denver, Colorado-based Shomotion trucking company, told CNN."
Jury awards $39M to former UCSD doctor in research donation trial (CBS) "SAN DIEGO — A jury awarded over $39 million to a former UC San Diego oncologist and vice department chair who has been at the center of a long legal battle with the university over a $10 million donation intended for research. The San Diego Jury ruled in favor of Murphy’s lawsuit against UC San Diego and UC Regents, alleging wrongful termination and retaliation. The jury awarded UCSD and UC Regents $67,000 in the counter-lawsuit against Murphy. Wednesday’s verdict marks the end of a lengthy legal fight involving two lawsuits by UCSD and Murphy."
Is Earth ready for some sunblock? Big ideas for slowing climate change — and big risks, too (CBC) "Some of it sounds like mad science, maybe the master plan of a Bond villain. One idea resembles a plot from The Simpsons. Humans have given it a low-key name: geoengineering. But it's nothing less than changing the Earth — the air, the clouds, the oceans — so that we can hold off on global warming's most devastating effects until we cut our carbon pollution. 'Make no mistake: This is a really big deal,' Daniel Schrag, director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment, told CBC Radio's The Current, specifically referring to solar geoengineering. 'We're talking about engineering the climate intentionally for the whole planet.'"

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

The Imperfectionist: The four-hour work day (CK Archive) Ironically, like art, a life that is constrained is more creative and more productive.
Why everyone needs a résumé of failures (eJewishPhilanthropy) Imagine how much more interesting your CV would be if you started listing your failures instead of all your 'successes'.
5 Simple Changes That Will Make Your Workouts Twice As Effective (In Fitness And In Health) The water and salt thing is very interesting. As is visualization.
Why Blue Space is Better Than Green Space (Wise & Well) Water has always calmed me, brought me peace, and centered me. I don't know why but it just does.
Get Better Critiques from Your Group (The Writing Cooperative) If you want to get better, you need constructive criticism.
Six Ways to Improve Your Management Meetings (Dave Bailey) Keep it small, use a facilitator. Oh, and four other good ones too!
Hot brand identity trends for 2023 (Mayya Geo) Icons instead of text eh? Dang.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

Niagara Health Foundation Receives $2 Million Donation (101.1 More FM) "LJM Developments and the Mian Family donate $2 million towards the building of the new South Niagara hospital."
Glenbow Museum receives $1-million donation from longtime supporters (Calgary Herald) "George and Colleen Bezaire donated $1 million to the ongoing renovation, called Glenbow Reimagined, and a third-floor feature gallery will be named The Bezaire Family Gallery."
Arkansas Children’s Northwest receives $25 million donation (Fox News) "During the 15th annual Gala of Hope, Arkansas Children’s received a donation of $25 million from the Willard and Pat Walker Foundation."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Vincent DuckworthAugust 24, 2023Comment