Weekly News Recap: January 17, 2025

The Fredericton performing arts centre, shown in a 3D rendering, is still under construction, but is expected to be finished by late 2026. It will officially be named the Ron & Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts. (Submitted by Meghan Callaghan - image credit)

The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts. -- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

SOME GOOD NEWS

Moosomin close to hitting housing goal after offering $30K incentive to builders (CBC) MOOSOMIN STORY #Brilliant "Moosomin, about 210 kilometres as the crow flies east of Regina, announced the cash initiative in August to attract development to the community, which is in desperate need of housing. Town economic development officer Casey McCormac says the program has resulted in a flurry of construction, including two 12-unit apartment complexes and a six-unit building."
VIDEO: Dramatic video shows teen's rescue from frigid river in Smiths Falls (CBC) SMITHS FALLS STORY Let's be careful out there. "Police in Smiths Falls, Ont., are hoping a video showing the dramatic rescue of a teen who fell into the frigid Rideau River last week will prompt others to think twice before venturing onto thin ice. The 14-year-old boy fell through while attempting to cross the river Friday afternoon. A harrowing video posted on Facebook by Smiths Falls police shows a firefighter crossing the ice to save the teen, who was clinging on for his life, as worried onlookers watched."
College helps students with phone call phobia (BBC) Yes, it's a real thing. I have seen it with my kids. "A college is helping students tackle their fear of making or taking telephone calls. Nottingham College is running coaching sessions on phone confidence and etiquette to support them in overcoming their fear, known as telephobia."
Meet the man keeping hope, and 70-year-old pinball machines, alive (Ars Technica) #PinballWizard "The pastime of pinball has lived a fraught existence. Whether due to public sentiment, hostile legislation, or a simple lack of popularity, the entire silver ball industry has repeatedly teetered on the brink of collapse. Yet it has always come back, today again riding a wave of popularity driven by the successes of high-tech machines capitalizing on familiar brands like X-Men and Godzilla."
VIDEO: Emotional citizenship ceremony in Sask. marks end of long journey (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY I love this. "Nearly 100 new Canadians took their oaths on Tuesday. A person originally from the Philippines says the day marked their acceptance as a queer person."
Airdrie-based trucker honoured after dangerous roadside rescue (CBC) AIRDRIE STORY #Hero "A truck driver based in Airdrie, Alta., has been named a 'Highway Angel' by the Truckload Carriers Association after he pulled over to help a trapped man whose tractor-trailer had rolled over on the highway. Early on Nov. 27, transport driver Kingsley Ogieva, who lives in Saskatoon but drives for a company based in Airdrie, was driving along Highway 2 near Bowden when he found the southbound lane partially blocked. As he drove past the trailer, Ogieva realized the driver was stuck. He says he didn't hesitate. He sprang into action, pulled over and ran to help the driver."
Indigenous artists get the chance to have their work sent to the moon (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY #Cool "Two Saskatchewan artists hope to see their work rocket into space, and maybe all the way to the moon, as part of a project called The Lunar Codex. The project invited Indigenous artists in all genres such as music, filmmaking, and visual art to apply to get their works included in capsules that would fly aboard spacecraft in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services and Artemis programs."
VIDEO: Ontario teen sells copies of his 1st cookbook so family can buy new van to fit his wheelchair (CBC) ONTARIO STORY Love this kid. "John Ray of Kenilworth, Ont., has been using his mobility van to get around for about 10 years but it's on the verge of breaking down. The cost to replace it is $100,000, which the family doesn't have right now. So the 15-year-old is trying to raise money by selling copies of his first cookbook, Big John's Farm Fresh Recipes."
How these students cut their school's food waste by 57% (CBC) OAKVILLE STORY "[Dyanne Jiang] and schoolmate Myra Datta decided to target lunch food waste at their school after taking part in the Climate Action Accelerator Program, run by the non-profit DoorNumberOne.org, which works with schools to help them create and implement climate action plans. Appleby College is a private day and boarding school with more than 800 students in Grades 7 to 12. All of them participate in a hot lunch program included in their tuition fees."
VIDEO: Belinda the surprisingly busy sea sponge takes a whole day to sneeze (CBC) I heart Belinda. "Belinda the sea sponge has a lot going on for an animal that can't go anywhere. Canadian researchers have used four years of time-lapse footage from the sea floor of British Columbia to paint a picture of 'the daily life of a busy sponge,' says University of Alberta marine scientist Sally Leys."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

Glenbow Museum, TELUS Spark get $3-million injection from federal government (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Woot! "Two Calgary cultural infrastructure projects are getting a major funding boost from the federal government. A spokesperson for the minister of Canadian Heritage announced a $3-million investment in Calgary’s cultural institutions on Friday, with funds going to support infrastructure projects at the Glenbow Museum and the TELUS Spark Science Centre over multiple years."
VIDEO: P.E.I. homeowner captures sound and video of meteorite strike on camera, and scientists believe it's a first (CBC) PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND STORY This is crazy to watch. "Joe Velaidum can't help but wonder what could have happened if he'd lingered outside his front door for just a couple of minutes longer before taking his dogs for a walk. The timing of their departure that day last July proved lucky. Just seconds later, a meteorite would plummet onto the front walkway of Velaidum's home in Marshfield, Prince Edward Island, shattering on impact with a reverberating smack."
What causes the white patch near northern lights (Space Daily) CANADIAN CONTENT And now you know :-) "A whitish-grey patch that occasionally appears in the night sky alongside the aurora borealis has been explained for the first time, thanks to researchers at the University of Calgary. The phenomenon, known as 'structured continuum emission,' has long intrigued scientists but had never been fully understood until now. [...] Although this white patch has been noted in scientific literature before, no explanation had been established until now. [The] team concluded that it is 'most certainly a heat source,' providing new insights into the complexity of the aurora borealis."
VIDEO: CBC investigation uncovers grocers overcharging customers by selling underweighted meat (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "The Loblaw grocery chain overcharged customers by selling underweighted meat across 80 stores for an undisclosed period that ended in December 2023, a CBC News investigation has found. On top of that, over the past few months, CBC News visited seven major grocery stores in three different provinces and discovered packages of underweighted meat in four of them: two Loblaw stores and one Sobeys-owned location, plus a Walmart."
VIDEO: South Korea's impeached president arrested after police march on his home (CBC) 3,000 police officers were involved in the arrest. #Crazy. "Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested and questioned by authorities in relation to a criminal insurrection investigation on Wednesday, saying he was only co-operating with what he called an illegal probe to avoid violence. The event marks the first time an incumbent South Korean president has been arrested, although the democracy has a history of prosecuting and imprisoning former leaders."
Imposter participants challenge research integrity in the digital age (The Conversation) "The rise of digital platforms has transformed the way researchers recruit participants. 'Platforms' means not only social media channels such as X, Facebook and Instagram, but also specialized participant-recruitment websites. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online recruitment and data collection became a vital method for researchers to maintain a safe distance and protect both participants and their own health [...] However, a new problem has emerged: imposter participants. These are individuals who pretend to meet the eligibility criteria for research studies, presumably to gain compensation, jeopardizing the validity of the data — and presenting challenges for researchers. A related problem is 'research bots' — AI bots that can automatically complete online surveys."
Some Paris Olympic athletes ask for medals to be replaced after quickly deteriorating (CBC) "Some of the medals from the Paris Olympics seem to be quickly losing their shine. The French mint told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it is replacing a number of medals from the 2024 Paris Games and Paralympics after athletes complained that they have already deteriorated — with some posting pictures on social media."
Martin Cohos, Calgary architect who designed Bankers Hall and Eau Claire Market, dead at 89 (CBC) CALGARY STORY RIP Marty. I worked with Martin on a few projects. We will not see his like again. "Martin Cohos, an influential architect and community leader who helped to shape Calgary's skyline, is dead at the age of 89."
This Canadian cancer charity tells the public it spends most of its donations on charitable works. Financial records tell a different story (UToronto) CANADIAN STORY "Breast Cancer Canada is a rising star among Canadian charities. In just two years, its annual revenues skyrocketed from $1.2 million in 2019/2020 to $18.8 million in 2021/2022. Most of the money raised, the charity has said, goes toward funding medical research and raising awareness about a devastating disease. According to financial disclosures posted online, the charity spent more than 92 per cent of its nearly $16 million in expenditures in 2021/2022 on 'charitable activities.' [...] However, the charity has another set of financial documents that are not publicly displayed. These audited financial statements show the charity spending money much differently."
Remembering the man behind Prince's Island Park, 100 years after his death (CBC) CALGARY STORY "One large urban park just north of downtown Calgary gets its name from a historical figure who left a lasting impact on the city. Often mistakenly called Princess Island Park, its actual name is Prince's Island Park, named after Quebec-born Peter Anthony Prince."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

VIDEO: 'Slow productivity': How to reclaim your time amid a culture of overworking (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT I am a fan of this type of balance. The video is 11 minutes long but it's worth it.
Timothy Caulfield Prescribes a Healthy Dose of Skepticism in ‘The Certainty Illusion’ (Everything Zoomer) EDMONTON STORY I have been reading Tim's books for years. I highly recommend.
Trust-based philanthropy doesn’t start in the right place (Fast Company) Interesting nuance to the giving of folks like Mackenzie Scott.
Co-Leadership for Bottom-Up Transformation (Stanford Social Innovation Review) Great article on an emergent and growing trend. Thanks to ViTreo's Head of Research, Ken Kempcke, for sharing this article.
The Verge Awards at CES 2025 (The Verge) An amazing array of useful, useless, and just plain quirky.
Why PACER Is the Key to Smarter Note-Taking (Spencer Abrahams) An neat model for note-taking. I am still unpacking it but it feels like something I would add into my toolkit.
Why We Value a Sense of Humor (And Distrust People Who Take Themselves Too Seriously) (The Art of Manliness) I love humour (making it and hearing and living it).

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

Beyoncé Delays Major Announcement Following $2.5 Million Donation to L.A. Fire Relief (Economic Times) "Beyoncé's decision follows her generous donation of $2.5 million to Los Angeles relief funds, aimed at assisting families and community centers impacted by the fires. The funds are earmarked to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who lost their homes, as well as to support churches and community centers addressing immediate needs."
$26.8-million gift from Alberta Law Foundation to transform family justice (Education News Canada) CALGARY STORY Nice work all! "The University of Calgary is set to make a groundbreaking shift in family justice. A historic $26.8-million philanthropic gift from the Alberta Law Foundation will fund two new research chairs and a Centre for Transformation at UCalgary, focused on improving outcomes for families involved in the family justice system."
New performing arts centre gets $3.5M donation from Fredericton couple (Yahoo News) FREDERICTON STORY "The new Fredericton performing arts centre [...] finally has a name. It will be called the Ron & Erma Hawkes Centre for the Arts, after a New Brunswick couple who donated $3.5 million to the project."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Vincent DuckworthJanuary 17, 2025Comment