Weekly News Recap: November 22, 2024

Weekly News Recap: November 22, 2024

E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt speaks at an event to announce a partnership between the National Music Centre and the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at the King Eddy in Calgary on Friday, November 15, 2024. Brent Calver/Postmedia

I have spent my life judging the distance between American reality and the American dream. -- Bruce Springsteen

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Winners of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 (The Atlantic) These are stunning. "The German Society for Nature Photography recently announced its winning images from the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024, selected from nearly 18,000 entries from 38 countries in 11 categories. This year’s overall winner was Jaime Rojo, with a remarkable photograph of monarch butterflies clustered in trees in Mexico’s El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary."

  • Women’s baseball players could soon have a league of their own again (AP News) More please. "The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) announced plans last month to launch in 2026 as a six-team circuit for female players. If and when it debuts, it will be the first pro league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — the one immortalized in 'A League of Their Own' — dissolved in 1954. Heightened interest in women’s sports in recent years made this an ideal time to launch a women’s baseball league, said co-founder Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach for an MLB team with the Oakland Athletics in 2015."

  • VIDEO: Diver finds gold ring in ocean in Barbados, reunites it with owner who lost it 47 years ago (CBS) CANADIAN CONTENT #NeverGiveUpHope "In 1977, Morgan Perigo's gold college graduation ring was lost to the ocean while on a trip to Barbados with his wife and two young sons. Perigo, who graduated from McMaster University in Canada in 1965, searched for the ring in vain. [...] Forty-seven years later, Perigo got his ring back. The surprise reunion unfolded thanks to Alex Davis, a professional freediver who recently discovered the jewelry while using an underwater metal detector."

  • VIDEO: #TheMoment tennis legend Rafael Nadal played his last pro match (CBC) The end of an era. Thanks for all the memories Rafa. "The National wraps up what happened as Rafael Nadal played his last professional tennis match at the 2024 Davis Cup in Malaga, Spain."

  • VIDEO: Taylor Swift explains why she’s ending her Eras Tour in Canada (CBC) TORONTO STORY It all comes down to the passion of the fans #GoCanada "Taylor Swift took to the stage at the Rogers Centre in Toronto and told fans why she chose to end her worldwide tour in our country."

  • Siblings team up to prolong legacy of one of Alberta's oldest general stores (CBC) NAMAO STORY I love stories like this. "It's a brisk, bright autumn morning when Julie-Ann McNeilly comes barrelling down a dirt road, steps out of her van and dives deep into the history of Johnny's Store. Built in 1902, the shop is believed to be one of the oldest in Alberta and has long served as a gathering spot in the hamlet of Namao, just north of Edmonton. At one time, it also housed a post office, and McNeilly's grandmother worked as one of Alberta's first postmistresses."

  • First came the apartment. Then he got clean. Now he's giving back (CBC) OTTAWA STORY I heart this story #GoColin "The first time Colin Beaudry was arrested, he was just 13 years old. Now, at 47, Beaudry is finally breaking a cycle of addiction, incarceration and homelessness — a change he hopes will inspire others. Beaudry now lives alone in an apartment he finally secured in April after a year of living on the street. He even has a cat named Kit Kat."

  • VIDEO: 'A pretty cool idea': Documentary series to follow Straschnitzki's basketball dreams (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY I am definitely putting this on the watch list. "Former Humboldt Bronco hockey player Ryan Straschnitzki has an entourage these days — complete with cameras and microphones — now that he's changed his path to the Paralympics from the ice to the hardwood."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: In Canada's universal health system, mental health care is not so universal: report (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "About 2.5 million people — nearly the populations of Manitoba and Saskatchewan combined — aren't getting adequate care for their mental health, according to a new report. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), which released the report on Tuesday, called it a map of the landscape of mental health, addictions and substance use in the country. 'We are not doing well,' said Sarah Kennell, the group's national director of public policy, in an interview. 'For many Canadians, mental health is in fact grim.'"

  2. Having kids, is it still a thing? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Fewer people are having kids in Canada. Right now our country's birthrate sits at 1.26 children born per woman, among the lowest in the world. It's a pressing issue that economists, politicians and entrepreneurs are all talking about, but what's driving this trend depends on who you ask."

  3. VIDEO: When did Christmas cards get so intense? As the mental load piles up, some families are opting out (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #HolidayStress "If you've ever ordered matching holiday plaids in September for a fake sleigh ride in October, then you might be familiar with the modern parental tradition of family photo Christmas cards. Depending on your point of view, they're either a cherished custom that brings you joy, or an unnecessary burden during a time of year when the mental load is already so heavy you feel it in your bones."

  4. E Street bandmates announce partnership at King Eddy as National Music Centre 'goes global' (Calgary Herald) Congrats to all involved. #ThisIsHuge "Sporting a trademark purple bandana, Bruce Springsteen’s guitarist Steven Van Zandt showed up at the historic King Eddy [...] to talk about arts in education, one day before Springsteen and his iconic E Street Band were set to rock the Saddledome for the first time since 2003. He was joined by longtime E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent. Both were on hand for an event organized at the National Music Centre, which announced an international partnership between the organization with New Jersey-based Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music and Van Zandt’s TeachRock."

  5. Not just for paying customers: Why this B.C. shop owner believes more businesses should make washrooms public (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY More please. Access to public washrooms is a human right. "A bike shop owner in British Columbia's Interior is calling on other business owners to make their washrooms publicly available to anyone who needs them — something he's done for several years now."

  6. Alberta family honours father with donation of parkland for conservation area (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Thank you! "Nature lovers can look forward to exploring and hiking on 44 hectares of wilderness southwest of Edmonton thanks to a recent donation to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The land, near the Genesee Natural Area, is in a part of the province known as the aspen parkland boreal fringe, where Bill Greenhough hunted, farmed and advocated for conservation — passions that live on in his children. 'I guess we come by it naturally. So it's kind of his gift to us. And then we thought this would be just a tremendous way to honour the man,' said Greenhough's son George, who grew up on the family farm nearby. Bill Greenhough died in 2017 at the age of 87."

  7. Canada’s Richest People (Macleans) CANADIAN STORY "An extensively researched ranking of the country’s wealthiest grocers, tech giants, developers, investors and other mega moguls."

  8. New commemorative coin on display at Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller (Strathmore Now) DRUMHELLER STORY Congrats! "A new commemorative coin is on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller. According to the museum, the Royal Canadian Mint has released the Regaliceratops peterhewsi dinosaur in coin form. A skull of the Regaliceratops peterhewsi was discovered overlooking the Oldman River by staff with the Royal Tyrrell Museum."

  9. VIDEO: Widow, 101, says Rotary Foundation Canada refuses to share husband's $40M fortune (CBC) EDMONTON STORY "A 101-year-old Edmonton widow is in a legal battle with the Rotary Foundation Canada over which charities should benefit from her late husband's $40-million estate. Mary McEachern says the foundation has repeatedly blocked her efforts to honour her husband's final wishes and redistribute his estate to various charities, not the Rotary alone."

  10. VIDEO: Subaru Crosstrek driver blames car's lane-centring technology for accident (CBC) MONTREAL STORY I have been wondering about this. "Tobias Marzell doesn't think he'll ever use the lane-centring feature on his 2021 Subaru Crosstrek again, after he believes it caused an accident during his morning commute last month. Marzell was driving on Highway 30 near Brossard, Que., when he noticed the steering wheel tugging him a bit to the left. As he headed into a curve, Marzell said he made his own adjustments to keep the car to the left of the centre line. All of a sudden, the steering 'decided to jerk to the right heavily and instantly I collided with the vehicle on my right side,' said Marzell, who was travelling at about 100 kilometres per hour."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. I used Strava’s latest AI feature for a week—here’s how it went (UX Design) I love Strava. Even more now.

  2. Object Pages: A Free, Simple Physical Notes System LANGUAGE WARNING (JA Westenberg) For those that don't want to go digital, this is an interesting concept.

  3. Still Only Making Lasagna? These 5 Cookbooks Will Teach You Better (Tastyble) I would add Silver Spoon but otherwise, a great list.

  4. What trends will impact charities and nonprofits in the last quarter of 2024? (Imagine Canada) CANADIAN STORY Demand is up and labour issues are easing (slightly). All this and more in this excellent summary of trends for Canadian fundraisers.

  5. A Curated List of 25 Web’s Most Useful Tools and Sites (Lazarus) I use IFTTT and Code Academy pretty often.

  6. 5 Reasons You’re Still Not Fluent (Language Lab) Someday, I really want to learn another language. Some of these are definitely in my way.

  7. How to Handle Tears in Feedback (Career Paths) An excellent article in how to deal if it's you or...if it's not you.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. ‘A monumental gift’: Calgary family donates $30M to 'historic' Arthur Child cancer centre fundraiser (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY What a way to cap a campaign! "A Calgary family has capped a fundraising campaign in support of the new Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre with a $30-million donation. The major donation from Calgary philanthropists Stan and Marge Owerko brings the campaign, which concluded Monday, to a total of $298 million, making it one of the largest philanthropic fundraising efforts in Alberta’s history."

  2. Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra receives $2 million for composers fund (Philanthropist News Digest) "The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) has announced a $2 million gift from Joan and Jeff Beal to establish a fund for living composers."

  3. $25-million donation boosts mental health and addictions care in the Maritimes (The Globe and Mail) HALIFAX STORY #Wow "Mental health and addictions care for children and youth in the Maritimes recently received a massive boost when Myron and Berna Garron made a $25-million donation."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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