Weekly News Recap: November 29, 2024

Weekly News Recap: November 29, 2024

Jonathan Hobin, left, and Lucas de Faria, holding baby Eden, pose with their surrogate Alison Scarlett and her husband Bill Geno on the night of Eden's birth. (Submitted by Lucas de Faria)

It’s not luck, it’s not magic, it’s not circumstances. It’s developing a good plan and diligently working it. -- John C. Maxwell

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Steelers-Browns Was A Miserable And Majestic Classic Of Bad-Weather Football (Defector) If you love NFL football, this is for you. Even if you don't, this was epic. "But Thursday night's Steelers-Browns game, a blizzard that happened to feature yard lines and penalty flags, turned Michaels absolutely giddy. The ultimate broadcasting lifer became your 7-year-old on Christmas morning, full of wonder and delight and processed sugar, tucking into his gig as if every play was a hunk of prime rib with a double-baked tater the size of your spaniel's head and a Balvenie on the side, [neat.]"

  • The Bay Area’s most charming coffee popup is in this family’s driveway (San Francisco Chronicle) I so want to do this...#MaybeWaitUntilSummer "Akeel and Lena Williams are possibly the most popular couple in their North Oakland neighborhood. It’s not just because Akeel is part of a neighborhood dads group and Lena’s farmstand box attracts neighbors who help themselves to her surplus garden vegetables. And it’s not only that they both participate in block cleanups and help neighbors make home repairs once a month. The couple’s biggest claim to fame is the coffee popup they host in their driveway each Sunday, Acorn Cafe."

  • VIDEO: Emperor penguin released at sea 20 days after waddling onto Australian beach (ABC News) #WhatASwim "The only emperor penguin known to have swum from Antarctica to Australia was released at sea 20 days after he waddled ashore on a popular tourist beach [...] The adult male was found on Nov. 1 on Ocean Beach sand dunes in the town of Denmark in temperate southwest Australia — about 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) north of the icy waters off the Antarctic [coast.]"

  • Dog left for dead on road; couple empty wedding fund to save her (MSN) I would do the same. These people are my kind of people. #Saints "Dylan McCay and Emily Roberts had been carefully setting aside money to pay for their wedding, which they hoped to have within the next year or so. On a recent day after work, McCay was scrolling through Facebook when he saw a post about an injured puppy that had been hit by a car and left to die on the side of a country road in Conway, Arkansas. The dog would need surgery costing more than $12,000. McCay and Roberts cleaned out thousands of dollars from their savings, and put the remainder on their credit card to foot the bill."

  • VIDEO: Canoeist is paddling the 6,000-mile Great Loop out of gratitude for life (AP News) #Inspiring "Peter Frank has paddled from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in June to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland this month in his 1982 Sawyer Loon decked canoe, but he’s still got a long way to go. The 23-year-old is about a quarter of the way on his planned journey of roughly 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers) to complete the Great Loop route."

  • VIDEO: They asked for a surrogate on Facebook, and it delivered (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #IfYouDontAsk This woman is amazing. What a gift! "When Jonathan Hobin and Lucas de Faria posted on their local Buy Nothing Facebook group looking for a surrogate, they didn't really think it would connect them with a complete stranger willing to carry a child for the couple. Couple turns to Facebook in search for surrogate 'We had some advice at the beginning of our search.... They said when you are ready, just scream as loud as you can, tell anyone you can that you're looking,' said Hobin, explaining why they were willing to give social media a try. 'Someone will come out of the woodwork. An old high school friend, a cousin of a cousin, something like that.'"

  • VIDEO: Sask. photographer makes epic journey to capture the Milky Way's core over waterfall (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY I am a pretty serious astronomy nerd and this is...gorgeous. "Scott Aspinall and a small crew travelled to northern Saskatchewan to capture the Milky Way's core from the east side of Nistowiak Falls, one of the province's tallest waterfalls."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. 1981-89 RDC Queens volleyball team to be inducted into Alberta Sports Hall of Fame (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY I love that a collegiate team (and especially this one) is being so recognized. Nice work everyone! "The 1981-89 Red Deer College Queens volleyball team will be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame next year. [Recently], the hall of fame unveiled the Class of 2025, which will feature 12 new inductees, including athletes, builders and a renowned sports broadcaster. The RDC Queens volleyball team was a nearly unstoppable force throughout the 1980s, winning eight consecutive Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championships, which is still a record within the conference. From 1981-1989, the Queens had a 178-5 regular-season record and three undefeated seasons. During this time, the Queens set records with a 90-set winning streak. Nationally, the team earned eight Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association medals, including a gold in 1984."

  2. VIDEO: Why nuclear power is so hot right now (CBC) CANADIAN STORY The "new" nuclear age. "Governments in Canada, the U.S. and abroad along with tech giants are all eyeing nuclear power to meet a growing demand for electricity and climate goals at the same time. Just days ago, the U.S. announced plans to triple its nuclear capacity by 2050. Tech giants Google, Amazon and Microsoft are tapping nuclear to support their power hungry AI services. Closer to home, Ontario is refurbishing old nuclear plants and building new ones. There has also been interest in building new nuclear plants in New Brunswick, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec."

  3. VIDEO: "Men don't know how to be men anymore" | How the wellness industry is targeting men (YouTube) CANADIAN STORY "Misinformation expert Timothy Caulfield has entered the so-called 'manosphere'. He looks at wellness claims targeting men. And why men gravitated towards Donald Trump in the recent U.S. election."

  4. The Secret to Joyful Giving: A Guide to Meaningful Philanthropy (Foundation Source) "Giving. It’s a word that resonates deeply with many of us, yet how often do we pause to consider the true spirit and impact of our gifts? In an age where giving has become a well-organized sector—fundraisers, charity galas, corporate matching programs—it’s easy to fall into the rhythm of transactional philanthropy. But how can we elevate our approach and ensure it’s not only impactful but joyful?"

  5. VIDEO: Is letter-writing a lost art? As the practice plummets, some say we're losing more than mail (CBC) CANADIAN STORY What a great idea to send postcards to yourself. "Debra Dolan has been mailing postcards to herself for more than 40 years. Postcards, she says, provide a snapshot not only of the time and place but also who she was in that moment — like a time capsule. Dolan, 65, an avid traveller who lives in West Vancouver, even sends them to herself from local spots she visits, such the Vancouver Art Gallery. Her love for the written word also includes writing to pen pals around the world, corresponding with family and friends by post and exchanging daily notes with her newspaper carrier, explaining, 'we are both storytellers.'"

  6. VIDEO: Canada's 1st female defence chief 'can't believe' U.S. senator would question a woman's role in combat (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I heart this leader. "The first woman to command Canada's military called out a U.S. senator on Saturday for questioning the role of women in combat. Gen. Jennie Carignan responded to comments made by Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee, who was asked [...] whether president-elect Donald Trump's nominee for defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, should retract comments that he believes men and women should not serve together in combat units."

  7. Yukon gets $300K to work toward an Arctic security institute for the North (CBC) WHITEHORSE STORY Congrats to all. "Over the next 17 months, the Yukon government will look at the possibility of creating a Canadian institute for Arctic security in the territory. Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said the federal government has contributed $300,000 to study the project, with the territorial government also contributing $70,000. That study, led by the Yukon government, will be done in partnership with First Nations in the territory and will look at how it can collaborate with partners, the premier said. 'The Arctic is becoming a focal point of geopolitics,' Pillai said, speaking to reporters alongside Yukon Liberal MP Brendan Hanley."

  8. How would you rebrand these boring climate terms? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY This is even more timely given where we are in this crisis. "It is not the job of a reporter to put you to sleep. But with phrases like 'New Collective Quantified Goal,' 'maladaptation' or 'representative concentration pathways' — I know, I'm pushing it. These are the kinds of terms you find in rigorous reports warning us about the state of our climate or in global agreements that shape environmental policy at home. Succinct? You bet. Confusing? Oh yeah."

  9. The Calgary Foundation using alternatives to push beyond its comfort zone (Benefits Canada) CALGARY STORY #Innovation I love this. "In the years following the 2008/09 financial crisis, Dan Langlois realized the allocation strategy for the Calgary Foundation’s endowment portfolio needed a significant adjustment if it planned to meet its annual funding goals. 'I knew we needed to do something in terms of increasing the return in the portfolio to preserve the corpus or the capital,' says Langlois, the organization’s vice-president and chief investment officer, noting the asset mix was overly conservative with only a few real return assets."

  10. VIDEO: Why is everything 'quantum' now? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY You're welcome #Nerds "CBC News science specialist Darius Mahdavi takes a tour of UBC's Quantum Matter Institute to learn more about quantum science and how many of the experiments being done there could launch science and humanity into the unknown."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. My One-Word Rule to Live a More Fulfilling Life (Personal Growth) What are you doing to simplify? (BTW, I remain an adoring fan of John Weiss and his writing)

  2. How to Write a Self-Review that Works (Melissa DePuydt) Taking the dread out of what you need to do as part of your annual performance review.

  3. Autopsy of A Jaguar: the staggeringly offensive rebrand that no one likes (Madelaine Hanson) LANGUAGE WARNING For anyone who loves the art and science of branding, this story is for you.

  4. 3 Exercises To Unlock Hip Mobility Beyond What You Thought Possible (David Liira) And...hip!

  5. The anatomy of a bad idea (Chris Ferrie) I have lots of these. Bad Ideas I mean. This article is a bit of therapy.

  6. Diary of a Brand: the Dallas Cowboys (Embedded Brand Strategy) This story has always captivated me. Enjoy.

  7. The Baby Boomer Boondoggle and the “Gen X” Lie (Original Philosophy) Finally!

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. $30M donation aimed at strengthening tourism and housing in Banff (Calgary Herald) BANFF STORY Wow! Congrats to all. "A Banff-based foundation has gifted $30 million toward the future of the tourism industry and to address housing issues in the Rocky Mountain resort town. The Wim and Nancy Pauw Foundation donated $10 million to YWCA Banff to turn part of the building into a teaching facility and student housing, while the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) gets $20 million to provide long-term hospitality and tourism programming in Banff."

  2. $1 million donation to OHSU will help address local cancer needs across Oregon (OHSU) "Eric Lemelson is a climate activist, philanthropist, winemaker and entrepreneur. From an early age, he developed an appreciation for social justice, respect for people and the planet, and generosity in work — all values instilled by his parents. With those values in mind, he recently created the Dorothy and Eric Lemelson Endowment for Community Outreach at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute"

  3. Bezos Day One Fund awards $110.5 million for homeless families (Philanthropy News Digest) "The Bezos Day One Fund, a $2 billion philanthropic fund launched in 2018, has announced grants totaling $110.5 million in support of nonprofits working to help families experiencing homeless."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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