Weekly News Recap: June 30, 2023

Construction is now complete of the $1.8-billion Calgary Cancer Centre. The building is expected to open by early 2024. (Mike Symington/CBC)

If you cannot be a poet, be the poem. -- David Carradine

SOME GOOD NEWS

VIDEO: Newborn left in Florida Safe Haven Baby Box adopted by the firefighter who found her (NBC) "'I explained that my wife and I had been trying for 10 years to have a baby. I told them we’d completed all of our classes in the state of Florida and were registered to adopt,' he said. 'All we needed was a child.' When the firefighter finally spoke to his wife, she started crying."
‘Lobster Lady’ turns 103, has been hauling traps for 95 years (Washington Post) #LobsterLady "Since her husband died in 2006, Oliver’s son, Max Jr., 80, has been her lobstering partner. They have about 400 traps between them, and they sell the lobsters to the Spruce Head Fisherman’s Co-Op. 'I love being with my son,' she said, adding that in recent years, they go out three mornings per week during peak season, which typically runs from June through September. On lobstering days, Oliver wakes up around 3:30 a.m."
VIDEO: #TheMoment Vanilla the chimpanzee sees the sky for the first time (CBC) Heart wrenchingly beautiful. "Vanilla the chimpanzee, born at New York University's infamous LEMSIP laboratory, has lived in cages and enclosures for all 28 years of her life. That is, until she recently stepped into the sunshine at the Save the Chimps sanctuary and gazed in amazement at the open sky for the first time."
This wedding chapel brings a touch of Vegas to N.L.'s Southern Shore — Elvis included (CBC) #VegasWedding "Newfoundland and Labrador couples looking to get married in a Vegas-style chapel won't have to make the trip to Sin City anymore. Soon, they can simply drive to the Southern Shore. There, in Mobile, Brenda and Bob Lee have spent the past few months building Mom's Little White Chapel — their own version of the famous Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. They believe it's the first of its kind in the province."
One of Alberta's top arm wrestlers is a 9-year-old who can deadlift 150 pounds and flips tires for fun (CBC) DRAYTON VALLEY STORY "It only took two seconds for a 60-pound nine-year-old to win an arm wrestling challenge against a CBC radio host who's about three times older and a fair bit taller. Tristan Arseneault is easily the strongest kid in his hometown of Drayton Valley, Alta., about 150 kilometres southwest of Edmonton. He's been a Greco-Roman wrestler since he was three and can deadlift 150 pounds. About a year ago, Tristan took up arm wrestling after beating a youth national silver medallist and got hooked — so to speak — on the strategy."
VIDEO: 'Super octo-mom' off B.C. coast fights king crabs to protect her young (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY "A standoff witnessed during a deep-sea research trip off the coast of Vancouver Island showed nothing is more powerful than a mother's love. A group of researchers said they witnessed a protective mother octopus fighting off five king crabs surrounding her and her eggs. 'It was magical ... there was not a dry eye on that boat,' said marine biologist Cherisse Du Preez with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), who was on the trip earlier this month."
VIDEO: #TheMoment a curious whale gets up close and personal with kayaker (CBC) #Beautiful "Jason Iggleden uses his drone and an app to warn beachgoers about sharks and other potential dangers at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. But last weekend, his drone captured a curious humpback whale closely following a kayaker, and provided some hilarious commentary."
VIDEO: #TheMoment a man nurses a hummingbird back to health (CBC) ONTARIO STORY "Adam Ritchie was checking the rain gauge on his Ontario honey farm when he found a trapped — and nearly drowned — hummingbird. With tender care and patience, he managed to nurse it back to health."
Humpback whale 'Poptart' returns to Salish Sea with new baby (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY "Delighted whale watchers have spotted a trio of newborn humpback whale calves in the Salish Sea. The mothers and babies are the first ones reported in the 2023 whale-watching season as humpbacks return to local waters from their winter breeding grounds near Hawaii or Mexico. 'There are three that we can confirm, and we'll probably hear of several more throughout the year,' said Erin Gless with the Pacific Whale Watch Association. Popular Humpback BCY1404 is the only first-time mother among the three, according to Gless. BCY1404 is also known by the nickname 'Poptart,' given to her by whale watchers for the way she would breach out of the water like a pop tart springing from a toaster."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

Rick Hansen to revisit the site of his life-altering vehicle accident 50 years later (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #GreatCanadian "Rick Hansen, Canada's Man in Motion, has made numerous visits to his hometown of Williams Lake, B.C., over the years, but this one will hold special significance. This week, Hansen is set to participate in the Williams Lake Stampede Parade, but significantly, he will be revisiting for the first time the road where, 50 years ago, he was involved in the accident that would change his life. Hansen was just 15 on June 27, 1973, when he and his friend Don Alder hitched a ride on the back of a pickup truck after a coastal fishing trip in Bella Coola, hoping to make it to the Williams Lake Stampede in the B.C. Interior city."
Sue Johanson, beloved Canadian sex educator, dead at 93 (CBC) CANADIAN STORY An amazing educator. No question was too hard. RIP Ms. Johanson. We will not see your like again. "Sue Johanson, the beloved Canadian broadcaster who in her golden years enraptured a generation with straightforward sex advice, has died at age 93, a representative confirmed to CBC News on Thursday. Johanson died in a long-term care home in Thornhill, Ont., just north of Toronto, surrounded by her family, the representative said. The broadcaster was best known for hosting the Canadian call-in radio and then television program Sunday Night Sex Show, which led to a successful U.S. spinoff called Talk Sex With Sue Johanson."
The University of Calgary took a big jump in the World University Rankings (Daily Hive) CALGARY STORY Well done UofC! "The University of Calgary has taken a big step in the World University Rankings, jumping up into the top 200 schools in the world. According to the QS World University Rankings, The University of Calgary has jumped 60 spots into 182 in the world. The U of C got its best marks in sustainability, where it finished in the top 100, coming in at 82."
South Koreans now a year or two younger as traditional way of counting age scrapped (CBC) How can I get in on this... "South Koreans became a year or two younger on Wednesday as new laws that require using only the international method of counting age took effect, replacing the country's traditional method. Under the age system most commonly used in South Koreans' everyday life, people are deemed to be a year old at birth and a year is added every Jan. 1. The country has since the early 1960s used the international norm of calculating from zero at birth and adding a year on every birthday for medical and legal documents. But many South Koreans continued to use the traditional method for everything else. In December, South Korea passed laws to scrap the traditional method and fully adopt the international standard."
Canada's first hydrogen train is taking passengers (CBC) QUEBEC STORY "The first hydrogen-powered train in North America is taking riders on a two-and-a-half hour trip through central Quebec this summer. It's a demonstration that launched earlier this month to show how electricity stored as hydrogen can replace diesel fuel on railways where installing electrified rails or overhead wires would be challenging. Advocates for the use of hydrogen in heavy transportation say it could raise awareness and boost confidence in the emerging technology in North America."
Canada welcomes largest number of immigrants in first quarter since at least 1972 (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Welcome! "Statistics Canada says the country welcomed more than 145,000 immigrants during the first three months of the year. That's the highest number on record for a single quarter since comparable data became available in 1972. The federal agency released its quarterly population estimates today. Canada continues to grow rapidly. The pace of population growth was the fastest on record for a first quarter as well, with 98 per cent of the growth coming from immigration."
B.C. government invests $12M to revamp 4 SPCA locations, with $7M slated for Vancouver (CTV) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY Well done. ViTreo worked with the BC SPCA on their Vancouver Animal Campus. "A Vancouver animal centre is about to get a $7 million makeover as part of a province-wide plan to replace closed or outdated BC SPCA locations. The B.C. government announced on Monday that it is investing a total of $12 million to help build SPCA shelter replacements in four cities. Prince George will receive $3 million of the funds, while Duncan and Fort St. John are both slated to receive $1 million each."
Canadians will no longer have access to news content on Facebook and Instagram, Meta says (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "The social media giant Meta has confirmed that it will end access to news on its social media sites for all Canadian users before Bill C-18, the Online News Act, comes into force [...] The law will force tech giants like Meta and Google to pay news outlets for posting their journalism on their platforms. Meta said it will begin to block news for Canadian users over the next few months and that the change will not be immediate."
What's happening to Canada's farmland? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "The Ontario government is giving up parts of the Greenbelt for development, citing the province's housing crisis. But last month, a group of farmers produced a joint statement that effectively halted one proposal from Bill 97 that would have allowed new kinds of residential and urban development on prime farmland. 'Ontario boasts some of Canada's richest and most fertile farmland and these policy changes put the sustainability of that land and the food system it provides at great risk,' the statement read. Peggy Brekveld, the first signature on the joint statement and president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), has long been critical of development on farmland. "
Canadians are taking Ozempic, but stigma around weight stops them talking about it (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "The shame and stigma attached to body size and obesity has crept into the use of weight-loss medications like Ozempic, says a woman who has struggled with her weight for years. 'People have very strong opinions about people who aren't able to lose weight … [they] just think people that are overweight are lazy and not trying to do anything,' said Edmonton woman Raegan Sather. Sather has tried several things to lose weight over the last decade, from working out with a personal trainer to putting herself on strict diets. But she only got the results she wanted when she started taking Ozempic last summer."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

The Eight Most Common Goal-Setting Blunders in the Workplace (Better Humans) All are great but I really like #1, #3, and #4.
Montaigne’s 12 Rules For Life (Personal Growth) These are all amazing. My favourite: #1.
Want to Build a High-Performing Team, you must include this Team Exercise (Sparks Publication) What is your personal highlight, hardship, and hero?
Origin Story (Scott Galloway) We all embroider our stories.
AUDIO: Why you should shed your embarrassment and let tears flow (CBC) Crying is good for you.
Poetry is often overlooked, but its contribution to society is invaluable (CBC) I can't imagine a world without poetry.
6 Books that Famous CEOs Loved Reading (TwosApp) I have read the Innovator's Dilemma but I really want to read Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

Calgary's new cancer centre to be named after Arthur Child following $50M donation (CBC) CALGARY STORY A wonderful gift. "Calgary's newly built cancer centre has received a $50-million donation from the Arthur J.E. Child Foundation. The donation, announced at a news conference Wednesday, means the $1.4-billion building is now named the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre. 'This historic donation, the largest gift for cancer care and research in our province's history, hits very close to home for me,' said Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, adding she had eye cancer and lost her father and a sister to cancer when she was younger."
Humane Society of Silicon Valley receives $2 million donation to ease financial burden of pet ownership (KTVU) "The Humane Society of Silicon Valley, one of the largest animal shelters in the Bay Area, has received a $2 million donation aimed at alleviating the financial burden of pet ownership and allowing pet owners to access medical funds for their ailing pets. Former board member Judy Marcus and her husband, George, are both life-long advocates for the Humane Society and decided to give the donation to be used in two key areas: medical care and treatment for animals, and assistance for financially struggling families to keep their pets."
California tribe gives Sundance $4M to support Indigenous filmmakers (KSL.com) "The nonprofit behind the Sundance Film Festival is receiving a $4 million donation to its Indigenous Program from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The California tribe's donation is the largest endowment gift in the history of the Sundance Institute. The money will go to support Indigenous artists from both federally and non-federally recognized tribes in California."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Vincent DuckworthJune 30, 2023Comment