Weekly News Recap: July 7, 2023

The Petro-Canada gas station on Spadina Avenue just south of King Street in Toronto in May. The company, which is owned by Calgary-based Suncor, confirmed last week it had experienced a cybersecurity incident that had disrupted debit and credit transactions at gas stations across the country. (Michael Wilson/CBC)

There are only two types of organizations: Those that have been hacked and those that don’t know it yet! -- John Chambers, former CEO of Cisco

SOME GOOD NEWS

Teen who walked six miles to 8th grade graduation gets college scholarship on the spot (CBS) #Grit "Jones had started that day on a mission. His grandfather's car wasn't working, and he had somewhere to be. So he started walking the six-mile route, which took over two hours and wound through tough neighborhoods and busy traffic, all under the blazing sun. At some point he was so thirsty, he asked strangers for a dollar just to buy something to drink. He thought about turning back, but always pressed on. The goal? Walk another 30 feet across a stage and collect his eighth grade diploma in a ceremony held at Harris-Stowe State University, a historically Black university in St. Louis, [Missouri.]"
Suddenly, It Looks Like We’re in a Golden Age for Medicine (New York Times) #ANewAge "The miracle of the vaccines wasn’t just about lives saved from Covid. As the first of their kind to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, they brought with them a very long list of potential future mRNA applications: H.I.V., tuberculosis, Zika, respiratory syncytial virus (R.S.V.), cancers of various and brutal kinds. And the vaccine innovations stretch beyond mRNA: A 'world-changing” vaccine for malaria, which kills 600,000 globally each year, is being rolled out in Ghana and Nigeria, and early trials for next-generation dengue vaccines suggest they may reduce symptomatic infection by 80 percent or more."
Four adorable animals recently born at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo (PHOTOS) (Daily Hive) CALGARY STORY #SoCute "We have been spoiled lately with animals having babies in Calgary and they are all absolutely adorable. The Wilder Institute Calgary Zoo has put a lot of work in to help endangered species and that work has paid off recently."
VIDEO: Supermoon shines over ancient Greek temple (CBC) "The temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, Greece, was illuminated by the light of a supermoon that crept into the night sky, striking an impressive sight for spectators who were able to catch the experience."
His name is Charlie and he runs a chocolate factory. He just turned 93 years old (CBC) BURNABY STORY "'Because we are all a great deal luckier than we realize, we usually get what we want – or near enough.' The words belong to British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The sentiments ring true for another Charlie in another chocolate factory, a little closer to home. It's been a long road for Charlie Sigvardsen, owner of Burnaby's aptly named Charlie's Chocolate Factory. Sigvardsen, who opened the chocolaterie in 1970, turned 93 on June 28."
VIDEO: Riding high and blazing trails: Sask. twin sisters succeeding in rodeo together (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY "Twins Mackenzie and Taylor L'Heureux have done almost everything together since they were born. Now, the 19-year-old sisters are using a little sibling rivalry to push themselves to pursue their dreams. 'It's definitely hard having to train ourselves and then our horses on top of that, it's kind of a big learning experience,' said Taylor."
VIDEO: Martial artist shows off stunt work on big screen — and on YouTube with his daughters (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY #Amazing "The YouTube video opens with a package of Hi-Chew candies on a kitchen counter. Two young girls peek mischievously around the corner. Just as they think the strawberry sweetness is theirs, a man snags the candy. A fight ensues in the living room. Kicks fly. Kids flip. It's not looking good for the girls. That is, until dad is floored by another girl — the youngest of the three. She laughs maniacally and grabs the Hi-Chews with the hand that just delivered a knockout. This is the Truong family spending quality time together."
How My Father and I Drew a New Life (New York Times) #Renewal "About a week later, my computer pinged with an email from my then almost 80-year-old father — with an attachment. I downloaded the file and there it was. The micro micromanaging cartoon that I had asked him to draw. The positioning of one cell scolding the other cell to 'Move your membrane to the edge of the slide, please!' was just as I had described to him. His style was reminiscent of the 1950s; crisp simple lines with no wasted energy. It was perfect. We began to do four to five single-panel cartoons per week. I would come up with a series of ideas, email them to him, argue with him about where the joke was and fight for an occasional curse word if the cartoon wouldn’t work without it."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

U of C awarded $125 million, the largest research grant in its history (The Gauntlet) CALGARY STORY "On April 28, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $125 million for the One Child Every Child initiative at the University of Calgary. This is the largest research grant ever awarded to a university in Alberta. This initiative aims to transform the overall health and wellness of all children across Canada by bringing together researchers, health-care providers, educators, equity-deserving community collaborators and Indigenous community partners."
Early Women Were Hunters, Not Just Gatherers, Study Suggests (The Smithsonian) "People have long said that in prehistoric foraging societies, labor was divided by gender: Women gathered and men hunted. But now, a new study adds to the growing body of work challenging this idea, suggesting that prehistoric women were just as skilled at killing game as men were."
Seven exceptional residents of southern Alberta among Order of Canada recipients (Calgary Herald) CANADIAN STORY Congrats to all with a special mention to Calgary's Mike Shaikh. "Southern Alberta's recipients ranged from University of Calgary profs, a Pikani Nation elder and an international philanthropist."
This 19th century guy with 'unchecked arrogance' started the Calgary parks we know and love (CBC) CALGARY STORY #LoveParks "Set up a microphone, ask Calgary residents about their favourite place in the city, and you'll likely hear about park after park. That's what we heard when CBC Calgary and the Calgary Public Library recently set up an interactive exhibit on Calgary's neighbourhoods; the latest event in our ongoing partnership. We thought we'd get a tour of the city. Instead, we got a tour of parks! Nose Hill, Carburn Park, Prince's Island Park … pretty much any dog park. People shared memories of seeing the northern lights, riding bikes and even a spiritual connection."
Monday may have set a global record for the hottest day ever. Tuesday broke it (CBC) Eeek. "The entire planet sweltered for the two unofficial hottest days in human record-keeping Monday and Tuesday, according to University of Maine scientists at the Climate Reanalyzer project. For two straight days, the global average temperature spiked into uncharted territory. After scientists talked about Monday's dramatic heat, Tuesday soared 0.17 C even hotter, which is a huge temperature jump in terms of global averages and records. The same University of Maine climate calculator — based on satellite data and computer simulations — forecasts a similar temperature for Wednesday that would be in record territory, with an Antarctica average that is a whopping 4.5 C warmer than the 1979-2000 average."
VIDEO: Scientists discover rare, thriving octopus nursery — and maybe a new species (CBC) "Beth Orcutt will never forget the moment she witnessed a baby octopus hatch in the deepsea. The marine scientist was co-leading a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition to study the ocean's depths off Costa Rica using a remotely operated vehicle, when her team saw little mollusk emerge. They weren't looking for baby octopuses. In fact, until that moment, scientists weren't sure if it was possible for an octopus embryo to survive in such a seemingly inhospitable environment. 'It was very, very exciting,' Orcutt, a senior scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. 'The whole control room erupted in excitement.'"
Suncor swaps out laptops after cybersecurity incident as energy sector takes stock of risks (CBC) CALGARY STORY This is a scary scenario for any business. "Suncor is replacing employee computers after a cybersecurity incident last week shut down debit and credit processing at Petro-Canada gas stations across the country, among a series of other security measures at the Calgary-based company. An internal communication dated July 3, viewed by CBC News, says the company will replace desktop and laptop computers in waves to ensure the devices are safe to use, starting with 'a small number of employees and contractors aligned with business criticality.' It's not clear from the memo what the scope of the computer recall is or what departments were affected, but one expert said that if the recall is extensive, it would be an indication of a serious situation."
Fewer cattle but bigger herds: Alberta cow-calf farmers in a shifting industry (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Calving season has just ended on the Crooked Lake Farm southeast of Edmonton, meaning an end to sometimes odd hours through the night to bring new calves into the world. 'Your labour isn't a set day,' Jill Burkhardt said. 'It's not like you can say, I need someone to work from eight to five, five days a week.' Burkhardt grew up on a farm in Montana and runs the fifth-generation family farm near Gwynne, Alta., with her husband. It's a cow-calf operation — a herd of about 150 cows is maintained to produce calves for later sale. It is the very beginning of a long chain in Canada's beef sector, much of it centred in Alberta and Saskatchewan. From here the calves would typically be sold at auction or sent to feeding and finishing operations to put on more pounds. Over the last 15 years, the number of beef cows on cow-calf farms in Canada has shrunk: from 4.5 million in January of 2008 to 3.3 million in January of 2023."
Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning character actor known for Little Miss Sunshine and Argo, dead at 89 (CBC) RIP Mr. Arkin. We will not see your like again. "Alan Arkin, an American character actor who won an Oscar in 2007 for his role in the family comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, has died, a representative confirmed to CBC News. He was 89. His sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony Arkin also confirmed their father's death in a statement on Friday. 'Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man,' they said. 'A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed.' The statement did not include a cause of death. He died in California on Thursday, the representative said."
When will Canadian news disappear from Google, Facebook? What the Bill C-18 rift means for you (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "How will you get the news now? That's a question many Canadians may be asking after tech companies Google and Meta, which owns the social media giants Facebook and Instagram, vowed to remove links to Canadian journalism. It's in retaliation for the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, that will make them strike agreements with media outlets for 'fair compensation' when their news content is shared on the tech companies' platforms. Not everyone agrees this is the best way to help an industry that has seen its advertising revenue decline. But at the centre of the battle over Bill C-18 is the average news consumer, who, like many Canadians, relies on Google and Facebook to find journalism that matters to them."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

6 Steps to Successfully Debating (Not Killing) Ideas (Kim Scott) I love the 'obligation to dissent'.
How I use daily notes (Personal Knowledge Management Journal) In a world of information overload, this is one of the only ways to stay sane.
10 Unique Tricks to Gain an Edge in Life (MIDFORM) All good but #4 is the right on the money.
The Parable of the Crows (The Startup) Which crow are you?
The 12 best productivity books for creatives (The Startup) A fun and interesting list.
8 Simple Habits Marcus Aurelius Lived By, Quickly Explained So You Can Basically Copy Them (Mind Cafe) A great thinker with habits well worth emulating.
14 Top Rated Communication and Public Speaking Courses (Personal Growth) All of these look awesome!

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

$100M Investment & Donation To Psychedelics Research From Toms Shoes Founder Blake Mycoskie (Benzinga) "Several days prior to the FDA’s issuance of the draft guidance for clinical trials with psychedelics, Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms Shoes pledged the new goal of donating and investing a total of $100 million, 25% of his stated net worth, on psychedelic therapies for the treatment of mental health conditions. The donations will come over the next decade or so, beginning with $5 to $7 million donations by the end of 2023."
Former student makes US$1m donation to Royal (Dick) vet school (Vet Times) "Plans to extend business skills training at Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (R[D]SVS) have been boosted by a US$1 million (£792,525) donation from a former student. A new unit and training programme at the school, which is celebrating its bicentenary this year, will be named after Peter R Beaumont, in recognition of the gift from the vet and businessman. School leaders say the project is intended to give students the financial and business skills necessary to thrive once they enter practice."
Finch Auto Group President donates $5M for mental health research (Canadian Auto Dealer) LONDON STORY "The President of Finch Auto Group personally donated $5 million to a London, Ont., hospital for mental health research. Ryan Finch, whose company is headquartered in London, recently made the landmark donation to St. Joseph’s Health Care because he feels mental health is an important part of society and the workplace. The donation is the largest to support mental health care research in Southwestern Ontario. Some 10 years ago, Finch put in place an employee assistance plan, providing round-the-clock access for anyone in the company battling mental health issues. 'It really opened my eyes to just how many people are struggling among us,' said Finch in an interview with Canadian auto dealer."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Vincent DuckworthJuly 6, 2023Comment