Weekly News Recap: September 22, 2023

CEO of the CACAC, Mark Jones speaking during the naming ceremony.

The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children - Nelson Mandela

SOME GOOD NEWS

VIDEO: Cuddly robots charm B.C. seniors as researchers study benefits of AI pals in elder care (CBC) #TheFutureIsRobotic "Sally Carmichael wasn't sure about the idea at first, but once she met Mango, it was love at first sight. As a resident at the senior living facility Amica West Vancouver, Carmichael was invited Tuesday to meet two robots, named Kiwi and Mango, currently on loan from Japan to researchers at the University of British Columbia."
VIDEO: Welcome to the World of Competitive Boat Docking (New York Times) Yep, this is a real thing. And, it is as crazy cool as it sounds. "The Chesapeake cowboys rode into St. Michaels, Md., on a steamy Sunday in August, and the air smelled like crab seasoning and diesel exhaust, with a dash of light beer and lime. A couple thousand spectators had gathered in the Colonial-era tourist town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, about 80 miles from Washington, D.C., to watch the cowboys square off in a competition unique to the Chesapeake Bay: boat docking."
The importance of handwriting is becoming better understood (The Economist) Turns out, we think more deeply when we write by hand. "Two and a half millennia ago, Socrates complained that writing would harm students. With a way to store ideas permanently and externally, they would no longer need to memorise. It is tempting to dismiss him as an old man complaining about change. Socrates did not have a stack of peer-reviewed science to make his case about the usefulness of learning concepts by heart. Today a different debate is raging about the dangers of another technology—computers—and the typing people do on them. As primary-school pupils and phd hopefuls return for a new school year in the northern hemisphere, many will do so with a greater-than-ever reliance on computers to take notes and write papers."
VIDEO: 12-year-old saves drowning man, credits CPR learned from 'Stranger Things' (ABC) Not all television is bad for you 😊. "Austen MacMillan, a 12-year-old Florida boy who sprung into action last week when he noticed a man in danger of drowning, said he learned lifesaving CPR from watching the hit series 'Stranger Things.' Austen and his behavioral therapist, Jason Piquette, were swimming in a pool when Piquette attempted to see how long he could hold his breath underwater."
100-year-old WWII fighter pilot inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame (CBC) A well-deserved recognition. "Ken Lett, 100, got his start in aviation as a teenager flying combat missions for the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. After surviving the invasion of Normandy, Lett continued his service in the Air Force during the Cold War before moving into commercial aviation. He estimates he spent about 35 years as a licensed pilot. 'It's freedom,' he said. 'If you're at 35,000 feet looking down at the world, it's a totally, totally different experience than standing on the ground and looking up.' [...] Lett was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, based out of the Hangar Flight Museum in Calgary."
Mr. Dressup and Mr. Rogers were the 'Lennon and McCartney' of kids' TV, says filmmaker (CBC) Childhood icons for many of us, including me. "Mr. Dressup star Ernie Coombs forged a friendship with Fred Rogers over the shared belief that children were important, and that kids' television could be a force for good, says the director of a new documentary film about the iconic Canadian performer. The beloved television personality whose program was a mainstay at CBC for 29 seasons, first met the Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood host in Pittsburgh, and over time the two became the 'Lennon and McCartney' of children's entertainment, says Rob McCallum."
VIDEO: #TheMoment a Canadian teen scored a deal with PlayStation (CBC) #Cool "He's too young to vote or drive — but at the tender age of 13, Max Trest, from White Rock, B.C., has developed a video game that's set to launch on PlayStation 5."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

Calgary CTrain station renamed to honour local college (Global News) Congratulations on this long overdue recognition. #GoBVC "City Hall Station has been renamed to City Hall/Bow Valley College Station, a name that symbolizes the relationship between the city and the college, according to a city news release. The city also said the renaming aims to improve community connectivity, wayfinding and recognize the college as a city landmark."
A devastating accusation by Justin Trudeau against India (The Economist) "In the evening of June 18th Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader whom India considered a terrorist, was sitting in his truck in a car park outside a gurdwara (a Sikh temple) in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver in British Columbia, when two masked men shot him dead. They fled through a park and disappeared. On September 18th Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, told lawmakers in Ottawa that 'credible intelligence' from the country’s security services linked India to the killing. It is a highly unusual accusation for the leader of one democracy to make against the government of another."
VIDEO: What will it take to control AI? With Yuval Noah Harari and Mustafa Suleyman (YouTube) It is a short video but...it is fascinating. "The Economist brought together Yuval Noah Harari and Mustafa Suleyman to grapple with the biggest technological revolution of our times. They debate the impact of AI on our immediate futures, how the technology can be controlled and whether it could ever have agency."
Mattel’s Windfall From ‘Barbie’ (New York Times) "When Ynon Kreiz arrived at Mattel in April 2018, the newly installed chief executive had one mantra when it came to a feature film starring Barbie, a project he really wanted to get off the ground: He didn’t care if the movie sold a single additional doll. But 'Barbie' the film had to be good and a cultural event. It had to be different. It had to break molds."
Britain’s surprising, upstart universities (The Economist) "Sir james dyson, a designer of whizzy home appliances who became a billionaire, has long complained that Britain pumps out too few engineers. So a few years ago he set out to mint graduates of his own. A mini-university he created at his company’s glassy research facility in Wiltshire now has about 160 youngsters enrolled, all in engineering. They spend two days a week in lessons and the rest working on real products, for which they earn a salary. They pay no fees and incur no loans. Instead of residential halls, newcomers live in timber 'pods' stacked near Dyson’s labs; on a sunny September afternoon they stand ready for incoming freshers. Two undergraduates say they turned down Cambridge for the chance to attend."
The Tragic Downfall of National Geographic (J.J. Pryor) This is disappointing. "As it stands, National Geographic faces an existential crisis, resembling one of the endangered species it has so eloquently chronicled. The magazine recently laid off all of its last remaining staff writers, outsourcing future article assignments to freelancers or in-house editors. The once vibrant newsrooms are now eerily silent, and the iconic field photography has been curtailed drastically. With the advent of digital media, the meticulously curated, visually spectacular, and deeply researched articles of National Geographic appear to have fallen out of favor."
Names revealed for the new Centre of Excellence (Lacombe Online) ViTreo is proud to be working with the CACAC on this important project. Congrats to all. "The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre (CACAC) has announced not one but two names for their new Centre of Excellence. The Lindsey More Youth Mental Health and Addiction Hub and the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence. The Shelden Kennedy Centre of Excellence is located on the main campus of Red Deer Polytechnic. Partners inside the centre itself include the CACAC, the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre, RCMP Child Forensic Interviewers, and Alberta Health Services (AHS). AHS will be offering Red Deer Child and Youth Addiction and Mental Health Outpatient Clinic; Move your Mood Studio; and the Step Up Step Down live-in youth mental health programs within the facility."
Energy drinks can harm teens' health. Here's what experts say parents can do (CBC) As a father of young adults to consume these products, I worry. "Most teenagers have heard about the health risks of smoking, drinking and consuming cannabis. But there's another popular — and potentially harmful — product they're likely hearing less about: energy drinks. The drinks usually contain high doses of caffeine and sugar, and are popular among teens in large part due to online influencers."
Most Canadians don't want to retire. Here's why (CBC) I get it. I am not ready to retire. "As summer comes to an end and many Canadians return to work — if they were lucky enough to take a holiday — some people of a certain age may be wondering when they should switch on their out-of-office reply permanently. Although the idea of retirement is alluring to some, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada, most Canadians would prefer to continue working. The report, issued Aug. 1, says more than half of people planning to retire would continue to work if they could do so part-time, or if their work were less stressful or demanding. The reasons they continue to work are varied, from financial concerns to deeper issues of purpose."
As Canada recruits Filipino nurses, those left behind struggle to care for patients (CBC) "Thousands of nurses [...] leave the Philippines each year for better career opportunities in countries like Canada. More than half of licensed nurses in the Philippines are practising overseas. But when the nurses leave, it causes a ripple effect on those left behind. Families are separated from loved ones, hospitals can become short nurses and colleagues are often forced to deal with increased workloads."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

What Kitchen Appliances Will Look Like in 50 Years (Bon Appetit) Some of this is awesome. Some of this is terrifying.
Should I worry about my VO2 max? (The Guardian) I am working hard on improving my VO2 max and my heart rate variability. Both are apparently quite important to heart health.
Your Laptop Is Filthy—Here’s How To Clean It, According to a Microbiologist and Cleaning Expert (Well + Good) Eww.
How Long Does Coffee Last? An Expert Weighs In (Gear Patrol) Coffee is confusing. This helps.
The smartest ways to shop, according to science (Fast Company) Smart ideas.
Which languages take the longest to learn? (The Economist) It is interesting to see what the top ten languages are in the world. There are some surprising entries.
How to Tell if Your A.I. Is Conscious (New York Times) The most interesting (or horrifying) outcome of this research was the researchers' identification that, while they are not aware of any existing A.I.s that meet the tests, they found no technological barriers preventing A.I.s from meeting the criteria for consciousness.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

Yarrow couple leaves nearly $230 million in property to MCC (The Abbotsford News) What a gift! "A Yarrow couple have left an immense donation — $229.6 million in property B.C. — to the Mennonite Central Committee. Henry Rempel died earlier this year, and his wife Mary Rempel died in 2014. In a press release, MCC said the couple 'wanted to help the poorest of the poor,' and that was the reasoning behind the gift of a large portfolio of rental and development properties. MCC BC’s executive director said the organization is honoured to be chosen for this type of philanthropic gift."
Toronto’s Gardiner Museum will transform its ground floor thanks to a $9-million donation (Now Toronto) "The $9-million donation was given to the Gardiner Museum by the Radlett Foundation in honour of its founder William B.G. Humphries, who had a lifelong commitment to supporting Indigenous communities through the arts. With the help of the funds, the ground floor of the museum will undergo a full-scale transformation, including a new fully equipped makerspace, a community engagement centre, and an Indigenous gallery space."
A $25M donation to aid London's homeless, and the group in charge of it (The London Free Press) "A private donor couple has provided $25 million for the new system, and promised to donate another $5 million if Londoners can do the same."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Vincent DuckworthSeptember 21, 2023Comment