Weekly News Recap: May 29, 2026

Weekly News Recap: May 29, 2026

The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland has unveiled new renderings for it proposed revitalization in Calgary's downtown east end. (The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland)

Yesterday's weirdness is tomorrow's reason why. -- Hunter S. Thompson

SOME GOOD NEWS

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. New vision for The Confluence in Calgary features 16,000-capacity amphitheatre, outdoor hockey rink (CBC) CALGARY STORY We attended this launch event. I love this vision. It makes me so happy. Congrats to Confluence and to all of its partners. "The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland is proposing to add a a outdoor theatre for 16,000 spectators, an NHL-sized open-air hockey rink and a pow wow venue, as part of its concept plan for a major future renovation. It is part of a 20-year strategy to revitalize the green space, which already serves as host to music festivals and events like skijoring. The goal is to bring more events to the city’s downtown east end, while honouring the site's history."

  2. VIDEO: The Pizza Huts from your childhood are making a comeback. Here's why nostalgia sells (CBC) Mmmm...I can taste the greasy (but delicious) slices now. "It was once a sacred place, ushering you inside with its signature red roof and comforting smell of bubbling cheese in a special era now known lovingly as 'the '90s.' In its prime, Pizza Hut wasn't just a restaurant chain — it was an experience. The stained glass lamps, red booths and red cups. The fully loaded salad bar. The Pac-Man machines to keep you entertained while you waited for your personal-pan pizza [...] Now, one of the largest franchisees in the U.S. is bringing Pizza Hut back to its retro glory days by revamping dozens of its locations, part of a larger overall push toward classic Pizza Huts."

  3. National Music Centre Names Steve Kane as Chair of NMC Board of Directors and Announces Board Updates (Studio Bell) CALGARY STORY Congrats! "The National Music Centre (NMC) is pleased to announce the appointment of current board member Steve Kane as Chair of the Board, along with several updates to its Board of Directors [...] Steve Kane is a 35-year veteran of the Canadian music industry, serving as the longtime President of Warner Music Canada (2001-2021). He has also held roles as Senior Vice President of Universal/Island/Def Jam Canada (1998-2001), and Senior Vice President of Polygram Records in Canada in 1997. For his contributions, he was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame in 2015."

  4. VIDEO: Soccer icon Christine Sinclair honours late mother in new short animated film (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Can't wait to watch it. "After Christine captained Canada to Olympic gold, she was inspired by her mother to write her memoir Playing the Long Game, which was released a few months after Sandra died in February 2022. Sandra now plays a prominent role in Christine’s short animated film, Christine Sinclair: Kind of a Big Deal, a seven-minute documentary about her life and career[.]"

  5. Robots are reshaping how wars are fought (CBC) Eeek. "Unmanned drones and robots are changing how wars are fought, including on the battlefield in Ukraine."

  6. Playing the long game: How sports can be the foundation of lasting philanthropy (Investment News) "Sports and physical fitness attract a fraction of philanthropic giving compared to health and education, yet [...] their impact is far wider than is commonly recognised '[I]t’s not just sports for the sake of sports. Sports and physical fitness promote healthy lifestyles and can significantly impact long-term wellbeing and preventive health. The ripple effects stretch well beyond the playing field.' "

  7. The Evolution of Spruce Meadows (Avenue Calgary) CALGARY STORY We are all proud to have such a world-class facility in our city. "Spruce Meadows opened in 1975 — the project of Marg Southern and her husband, Ron, the founder of ATCO, the Calgary-based energy, utilities and infrastructure company. Their motivation was not commercial, but community oriented. Their daughters, Linda and Nancy, were avid equestrians, but the impact of Spruce Meadows’ growth would ultimately reach far beyond the Southern family. Over five decades, the Southerns transformed acres of raw grassland into a world-class sports and entertainment venue hosting international equestrian sport, professional soccer matches, concerts and festivals."

  8. VIDEO: NASA reveals first plans for a moon base (CBC) Looks like we are going to do this #Yay. "Moon Base 2 will include lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs). The first one was given to Astrolab, which will be delivered by Astrobotic, the second to Lunar Outpost, two commercial companies that will be part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), a program that includes private companies contracted to the space agency for various services. Finally, Moon Base 3 will include payloads from the European Space Agency and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute."

  9. Mayor Farkas proclaims May 25 as Brown Bagging It Day for Calgary (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY We love BB4CK. "Mayor Jeromy Farkas and members of city hall rolled up their sleeves to help ensure no child goes hungry at school, while also serving up a proclamation for National Brown Bagging It Day [...] Although it runs various programs, the school lunch program is the biggest for Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids, which serves 8,000 kids at 300 schools every day, the group’s executive director, Bethany Ross, said after assembling sandwiches with Farkas."

  10. At Upper Bound, AI experts debate what it means to be a person (Betakit) CANADIAN CONTENT My son graduated from physics at the UofA earlier this year. Dr. Sutton received an honorary degree and spoke at the convocation ceremony. I am not sure if I am excited or frightened by his view of the future of machines. " 'There will come a time when [machines] are persons. That time is not now,' Sutton said. However, he added that right now is a profound time in this debate because people feel the need to ask the question. 'A very important part of machines being people is the public getting used to it and being able to treat these people as true people.' "

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Fiona Hill’s ancient persuasion trick (Instagram) Ethos, logos, and pathos. Worth watching if you are in the business of being taken seriously.

  2. I Tried Every Vocabulary Method — Here’s What Actually Works (Activated Thinker) Cool suggestions on how to better learn a language.

  3. Linear Algebra Beyond Numbers (Mathphye) For the math nerds (i.e., me).

  4. Data Science From Zero: 5 Concepts Anyone Can Learn Today (pub.towardsai.net) Even if you are not at the centre of a data science project, you would be well served to understand these key concepts. With AI as partner and processes like these, I have been able to do big data projects unimaginable five years ago.

  5. The Rest Day Mistake Aging You Faster Than Any Workout (Crows Feet) Are you taking a 15-minute walk after eating?

  6. The Three Most Important Qualities for Marathon Runners (It’s Not Just VO2 Max) (In Fitness and In Health) How is your expertise economy? Hint: if you are runner, you also need to hit the gym.

  7. Offline Is the New Cool. Why Everyone Is Quitting Social Media (Mona Lazzar) Interestingly, my daughter and her friends are reducing their social media consumption.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Record $15M donation to Holland College aimed at strengthening PEI.'s workforce (MSN) PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND STORY This is terrific. "Holland College has received a $15-million donation aimed at equipping students for in-demand careers and supporting business growth in Prince Edward Island. The donation from the Weston family is the largest the post-secondary institution has received to date, and will fund a multi-year initiative called FutureWorks P.E.I."

  2. Northern Light Health to establish center focused on genetic therapy for cancer (Maine Public) "Northern Light Health is opening a new center focused on gene therapy thanks to a $10 million donation [...] The gift is from Jim Gero in honor of his late with Cathy, who passed away from cancer in 2022."

  3. Morgridges donate $85.2 million to renovate Science Hall (The Daily Cardinal) "John and Tashia Morgridge donated $85.2 million toward a renovation of Science Hall, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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