Blast from the past very present once again

Bearing other people’s burdens

It might feel like an honour to have a family member or friend place tremendous trust in you to be their voice when they can no longer speak for themselves.

Whether they’re physically or mentally unable to do so, or deceased, being in charge of fulfilling their wishes often can’t be fully grasped by those taking on the roles of executor of their will or power of attorney.

These important jobs may not be the most onerous on the planet, but for the uninitiated, they probably involve more twists and turns than anticipated.

There’s not many playbooks on how to be an executor or serve as the attorney-in-fact named in the power of attorney document, says Philippe Richer, lawyer and principal at TLR Law Office in Winnipeg.

From ‘Freedom convoy’ to border blockade: The tale of two towns — Ottawa and Coutts, Alta. — caught in the middle of a protest

They are, seemingly, two different manifestations of the same resentment and fury that has brewed across the country over the past nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic —sparked newly by the vaccine mandates affecting truckers crossing the Canada-U.S. border.

21 positive for coronavirus on cruise ship off California

SAN FRANCISCO - Twenty-one people aboard a mammoth cruise ship off the California coast tested positive for the new coronavirus and 19 of them are crew members, Vice-President Mike Pence announced Friday, amid evidence the vessel was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of more than 10 cases during its previous voyage.

He said federal officials were working with California authorities around-the-clock to bring the Grand Princess, with more than 3,500 on board, to a non-commercial port over the weekend and test everyone for the virus. There was no immediate word on where the vessel will dock.

“Those that will need to be quarantined will be quarantined. Those who will require medical help will receive it,” Pence said.

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 16 after Florida health officials said late Friday night that two people who tested positive for the new coronavirus died in the state. The announcement was the first report of deaths on the East Coast.

Taking the leap

Two months ago, Winnipeg high-diver Alex Tiaglei received a call that he could’ve easily confused for a belated April Fool’s joke.

On the other end was his American-born friend Braden Rumpit, whom Tiaglei had dove against at several competitions around the world.

Rumpit gave it to him straight: he planned to do a cliff dive in all 50 United States in 50 days, and he wanted Tiaglei to do it with him.

“I mean, at first I thought he was kind of crazy,” said Tiaglei. “But then I started thinking about it, and the pieces were definitely falling together pretty well.”

State of emergency declared after unprecedented October snowfall

Premier Brian Pallister has declared a state of emergency in response to a massive snowstorm that slammed Manitoba heading into the Thanksgiving weekend.

“I have spoken to Manitoba Hydro and they have officially made a request to declare a state of emergency, which gives them the power to access additional resources, supplies, materials,” Pallister said.

“(This will help) restore power as quick as possible. We’ll be proceeding to grant that request.”

The storm knocked down hundreds of power lines and forced the closure of dozens of highways. More snow fell on Winnipeg than the city has had in all of October in any single year.

Mary Tyler Moore’s passing feels more personal than the rest

This one feels oddly personal.

The past year has been a sombre parade of celebrity deaths, beginning with last January's passing of musicians David Bowie and Glenn Frey and continuing through the late winter and early spring with the deaths of comedian/actor Garry Shandling, record producer Sir George Martin, actress Patty Duke and pop-music icon Prince; summer brought sad farewells to legendary sportsmen Muhammad Ali and Gordie Howe, writer/producer Garry Marshall and actor Gene Wilder, and before 2016 could come to its woeful end we also lost golf pioneer Arnold Palmer, poet/musician Leonard Cohen, actor Alan Thicke, singer George Michael and the mother/daughter tandem of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.

All of them were, in their own way, beloved, and the passing of each was followed by tributes and, for some, a few tears. But for several reasons, Wednesday's passing of TV icon Mary Tyler Moore feels like it hits a little bit closer to home.

Moore, who died at age 80, was one of television's most adored, enduring and important figures. She rose to stardom, as co-star of The Dick Van Dyke Show, in 1961, which is right around the time I started watching TV. So as someone who loved television as a kid and somehow grew up to spend most of my adult life watching it for a living, it's fair to say Moore has been a pop-culture presence throughout my entire lifetime.