8 Things You Need To Know For October 11
Including why retail workers hate you, moving to Calgary & an Ontario mystical village guide.
A woman shopping for clothes. Right: A town surrounded by trees with changing leaves.
Good morning — Andrew from Narcity here. ☕
Off The Top: Saturday Night Live spoofed the "Try Guys" scandal over the weekend. Starring veteran Irish character actor Brendan Gleeson as a CNN reporter, the sketch pokes fun at the way the media has breathlessly covered the millionaire YouTubers who seemingly no one had any idea existed before last week.
In Case You Missed It
1. The Biggest Culture Shocks Of Moving From Ontario To Alberta
It's readily apparent to pretty much every Canadian who consumes media online that Alberta is making a massive marketing push to attract people to permanently relocate to the province. TikToker Jonny Arnott evidently didn't need the campaign to make the move from Ottawa to Calgary back in 2020 but has since garnered a following for detailing the culture shock of living in Alberta. Charlie Hart takes us through some of Arnott's top videos and chats with the creator.
- Counterpoint: Our Brooke Houghton recently visited Alberta and says she has no intention of relocating anytime soon. Here are the six reasons you couldn't pay her to move to Calgary permanently.
2. How Have American & Canadian Baby Name Trends Changed Since 1920?
America's list of most popular baby names has changed dramatically over the past century or so. According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, once-super-common girls' names like Mildred, Dorothy and Ruth have been replaced with the likes of Charlotte, Emma and Mia. On the boys' side, James and William have remained in high rotation but names like Charles and George have fallen out of favour. Making her Morning Brief debut, here's Narcity's new Associate Editor of global news, Asymina Kantorowicz, with more observations.
3. POV: The 9 Things That Drive Every Retail Worker Up The Wall
Yes, there are a few key benefits to working in retail — namely, in-store staff discounts. However, as former retail worker Charlie Hart explains, there's also no shortage of things that visitors do that annoy staff to no end. For example, take those meticulously folded piles of jeans; is it better to knock over the pile to find the right size or attempt to nicely refold each disrupted item? Trick question! Both tactics apparently aggravate retail workers. Here's what else you need to know from a former retail pro.
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What Else You Need To Know Today
🗣️ KANYE WORST
The best time to get off the Kanye West bandwagon was approximately 47 stops ago; the second-best time is right now after the rapper published a string of antisemitic posts that has temporarily blocked him from posting on Twitter and Instagram. Sameen Chaudhry has details on Ye's latest buffoonery.
🎶 TUNE SQUAD
Canadian musicians were the toast of a new list from Billboard ranking the 100 greatest karaoke songs of all time, with Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" coming in at No. 1. Sarah Rohoman writes that an Alanis Morissette song also cracked the top 10 while a Celine Dion ballad also came in at No. 15. Read up before your next karaoke night.
🏘 VILLAGE PEOPLE
If your Halloween hobby is pretending like you're the protagonist in a made-for-TV Disney Channel movie, you could do a lot worse than taking a road trip to visit these seven mystical Ontario villages. Madeline Forsyth breaks down the best locales for some small-town autumn fun.
🤢 TOTAL RECALL
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to head to your fridges and pantries for another exciting round of Things That Could Kill You If You Eat Them. According to Sarah Rohoman, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued recalls for a number of items, including cider and a number of cheeses. You can find the full list here.
🎂 BIRTHDAYS
Let's hope Cardi B has a nice WAP — wildly amazing party — to celebrate her 30th birthday. 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski turns 54. The late Luke Perry would've turned 56 today. The wonderful Joan Cusack is 60 years old. Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young is 61. Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates turns 76. The late crime-obsessed author Elmore Leonard was born on this day in 1925.
Thanks for reading Narcity's Canada Morning Brief — the newsletter written by a guy who tries (though is decidedly not a Try Guy).
Let me know your go-to karaoke song at andrew.potter@narcity.com or hit me up on Twitter if you'd prefer at @andrewjoepotter.
Have a great day and I will see you back here tomorrow!