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Morning Start: Remember handshakes? They likely started off as a safety measure

Your morning start for Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020
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Warm weather continues in the Okanagan and Shuswap — as does a special air quality statement throughout the Okanagan due to wildfire smoke travelling from the U.S.

Fun Fact of the day: The origins of the handshake

From bowing to elbow-tapping to awkwardly waving at a distance, greetings have become a little more complicated in 2020. But for anyone who’s found it a challenge to shake the habit of the handshake, it’s good to remember that old habits die hard — and the handshake dates back to at least Ancient Greece.

In those times, the handshake was more than a formality or the final seal on a business agreement. A popular theory holds that the clasping of open hands started off as a peace symbol in the most literal sense, as it indicated to both parties that neither was holding a weapon.

According to History.com, some scholars even believe the up-and-down motion of the handshake was originally meant to dislodge any weapons that might be hidden up a sleeve.

Ironically, the gesture that began as a way to ensure safety thousands of years ago has been eschewed for the same reason in 2020.

Weather forecast according to Environment Canada:

In Kelowna:

In Vernon:

In Penticton:

In Salmon Arm:

In case you missed it:

A sea lion trapped in human garbage has a second chance at life thanks to the sharp eye of a lighthouse-dwelling ‘ecoguardian’ at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve near Metchosin.

Mara Radawetz and Kai Westby, who live in the island’s lighthouse tower and monitor the reserve on behalf of Pearson College, called in back-up support when Radawetz spotted a California sea lion with a plastic packing band tightly bound around its neck on Sept. 1.

Fortunately, the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre team arrived on Sept. 10. Read More

Video of the day:

A reminder that goats defy all laws of gravity. Look at them go!

READ MORE: Daring cliffside rescue ends busy summer for Shuswap marine rescue


Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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