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Must-see videos of the week – August 23

Surprise for vacationing fishermen off the coast of Dominican Republic

From our prime minister getting hugs from kids to a boy saving a community by wrestling a gator, we've seen some great videos this week. Here are some of our favourites:

1. Marlin nearly stabs fisherman after being caught

Florida fishermen on vacation in the Dominican Republic got quite the scare Thursday when a 350-pound Marlin they snagged jumped right into the boat, nearly stabbing the men with its spear-like nose. The fish landed in the cockpit of the 20-metre long 'Marlin Darlin' yacht. The fishing is usually catch-and-release, but unfortunately this marlin died from injuries sustained from flapping around in the boat.

[ Last week's must-see video: Fisherman catches seagull with his hands ]

2. Harper gets hugs

Prime Minister Stephen Harper usually doesn't give off that warm, fuzzy feeling. Five years ago when he dropped his daughter Rachel off at school one morning he gave her a rather awkward half hug and a pat on the back in a carefully scripted photo-op designed to improve his image. That was an improvement considering in 2006 he dropped both Rachel and his son Ben off at school with a handshake. The prime minister may be a lot of things, but warm isn't one of them. That's why it may seem so strange to see all these kids just come up and wrap their arms around his waist. The one girl in blue seems like she doesn't want to let go as Harper taps her back. Maybe she gets a different sense from him than we do. He gave the hugs after giving the schoolchildren an impromptu tour of a Hercules plane Monday in Hay River, N.W.T. during his annual tour of northern Canada.

3. Boy, 12, wrestles gator who attacked woman

We're guessing Joey Maffo doesn't have an issue with bullies at school. He may only be 12, but that didn't stop him from taking on one of the world's most feared animals. His neighbour was walking her dog in South Carolina recently when she got bit on the foot by a 2.5-metre long alligator. Joey and his grandpa, Joe, took a day to find the gator's lagoon lair and then Joey went to work. After four hours of trying to nab it, he managed to hook it and wrestle it into submission. Joe said he was exhausted and Joey was the perfect person for the job. While it seems amazing, Joe says his grandson has done this several hundred times before.

[ More Buzz: Illinois baby born in a parking lot, just like her dad ]

4. Tour Alberta's solar home

For centuries Canadians have been following the resources from coast to coast. When there is a boom in one part of the country you can count on a giant influx of jobs and people in a race to extract the resource. This is the case in many parts of Alberta , but it isn't all good news for migrants. It also means that the price of housing skyrockets as there is a shortage of units. In fact, Fort McMurray, Alberta has the highest rents in the country. But a group of students from the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University have a solution - and it is eco-friendly. They have designed a 900-square-foot module that uses no other energy other than what it provides. The home is now in the process of being disassembled and shipped to California to compete in the 2013 U.S. Solar Decathlon.

5. Cat stands like human when bell rings

Happy Friday. Here's a cat doing a silly trick!