How is Canada’s medicare system “losing its way”? Find out by reading Ken Wightman‘s excellent coverage of a panel discussion with Canadian doctors, held in London, Ontario. The report divulges some of the negative aspects of Canadian health care, and suggests aggressive moves to steer it in the right direction. It’s a timely issue applicable to both sides of the border.
You might not have ever wanted to dine on piranha or cat poo coffee, but reading about it can be highly amusing. That’s the crux of Bob Gordon‘s profile of Massimo Marcone, author of the book Acquired Tastes: On the trail of the world’s most sought-after delicacies. It’s easy to learn a lot from this article, from how to make that aforementioned cat scat coffee to what hooks him to food that gives others the “heebie jeebies.” Great interview, Bob.
The Oscars may be behind us but the award show left a trail of movies worth seeing, if you haven’t already. At the top of the heap is Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, and Digital Journalist Earl Dittman provides readers with a Clooney Q&A you won’t soon forget. We won’t give away any juicy details, so head over to the article when you have a chance to hear what Clooney says about how the recession affected him and what movie genre he still finds difficult.
A selection of other notable stories include:
• Indian Minister: Maoists to overthrow Indian government by 2050 by Andrew Moran: Is it paranoia or a rational prediction? Andrew reports on Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai saying Maoist rebels are gaining strength and may overtake the government in 40 years. Well, it might not take that long, according to Maoist leader Koteswar Rao A.K.A. Kishejni, who told the press this government coup may occur sooner: “We are fully prepared for a long-term revolution against the government and so we don’t need any specific time to restructure ourselves.”
• Oklahoma: Baby mauled to death by dog by Elliot Meszaros: Tragic news out of Oklahoma, where a little girl less than a year was attacked and killed by her family’s Rottweiler. Debra Myers offers some advice for Rottweiler owners: “Rule of thumb with any of these kinds of dogs though, that are known to be aggressive, is to never leave them in a room with a child alone! Never!”
• Several people hospitalized after eating marijuana brownies by Sandy Sand: You don’t have to work for High Times to giggle at this story – a few pot-brownie eaters experienced hallucinations and difficulty breathing when they ate too many dope-goodies in Huntington Beach, California. But wait, isn’t that the intended effect of getting high?
• Lesbians’ preschool child banned from Colorado school by KJ Mullins: The intro says it all: “A Denver preschool girl has been refused a place in a Catholic kindergarten because her parents are lesbians.” KJ says the the girl is being allowed to finish the preschool year, but she won’t be allowed to attend kindergarten next year. Why? School officials said, “We don’t want to put any child in that tough position — nor do we want to put the parents, or the teachers, at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church.” Do you agree with this decision?
• ‘Midnight Knitter’ baffles police in West Cape May, New Jersey by Stephanie Dearing: We’ve heard of late-night graffiti taggers, but guerilla knitting? Stephanie enlightens us to the actions of the “midnight knitter in New Jersey, known to add knitted works to trees and lamp posts. She reports, “A person or group calling him/herself “Salty Knits” has claimed to be behind the colourful handmade decorations that show up overnight.” See some knitting handiwork on your streets? Upload photos to DigitalJournal.com and explain the discovery in the cutline.
• Female driver shaving genitals causes accident in Florida by Bob Gordon: Who could’ve predicted this article would be shared on Facebook more than 5,900 times? And counting. Bob’s reportage on a Florida woman shaving her vagina while driving, and inevitably crashing into another car, has been rocketing into viral fame. Why? We can only guess readers are aghast at this woman’s odd actions, and perhaps there’s a lesson here: Don’t groom and drive, especially below the equator. Shouldn’t she have known that tidbit, though?
• CIA filled French bread with LSD in experiment during 1950s by Andrew Moran: This story will get CIA conspiracy theorists excited – evidently, in 1951 CIA operatives laced bread and other food with LSD in the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in France. An investigative journalist has uncovered this secret, and also explained the suicide of a biochemist associated with these drug experiments. Carolyn E. Price couldn’t help but find the lighter side to this news: “Too bloody bad this was before my time.”
• Actor Corey Haim dead at age 38 by KJ Mullins: This former teen idol gave us License to Drive, The Lost Boys and Lucas, and now he’s the basis for thousands of obituaries this week, including KJ’s take on the deceased actor. The Toronto-born Haim apparently overdosed on drugs, and a coroner recently stated an overdose shouldn’t be ruled out. Check out the comments section in the article to see the sympathies offered by readers.
The Blog Post of the Week is awarded to Joseph Boltrukiewicz for his pictoral essay on the dance-fight show of capoeria in Vancouver. We’ll leave the explanation of capoeira to Joseph – “The fighters simulate the fight in the rhythm of music and stop hitting the fighting partner in the last moment; their arms, hands and fists close to the opponent’s face of belly for a fraction of an inch.” The photos capture the acrobatic zeal of these dancers, and their colourful impact might make you want to sign up for a capoeira class in your community. Yes, they’re all over the world.
