Ever wanted to know the mindset behind an independent candidate vying for a Senate seat in the U.S.? Michael Krebs takes us down that path with an insightful interview with Trevor Drow, a former Green Beret now tossing his helmet into the ring for Arkansas Senator. The Q&A touches on a wide variety of issues, so let Trevor and Michael know what you think of the proposed policies in the comment section.
KJ Mullins brings us a Toronto perspective on headline news, from homelessness to hyper-local blogs. She interviews the organizer behind a new homeless shelter opening in Toronto, investigating the costs and specifics of this new venue. In another article, she goes deep behind the hyper-local blog blogTO by interviewing the founder Tim Shore. It’s a great interview for anyone interesting in online community news and how these blog creators view the mainstream media.
Ever the hard-working interviewer, Salim Jiwa introduces us to a shocking story about a Beaver float plane sinking into water and killing six people on board. He doesn’t just reiterate facts but offers a refreshing take by interviewing some key people involved in transportation safety. Here’s a story you won’t see everyday.
A selection of other notable stories include:
• H1N1 swine flu mutation spreads, deaths worldwide on the rise by Michael Krebs: Evidence is mounting that the swine flu epidemic is spreading, we learn in this illuminating article. We find out from WHO officials how the “mutation could increase the ability of the virus to affect the respiratory tracts” and also why they’re unsure about the inevitable outcome of H1N1.
• E.coli Found in Portland Water by Carol Forsloff: In other upsetting news, Carol alerts us to a potential crisis in Oregon, where e. coli was found in water in Portland. On Saturday, fecal contamination was discovered in the Washington Park open reservoir. Nothing good comes with the word “fecal.” But Carol follows up this article with a post about the “all clear” designated for Portland water, after officials said no contaminated water were circulating in the pipes. Yay?
• World reaction to Swiss ban on the construction of minarets by Maciej Lewandowski: It’s become one of the most fiery stories this week — Switzerland imposed a ban on building minarets, the spires found atop mosques. Much fear-mongering has spread across the neutral country, apparently in reaction to a growing Muslim population. Maciej rounds up reactions to this odd ban and also interviews a Swiss citizen to get an insider perspective.
• Climate change scientists threw away temperature data on warming by Michael Krebs: “After their email strings were hacked and after being subjected to the protocols of Freedom of Information legislation, University of East Anglia scientist admitted that they have thrown out all raw temperature data supporting global warming.” So begins a whirlwind of an article involving deception, cyber-crime and climate change patterns bound to spark controversy at any water cooler.
• Bishop says Christmas carols are nonsense by Kevin Jess: A British bishop went all Scrooge when he said Christmas carols are pointless and turn Jesus Chris into a Santa Clause-type figure. As Kevin Jess tells us, “the Bishop of Croydon reportedly feels that the songs only relegate the story of Christ’s birth to ‘just one more story alongside the panto and fairy stories’.” Do you agree?
• Tiger Woods ‘regrets transgressions’ in website statement by Oliver VanDervoot: Tiger Woods hasn’t claimed this much attention since, well, since never. His auto accident last week has spiralled into a PR horror story for the golfer, as he admits “transgressions” of the salacious variety. Rest assured this story will remain on the airwaves and online for much longer than it should. As we saw with Letterman, when celebrities make a mistake, the world takes notice.
• Malware blamed for Windows 7 ‘black screen of death’ by Gemma Fox: In tech news, Gemma explains why some users of Windows 7 are experiencing a major black screen frustration. Blame malware, she says, and not the security updates Microsoft suggests, which was the main culprit earlier. Either way, would you invest in Windows 7 knowing these problems exist?
The Top Blog Post of the Week is awarded to Gemma Fox for her rant on carrier bags. She explains if these non-plastic bags are really just a way for retailer’s save money, instead of saving the Earth. One of her choice sentences: “When it comes to supermarket shopping I have to acknowledge that re-usable bags are the most sensible thing to use. The reason being is that supermarket plastic carrier bags don’t hold a packet of chewing gum these days.” Keep it up, Gemma!
