September 30, 2016
May 11, 2015
We show you how to eat in bed in our videos of the week
Should you eat in bed? Comedian and author Monica Heisey has a fool proof plan for attending your own bed buffet.
Look out Ron Burgundy. Here’s The Edmonton Journal’s campy Alberta Election coverage promo video from last week.
A Vancouver Sun investigation has uncovered government and police reports dating back 20 years that document the infiltration of organized crime. Mexican Cartels, the Mafia, the Hells Angels and a myriad of other organized crime groups have penetrated ports across Canada. Here’s a look at Part 1 of the special series…
…and Part 2.
Finally, the Ottawa Citizen’s resident hot jock, Vito Pilieci and spicy afficionado, Drake Fenton, go head to head with a plate of Atomic Jerk Chicken from Flavours of the Caribbean in Ottawa. As you will see some like it hot!
May 5, 2015
Peanuts and beer headlines our videos of the week
What will Ontario’s new Beer Ombudsman do all day? The National Post’s Full Comment team took a Peanuts inspired look at a day in the life of the province’s newest bureaucrat.
The story of a Calgary couple’s home being destroyed by an Airbnb renter quickly went viral last week. Here’s the video from the Calgary Herald.
What message do Ketchup, Pickle, and Sweet Chili Heat flavoured Doritos send to our brains and bellies? The National Post’s Rebecca Tucker explains in the Dorito Effect. (Pro Tip: Stay to the end for a special National Post musical performance!)
Finally, Chilly Gonzales was featured in last week’s edition of NP Session with their song ‘Cello Gonzales’.
April 30, 2015
Amazing video: The moment the Nepal earthquake happened
A tourist in Bhaktapur, a short distance from Kathmandu, caught on camera the moment Saturday’s devastating earthquake hit the city causing thousands of deaths and widespread damage.
More than 70 aftershocks stronger than magnitude 3.2 have been recorded in the Himalayan region by Indian scientists over the past five days, according to J.L. Gautam, the director of seismology at the Indian Meteorological Department in New Delhi. The strongest, registering magnitude 6.9, came on Sunday, he said.
Rattled by the shaking and anxious to check on family members in outlying areas, tens of thousands of people have left the capital on buses this week. The government has been providing free bus service to many destinations.
Five days after the quake, tent cities in Kathmandu had thinned out, as overnight rainfall persuaded many people to return to their homes, even if they were damaged by the quake. The streets of the capital were slick with rain Thursday morning, the potholes were filled with water.
April 28, 2015
Yoga pants not required
The latest research shows mindfulness can help everyone from celebrities and school kids to business executives and people living in poverty. Photo: Cliff House Resort and Spa Gwyneth Paltrow does it. So does potential U.S. “first husband” Bill Clinton. It’s possible your kids are doing it at school, too.
Once the pursuit of the saffron-robe set, the modern practice of mindfulness has moved beyond New Age ashrams into one of Canada’s most troubled neighbourhoods. There, it’s offering much-needed hope to marginalized people—giving them a new set of skills to cope with life’s stressors.
Inspired by the work of American Jon Kabat-Zinn (creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and founder of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare, Society at the University of Massachusetts), mindfulness involves intentionally focusing on your breathing, thoughts and emotions, and “being in” the present moment, not judging anything you’re experiencing.
Gwyneth Paltrow practises mindfulness. Reuters
It’s a lot harder than it sounds. But according to Kabat-Zinn, when we practise mindfulness, we stop ourselves from being lost in thoughts and emotions, and gain clarity, wisdom and self-compassion.
Perhaps what’s most fascinating about mindfulness is that it’s a powerful and free tool for people of all ages facing vastly different challenges—in the boardroom, school, or on the streets.
The Harvard Business Review recently called mindfulness a “must-have” for corporate executives. The endorsement is based on a study led by the University of British Columbia (UBC), that shows people who practise mindfulness have healthier brains, make better decisions and are more resilient against chronic stress.
A separate UBC study found that mindfulness programs for schoolchildren (which include breathing and movement exercises), boost kids’ social skills and learning.
In Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood, the Centre for Mindfulness Studies (CMS), launched a pilot project to help marginalized people deal with their physical and mental health challenges.
“On my walks I can just wander around downtown and tune out the bustle of the city. I hear only the sparrows singing. And I know I’ll never raise a hand to anyone again.” – John Rogers
Canadians with low incomes suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses at double the rate of those with higher incomes. And Tita Ang-Angco, executive director at CMS, points out mindfulness is an always accessible, low-cost resilience booster.
By his own description, John Rogers was a “miserable cuss.” Raised by an abusive mother, he struggled to keep a job and scrape together rent. “Whatever money was left over came with me to the bar and I got into trouble. I was more fists than words.”
Rogers took tranquilizers “and other pills I can’t pronounce” to deal with bipolar disorder.
Today, you would never know the 61-year-old Parkdale resident had a violent bone in his body.
Rogers participates in the CMS group mindfulness therapy training program, and sometimes even leads the group in mindfulness meditation. He has learned to manage his emotions and potential outbursts without resorting to violence.
When an acquaintance recently picked on Alice, his wife of almost 20 years, Rogers felt a familiar rage welling inside. “I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye,” he told us. “I said, ‘You’re upsetting my wife. You’re upsetting my friends. And you’re upsetting me, and that’s not a good idea.’ Then I walked away to calm down. He apologized to Alice, and now we’re good.”
Parkdale resident, John Rogers, has found a new freedom through mindfulness. The Centre for Mindfulness Studies
Rogers has also started journaling. “It’s like therapy. I write it out instead of lashing out.”
Other participants in the pilot project report similar benefits from mindfulness, including fewer mood swings and spirals of self-doubt that prevent them from holding down jobs. Some also experience less pain from chronic physical illness and feel generally capable of “experiencing life without feeling so overwhelmed,” as one participant says.
For Rogers, mindfulness is inner peace and a new kind of strength.
“On my walks I can just wander around downtown and tune out the bustle of the city. I hear only the sparrows singing. And I know I’ll never raise a hand to anyone again.”
Canada’s marginalized communities still face a myriad of poverty-related challenges. But empowering their residents with the skills of mindfulness is a low-cost step toward finding solutions.
Brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger founded a platform for social change that includes the international charity Free The Children, the social enterprise Me to We and the youth empowerment movement We Day.
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