You know how everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news that John Lennon or Princess Diana died? Well, for my generation that day is today, and that artist is Prince.
Prince was only 57, and while details surrounding the circumstances of his death trickle in, everyone can agree it was untimely and devastating.
Fans are already gathering en masse outside of his Minneapolis estate, Paisley Park. Though the investigation is currently underway, we do know that Prince was hospitalized not long ago, reportedly for a 'flu.'
He was an icon, and like Bowie who also recently passed, a musical virtuoso. Many - myself included - would go so far as to say genius.
Purple Rain was the first cassette I ever bought. It was a special day, I was shopping at The Bay in Montreal with my uncle. The year was 1984. More than 20 years later, I was lucky enough to hear him play the last of 21 consecutive nights in London. All 21 nights sold out at a venue that seats 24,000 people. That says a lot about his music.
Those songs - his pure voice, his fingertips on the ivory keys - still had the power to get his fans up on their feet. Still had the power, in a single key, to make goosebumps break out all over my body. Let's not even talk about the guitar licks, and the music he wrote for so many other artists...
There are only a handful of albums that truly stand the test of time. And Purple Rain is one of them.
Though incredibly private, over the course of his long and prolific career Prince fought for freedom of expression, the rights of artists.
Few musicians have the gift to make music so beautiful and haunting. Prince had that gift - in spades - and we were lucky to be on the receiving end.
Image Source: Flickr
Finding the perfect babysitter isn't easy. After all, you're charging another human (often one you don't know from Adam) with the job of caring for your impressionable babes while you aren't there. Terrifying.
No one wants to invite a potential axe murderer into their home, so how you can ensure that your sitter's worldview aligns with your own? The answer is, you can't. Aside from interviewing prospective sitters and checking references, you have to wing it and trust your gut.
One Australian couple tried to spell out the sort of individual they wanted looking after their three children. They were quite explicit about what they expected in the candidate.
No mention of respect or kindness. No mention of TV, bedtime, or smoking in the house... The couple sent the following text stipulating their very specific requirements to the agency REACH Kids.
Needless to say, the request wasn't well received.
While it's probably fine for a family to request someone from a faith background, this couple went one further and actively asked that the sitter be homophobic like them.
"We also request that the babysitter supports our teaching of anti gay marriage, and lack of support for the gay/rainbow flag community," read the couple's text. "We are just asking for a normal person, not one with coloured hair or supporting radical gender theories. We want to raise our kids to be normal."
Because of course the first thing a sitter will do the second you leave is swathe your child in a rainbow flag and indoctrinate them in pro-LGBT propaganda. Sigh.
(Incidentally, if hair colour equates to deviance, I'm personally doomed!)
REACH was stunned by the request, and shared it on Facebook before rejecting the couple:
"While I can understand wanting a sitter whose religious beliefs align with your own, to ask that the person serving you openly disrespects another group of people is outrageous."
Hope this couple likes take-out (normal food, nothing ethic, obviously) because I have a feeling they'll be stuck eating at home for a very long time.
Following the recall of Nature's Touch Organic Berry Cherry Blend on Saturday due to contamination, Costco is now offering affected consumers Hepatitis A vaccinations.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recalled the frozen berry mix sold exclusively at Costco locations in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
To date, there have been 13 reported cases of Hep A linked to the berries, nine of which occurred in Ontario, three in Quebec and one in Newfoundland and Labrador. Three individuals were hospitalized as a result.
The Public Health Agency of Canada advises anyone who consumed the product, or who shows symptoms of Hepatitis A, to see their doctor immediately.
Costco Canada is offering vaccinations for anyone affected. If taken within two weeks of exposure, the vaccine can prevent the onset of symptoms, which include inflammation of the liver, fever, low appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, and jaundice.
Though mild symptoms may last no more than a couple weeks, more severe cases can last several months.
The recalled berry 1.5 kg packages with the UPC code 8 73668 00179 1 had best before dates up to and including March 16, 2018.
Click for further information about the CFIA recall and details about the outbreak from the Health Agency.
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