IT’S A DAY of rest, and you may be in the mood for a quiet corner and a comfy chair. We’ve hand-picked the week’s best reads for you to savour.
In June, a forest fire raged near the Arizona town of Yarnell. 20 “hotshot” firefighters, the best of the best, were sent to protect the town from the oncoming flames. By the end of the day, all but one would be dead. In an amazing piece of writing, Kyle Dickman pieces together the final hours of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. (Outside Online- Approx 42 minutes reading time, 9,489 words.)
Radio transmissions were lost to the roar of the wind. Nothing more could be done. They’d lost Yarnell.
2. The “internet’s favourite one-eyed pirate cat”
The internet has always been fond of cats. Lolcats, grumpy cats and now, one-eyed pirate cats. The picture of Sir Stuffington, a Portland, Oregon cat with an eyepatch and bandana, has been shared across the internet all week. Asawin Suebsaeng tracked down the woman who started the love-in with Sir Stuffington, the fabulously named Blazer Schaffer and spoke about a whirlwind two weeks. (Mother Jones- Approx 4 minutes reading time, 854 words (as well as amazing photos))
I’m not as into Grumpy Cat. She seems like a lovely cat; I have nothing against her, but I’m a bigger fan of survivors.
3. Sending a cheque, getting shot and saving $200,000
America has been arguing the merits of Obamacare, and state-funded healthcare in general, forever it seems. While a host of conservative groups try to convince young Americans not to enroll in the plan. Young people generally don’t run up huge medical bills. Unless, like Brian Beutler, they get shot. (Salon- Approx 7 minutes reading time, 1,462 words)
My medical bills totalled about $200,000, mostly attributable to major surgery and a 10-day hospital stay. My deductible more than cleared out my bank account, but in the end, my insurer paid almost every other penny, and saved me from bankruptcy or a lifetime of debt.
4. Knife in the back, but fabulous fingernails
Closer to home, Matt McGrath has an excellent tale on the BBC website of the suspected end for Cashel Man. Cashel Man is the name given to the body found in a County Laois bog in 2011. McGrath talks about how the end for our hero may have been violent, but a crucial bit of evidence may have been destroyed. (BBC- Approx 7 minutes reading time, 1,323 words)
However, a critical piece of information that would cement this argument is missing.
Because Cashel Man’s chest was destroyed by the milling machine that uncovered him, the researchers are unable to examine the state of his nipples.
In the other two bog body cases, says Eamonn Kelly, the nipples had been deliberately damaged.
5. One Dollar vodka and 20 million alcoholics
Did you know that one in seven Russians is an alcoholic? Or that up to 60 per cent of alcohol is made illegally there? Stan Fedun‘s piece for The Atlantic breaks down the country’s dysfunction with alcohol and why there is so little being done about it. (The Atlantic- Approx 8 minutes reading time, 1,708 words)
By facilitating alcohol sales and distribution, the Kremlin has historically had considerable sway in recent decades. But Russia’s history with alcohol goes back centuries.
The idea that the three R’s is a little outdated has gained momentum in recent years. Nowhere is this evident more than Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Eric Larson takes a look at the first school in America to implement computer coding into all of its classes. (Mashable- Approx 13 minutes reading time, 2,532 words)
A coach isn’t failing if he’s got a player who can dunk over him. In the same way, a teacher isn’t failing just because he’s got a student who might be able to code a little better.
…AND ONE FROM THE ARCHIVES…
A Minnesota Wild promotional picture for Derek Boogard. Boogard was celebrated more for his ability to win fights than win games.
Going back to December of 2011, The New York Times’ John Branch’s three-part story of ice hockey “enforcer” Derek Boogard is a stunning piece of writing. Even if you’re not a fan of the sport, or any sport for that matter, the story of a man who was paid to fight, paid millions of dollars to take shots to the head, is deeply affecting. In all, it is not a sports story, it a story about a family left bereaved and a culture that discards young men. (New York Times- Approx 72 minutes reading time, 14,534 words)
The Boogaards learned of the surprising severity of the brain damage. And they heard about the prospects of middle-age dementia.It was then that Len Boogaard stopped listening. Something occurred to him that he did not expect.
For months, he could not bear the thought of his son’s death. Suddenly, he was forced to imagine the life his son might have been left to live.
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