Each week, TP1 shares the top five articles that caught our attention. Here are your must-reads, published here and abroad, for the week of December 14th.
The Top 5 will be taking a break until January 8. On behalf of the whole TP1 team, have a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2016!
Science fiction before Star Wars
The Star Wars movie trilogies have deeply impacted the movie landscape. Journalist Noel Murray guides us through the science fiction and fantasy movies that preceded Star Wars.
→ Read it on The Kernel Pocket
Viral content, cultural appropriation and intellectual property
Many cultural references used today, such as “On fleek” and “Whip/Nae Nae”, originated with Afro-American teens and spread via the Internet. Although these terms quickly went viral and the media just as quickly appropriated them, it’s difficult for the originators to earn royalties and claim intellectual property. In the age of YouTube and Vine, can oral expressions and dance moves be trademarked?
→ Read it on The Fader Pocket
En français SVP
Anne-Marie Beaudoin-Bégin, a linguist specializing in the sociolinguistic history of Quebec French and a lecturer at the Université Laval, recently published an article on how French has been bastardized in Quebec. Will the guardians of proper French defend its legitimacy?
→ Read it on Ricochet (French only) Pocket
How to crowdsource your next liver
Last January, billionaire and sports magnate Eugene Melnyk was diagnosed with liver failure. In a desperate attempt to find a compatible organ, the Canadian businessman launched a “crowdsourcing” campaign. Seven days later, he got a liver. What happens when PR campaigns dictate who gets an organ?
→ Read it on Toronto Life Pocket
Your iPhone is making you sad
You see them in restaurants, in the metro, pecking away at small lit screens. Although we long-ago learned the physical impacts of our smartphone habits, did we ever consider the psychological impacts? Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School professor, has drawn a direct line between mobiles, posture and mood.
→ Read it on The New York Times Pocket
🎄🎁 Gift ideas 🎁🎅
All throughout the month of December, the TP1 team has been recommending original gift ideas for holiday giving.
Shop at Plantzy for plants that will perk up grey winter weather. Get classic pajamas of the highest quality at The Sleep Shirt. For the sweet tooth on your list, a box of chocolates from Jeff de Burges and for more savoury friends, marinades from Preservation Society. Visit L’imposteur for candles in modern, geometric and concrete holders. Looking for a little country in the city? Then get a hand-painted oar at Ropes & Wood.
