Prince Willy to wed, drinking is good for you, and food bank use is up

Helloooo, royal wedding! Prince William has finally popped the question to long-time, on-again-off-again girlfriend Kate Middleton. No date has been set, but rumours are already circulating that the wedding will be “the biggest since William’s mother, Diana, married Prince Charles.” Kiss her, Willy, and make her a princess. 

Hey ladies, want to improve your heart health? Have a drink! In fact, while you're at it, have two. New research has found that middle-aged women who have one to two drinks per day increase their chances of having a healthy old age. Previous studies had shown that a single daily drink lowered the risk of stroke, but this new study, presented Monday at the American Heart and Stroke Foundation's annual general meeting, has found that two drinks are just as good as one. So go ahead, make it a double. 

Jezebel takes an interesting look at a recent Newsweek piece on omnimania, or shopping addiction. The majority of sufferers are women, and it's a difficult topic for many of those afflicted to discuss. Some doctors won't take it seriously, and, like many addictions, it can be difficult for friends and family to understand. Jezebel encourages young women to “look beyond externals and find abiding interests" to help combat the spread of the disorder, "because it's not like the culture of consumerism — or targeted advertising — is going anywhere.” 

Food bank use in Canada is the highest it's been since 1997, according to statistics released Tuesday. Almost 900,000 people used food banks in March 2010, an increase of more than 73,000 people compared to 2009, and up 28 percent from 2008. The numbers come from a survey coordinated by Food Banks Canada, which also found that 38 percent of those using food banks are children under the age of 18. 

It seems we Canadians are determined to get our holiday sun, drug cartels and methane gas explosions be darned. Travel industry experts are reporting that we're still happily heading south to Mexico for the winter, despite a drug war and a resort explosion over the weekend that has left five Canadians dead. Surprisingly, bookings to Mexico are actually up 10 percent this year. Travel planner Sunwing's vice-president says they've received numerous calls looking for information on the recent explosion in Playa del Carmen, but no one is cancelling their holidays.