Why music is as good as food and sex (sort of)

Most of us love listening to our favourite music, be it Beethoven or Britney, but now a new study has found that we like it for the same reason we like sex and eating: dopamine. The substance, previously known to affect the brain during both sexual encounters and eating (yum!), is also released when subjects anticipate or experience a particularly climactic musical moment. So put on some tunes and get euphoric! 

David and Victoria Beckham recently announced they are expecting a much longed for fourth child. The Beckham brood, already three sons strong, is reportedly very excited. Many suspect Victoria is hoping for a little sister for her creatively named flock of boys, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. And Victoria’s not the only former Spice Girl pregnant: Emma Bunton is also with child. 

Are you taking the Special K Challenge? It’s a two-week diet scheme promoted by the cereal company of the same name to help cereal-lovers lose weight. The problem? It promotes a diet that includes about 1,200 calories a day, which is, uh, not enough. Here’s a very excellent breakdown of why the Special K Challenge may be just a little too challenging. 

The tragic shooting that left six dead and fourteen injured over the weekend has sparked nationwide debate over what prompted the horrific attack. Many commentators on both sides of the political divide are blaming a general trend of increasingly angry and even violent rhetoric among both commentators and politicians. For a breakdown of what many of America’s most influential minds are saying on the topic, click here. 

While we pride ourselves on our openness, it turns out that Canada is not as open and free as you might think. A new study by two British academics has ranked Canada last in an international comparison of freedom-of-information laws. We fell behind Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The study’s authors said Canada’s laws and the ways in which they are executed are antiquated and much less transparent than the other parliamentary democracies studied.