Welcome to Conversation Pieces, where Flavorpill curates five articles from the past week that you should read. Some are long, others are short. Some are from major publications, others aren’t. The only thing all these articles have in common is that they’re interesting. This week, we discuss the strangeness of William Shatner, the philosophical importance of lost laundry, the current state of poetry, Canada’s willingness to let drug addicts have their fix, and more. After the jump, find something exciting to discuss this weekend in the home, at the bar, or on the street.
1. Canada’s Curious Approach to Handling Drug Addiction
Vancouver is a beautiful city to visit, except for one small neighborhood known as the Downtown Eastside. It’s not a family friendly area. Due to its incessantly high rates of drug use and HIV infection, Canada is attempting a more lenient, innovative — very liberal — approach to tackling the issue. What they’ve done is open a legal facility where addicts can inject in relative peace. The New York Times recently published a photo essay on the troubled neighborhood and its controversial program, but make sure to read the corresponding article, too.
The New York Times: “A ‘Safe’ Drug Injection Site in Vancouver”
2. Deep Thoughts on Dirty Socks
Sometimes it seems that the most profound moments of one’s life can be brought about by the most trivial. This is one of those times. Here, writer Jimmy Chen dares to question how he could possibly lose a pair of socks after pulling his laundry out of the dryer. He goes on to question everything.
Thought Catalog: “Philosophical Curiosities Concerning My Missing Socks”
3. Is William Shatner Just Really Weird, or What?
Let’s face it: William Shatner is a strange man. From $#*! My Dad Says to endorsing Kellogg’s All-Bran to a musical career involving more talking than singing to fornicating with copious amounts of space ladies, Shatner has done a lot. Get to know the man even better in this quirky profile.
The Walrus: “Man of Enterprise: The Weirdness of William Shatner”
4. If the Bees Die, Then We Die, and the Bees are Dying
You may have heard about this from someone you just met at a party, or a co-worker you don’t know or like that much. Well, it’s happening. Honey bees are disappearing, and that’s important because they’re needed for pollination and food production. If they go, the apocalypse might come. Read up on it.
The Telegraph: “Einstein Was Right: Honey Bee Collapse Threatens Global Food Security”
5. Poetry at Present
Don’t worry! This is not a “Poetry Is Dead” article. No hysteria here! Just read the following quote from the article: “A poem is like a girl at a party who gets to kiss everybody. No, a poem is a secret shared by people who have never met each other.” Curious enough to read the piece yet?
The New York Review of Books: “Where is Poetry Going?”