Free (iTunes) Shock & ORNGE [Ontario Health Care Politics Investigative Journalism]

[ATDrake]

So today we had municipal elections in the GVRD, and I walked over and voted using the traditional Canadian method of selecting the candidates whom I hated the least (i.e., those who gave the impression of being some combination of more thoughtful and articulate {at least via their promotional materials and public comments, when available} with the least dislikeable openly stated policies) in the absence of any I actually liked and wanted in office. (Why can't we have proportional representation to make this step easier so I can rank them in order of "I don't want this person in power, but I'll grudgingly take them over this other person I don't want in power"?! )

So with that in mind, I'm feeling a little more civic-minded than usual and thus here's some hard-hitting investigative journalism on political issues which affect the voter base (noticeably absent from the local newspapers' pre-election coverage, alas), free courtesy of the Toronto Star newspaper, who've been doing e-book-ized extended special reports under their "StarDispatches" aegis, which has a nice descriptive website of their offerings here.

These are both only free @ iTunes (available to Canadians and seemingly worldwide when I spot-checked obscure countries like Denmark), but have been so for a few months, although The Star does rotate these offerings occasionally and they'll eventually expire. They're also couponable @ Kobo if you're interested in reading more from the Star.

Anyway, both current freebie titles are about public healthcare in Ontario (lessons learned may or may not be applicable to other regions, if you're interested in such) dealing with medical treatment and administrative issues, and are fairly lengthy, investigative reports which go into depth beyond what would normally be printable in the newspaper's regular allotted space for such.

Shock: An Investigation Into The Startling Comeback of Electroconvulsive Therapy by Jennifer Wells & Diana Zlomislic, which I freely admit is something I thought had died out by the 70s along with lobotomies, @ iTunes (probably available worldwide)

Few medical treatments are as fraught with fear, misunderstanding and controversy as electroshock, or electroconvulsive therapy. Most of us consider it a treatment of the 1950s and 60s, an option medicine and society have left behind. Yet ECT is experiencing a startling resurgence and is seen as especially efficacious among older Canadians.

Has its execution grown more sophisticated? What is its success rate? Are there still side effects?

Toronto Star journalists Jennifer Wells and Diana Zlomislic set out to answer these questions, delving deep into the science and ethics of ECT. Compelling and timely, Shock is essential reading.

ORNGE: The Star Investigation That Broke the Story by Kevin Donovan is one of those cryptic-sounding things which is not particularly obvious from the blurb if you're not already in the know, but this turns out to be the org that handled the Ontario Air Ambulance service (Wikipedia), @ iTunes (probably available worldwide)

In a clandestine meeting at an airport hotel, investigative reporter Kevin Donovan is alerted that there might be problems at ORNGE.

From mysterious sources to leaked reports and from intensive interviews to dogged analysis of financial reports, Donovan slowly pieces together the stunning story of a public agency out of control and of a government that took its eye off the ball.

Culminating in the dismissal or resignation of top executives and board members, new protocols to protect public safety, a police investigation and public hearings in 2012, this story reveals how crucial determined journalism is in our busy, complex society. In this riveting account of the Star investigation that shone a spotlight on Ontario’s troubled air ambulance service, Kevin recounts his three-year quest to uncover just what was going on at ORNGE.

And this has been the selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.

Enjoy!*

* Well, probably provided you're not from Ontario, because you people have some really messed up things† going on in your province, from the looks of it, and my condolences.

† But at least you kind of got rid of Rob Ford as Toronto mayor. Kind of.