In this Nov. 22, 2009, file photo, artist Whitney Houston performs onstage at the 37th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Houston died Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, at age 48.The Associated Press
It was a week of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll in the news.
The death of Whitney Houston left many readers reminiscing about how her music had touched their lives. In the comments on Lynn Crosbie's story Whitney Houston: Death of a diva, some readers wondered out loud why someone with such well-publicized drug problems was being put on a pedestal, but most lamented the huge talent that had been lost, including reader SpeakUp, who wrote:
Whitney Houston was one of the most talented singers of the last 30 years. If you sit and listen to her music, you will either cry or stare amazingly at her amazing vocal tones. She will be forever immortalized by the uniqueness of her talent. And art, my dear friends, is all about talent, those who have it in spades and those who don't. Whitney had all the talent that the Creator could muster. May she rest in peace.
Speaking of pedestals, Sunday's Grammy awards not only paid tribute to Ms. Houston's career but also celebrated new musical talents in our midst, most notably Adele, who won all six of the awards she was nominated for. Much ado has been made about Adele's appearance and the fact that she's not as thin as many of the artists who walked the red carpet that night. We think reader MidnightMadness put it well in the comment he left on Brad Wheeler's story Adele's sweep and a tribute to Whitney: Grammy's most memorable moments:
Good for Adele, who also writes her own music. She's definitely a huge breath of fresh air in respect to the bubble gum crap being mass-produced today.
Adele is also a perfect role model for young women, who need to realize that one doesn't have to be a size zero to be beautiful. Adele is a beautiful woman and sets a great precedent when she always maintains and states, "It's my voice I want people to pay attention to and not what I look like."
This woman is amazing, we have lost one very talented singer and yet have gained another.
Readers also expressed support and admiration for World Cup veteran and former Globe and Mail contributor Paul James, whose self-published e-book, Cracked Open, details his secret life as a crack-cocaine addict.
On the comment page of the story Former Canadian soccer star reveals drug-tainted double life, reader Two Halves wrote:
I've missed James' G&M columns a great deal. They were always so insightful and informative providing both an insider's perspective and a good expert analysis. I could never have imagined what was going on in his life – especially as for much of this time I would regularly see him on television as well. I'm stunned. I guess it just goes to show that you just never know! I can't wait to read the book and I applaud him for his courage in going public.
Not all Canadians are comfortable with sharing their secret lives, however. Comments arrived fast and furious on John Ibbitson's story Tories on e-snooping: 'Stand with us or with the child pornographers.'
Few readers were in favour of giving police more power to track Internet users, including reader Calgary Citizen, who argued:
The police have all the power they need right now. It's a slippery slope when you start awarding the police powers of monitoring people without a warrant. What protections do we give up after that? If the police can't get a warrant from the judiciary, there is probably a good reason for it. Just because I support the notion that government and law enforcement need to be held in check doesn't mean I support pedophiles and that notion makes me quite angry as it should anyone else who respects law and order.
To finish off on a lighter note, readers' thoughts turned to love on Valentine's Day, and Amberly McAteer rounded up your best tales of romance gone awry in her blog You shared: nightmare dating stories, the best V-Day gift and biggest turnoff.
We were amused by reader Jon Smythe1, who offered the following advice in the comments section:
Free tip: don't refer to Valentine's Day sex as "V-D sex." It can be misconstrued.
Good point, Jon. Thanks for a great week of comments, and keep them coming.
Dianne Nice is the Report on Business Communities Editor and is on Twitter: @diannenice