Back in early March, I told you about the dangers of eating microwave popcorn, because of a chemical called PFOA. And earlier this month, I told you that the Government of Canada had declared a chemical called triclosan toxic to the environment. Both of these chemicals are things we come into contact with on a regular basis in our daily lives. To find out just how much we’re affected by these and other household chemicals, authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie locked themselves in a chemical-laden apartment for a weekend. They tested themselves before and after the experiment, and the results were published in a terrific book called Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health.
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Refuse to Choose! – Book Review
When I first started this blog, I talked about how my decision to leave graduate school early and not finish my PhD was partly motivated by my acceptance of the fact that I’m simply not a specialist. I came to this acceptance partly by reading a book by Barbara Sher entitled I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was: How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It. In the book, Sher classifies people as divers and scanners, or somewhere in between. I identified myself as a scanner with diving tendencies. In the comments of that original post, I was made aware that Barbara Sher wrote another book, specifically about scanners called Refuse to Choose! A Revolutionary Program for Doing Everything You Love. I immediately knew I had to read it, so I headed out to my public library and grabbed a copy.
Before I talk about the book, I have a confession to make. I don’t normally read self-help books. In fact, outside of these two books, I can only think of one other self-help book beyond the personal finance realm that I have ever read. Continue reading
Like What You See? Share the Story!The Value of the Public Library
On Monday morning, I woke up and walked to the office just like any other morning. I usually pass by a number of newspaper boxes along the way, and I scan the day’s headlines. Monday’s headline was – “Talks Fail as Toronto Library Workers Go on Strike”. I didn’t pay much attention at first. Then I did a double take. Wait, what? I didn’t even know the library workers were in negotiations. As a response, termed their ‘contingency plan’, the City of Toronto has shut down every public library in the city for the duration of the strike. As I talked to people on Monday, I realized that no one was expecting this. And then I realized how many people this impacts.