How Time Changes Our Perceptions
This summer I decided to reread Joan Baez’ memoir “And A Voice To Sing With.” When it came out 30 years ago in 1987, I could hardly wait to get my hands on it! All through the 1960s and the subsequent decades, I absolutely idolized her. Her music and her politics had a deep impact on […]
Saving our Kids from the Nanny State
There are so many laws surrounding play safety! Are we helping or are we raising kids who are “too careful”? Are our kids ‘wrapped in cotton wool’, afraid to take risks? Are we really preparing them for the real world? We live in a nanny state. There are laws for everything. And we live in […]
Exploding E-cigarettes? Just Another Reason
Only a fool or someone living in a total bubble could argue against the dangers of tobacco. From heart disease and emphysema to the unbelievably insidious cancer of the tongue, there can be no rational reason for believing that you won’t be effected. Yet people continue to ignore the obvious and the inevitable. In recent […]
Entrepreneurs Creating Treasure From Trash
ABC Science environment reporter Nick Kilvert On a single stretch of beach on Cape York Peninsula, on Australia’s north-eastern tip, volunteers spend four days collecting more than 7 tonnes of trash. The haul includes 1,000 cigarette lighters, 2,280 toothbrushes, 3,320 plastic drink bottles, 5,500 thongs (flip-flops) and miles of fishing nets. A year ago they collected […]
Does Vinegar Really Kill Germs?
Incomes have been pretty much stagnant for years. Meanwhile the price of just about everything goes up around us. Is it any wonder we’re all looking for ways to rein in unnecessary expenditure. Take household cleaners as an example… Generic white vinegar costs $0.25 cents per litre. In comparison, Earth Choice brand multi-purpose cleaner is […]
Is the War on Marijuana Politics Rather Than Science?
President Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions, wants to crack down on states that have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. This is a bone-headed, regressive move that I predict will backfire. We have an opioid addiction crisis killing thousands of people in this country every year. That crisis is fueled by a pharmaceutical industry […]
Healing a Nation With Love – A New Year Resolution
2018 promises to be another year that challenges our collective patience and our efforts at civil discourse. It will therefore be doubly important this coming year to remember that hatred, anger, and greed are expressions of fear. The only antidote to fear is love. Yes, I know we need transformation, but… Like so many others, […]
I Didn’t Always Hate Glitter…
Once upon a time, I actually thought glitter was innocent and sparkly and pretty. And then I started raising a house full of girls. Four to be exact. Glitter nail polish; glitter hair spray; glitter slime; presents wrapped in glittery paper; glitter craft ideas; and a nine year old who wants her room painted with […]
Climate revisited – (yet) again!
Climate revisited – September 8th, 2017 It’s getting to the point where I could automate this script. Weather records are falling almost daily. Since last updating this post, the biggest record to fall was the annual one. First, 2014 fell to 2015. Now it’s official that 2015 has tumbled to 2016. And the differences are […]
Eye to Eye… or Not? The Importance of Eye Contact Explained
If someone looks away while talking to you, blame it on cognitive overload. Are you one of those people who just can’t seem to maintain eye contact during a conversation? Or has someone ever talked to you without looking you in the eye? No matter how tempting it is to think of it as being […]