Tag: non-fiction

The Comeback

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John Ralston Saul lives up to his reputation for breadth and originality of thought, arguing that what are typically presented as “Aboriginal issues,” are actually political battles that matter to us all.  For example, Idle No More’s stance against Bills C-45 and C-27 was more than a disempowered group reacting to the infringement on their rights, it was a stand against a corporatist agenda and the type of authoritarian forces in government normally associated with “Argentina’s Peronism.”

When Aboriginal people take to the streets to protest broken treaty promises, it isn’t a national headache, but a public good. The demonstrations remind of us of the complexity of our history, and provide a welcome counterbalance to the corporatist, managerialism that is a growing part of the nation state under a system of global capitalism. The National PostThe Comeback

There’s Lead in Your Lipstick

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Finally a Canadian version of what to avoid in beauty products with a practical resource of where to find toxin free products. Gillian Deacon’s book isn’t ground breaking, nor does it have any new information about the dirty state of affairs in the beauty product industry, but it offers the information in an easy to read conversational style. It focuses on the most important toxins and offers advice from personal experience on what alternatives are out there.

This book has been a catalyst for me. I had already been using safe cosmetics, but I was still using soaps, body lotions, hand cream and household cleaners that contained enough toxins to knock out a horse. Finding decent replacement products has not been as hard as I thought. There are new product lines that have sprung up and they are not only being consumer safe, they are also using lovely natural scents and appealing packaging. In other words, it is no longer just marketed to hippies in burlap sacks and paper bags, but they have realized that the modern woman uses all of her senses to decide which products she will introduce into her beauty regime. We need to send a message to our cosmetic and beauty producers that only the safest and purest ingredients will be acceptable – and only buy those that comply.

Visit the SKIN DEEP web site to test what is in the products that you use. Just plug in the name of the product that you use and it will tell you how hazardous it is for your health on a scale 0 – 10 plus name all of the dangerous ingredients. You can search by product name, company name or ingredient and find safer products.

David Suzuki talks about the “dirty dozen” cosmetic chemicals to avoid including industrial chemicals –  carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. His site not only offers information about how to green your personal care products, but how to avoid the toxic chemicals that have creeped into other areas of our lives.

Put this handy guide onto your phone or mobile device for reference when you are shopping.

These online shopping sites offer clean products and are based on Canada. Well.ca  Saffron Rouge

Goodness Me, The Horn of Plenty and  Body Sense also carry safe products in the Hamilton area.

Steven King, On Writing

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Excerpt:

“A strong enough situation renders the whole question of plot moot, which is fine with me. The most interesting situations can usually be expressed as a What-if question:

What if vampires invaded a small New England village? (‘Salem’s Lot)

What if a policeman in a remote Nevada town went berserk and started killing everyone in sight? (Desperation)

What if a cleaning woman suspected of a murder she got away with (her husband) fell under suspicion for a murder she did not commit (her employer)? (Delores Claiborne)

What if a young mother and her son became trapped in their stalled car by a rabid dog? (Cujo)”

Steven King clarifies the work of writing. A must read by all aspiring writers.