Brief Encounters with Real Life

by Jon Van Loon

Overview

Like most 0.9 billion citizens in developed countries I thought I was living the "real life". A variety of circumstances detailed herein proved that this was not so. As an environmental sciences researcher at the University of Toronto and a consultant living and working worldwide it became clearly evident that the "real life" belongs to our 6 billion co-inhabitants elsewhere. This monograph provides brief often amusing and emotive, glimpses into the reality we seldom yet see. The book is structured by country and begins with surprising past, local incidents. China, South Africa and Brazil are among the several counties glimpsed from abroad.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940044522275
Publisher:	Jon Van Loon
Publication date:	05/07/2013
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	227 KB

About the Author

My life has been complicated by 3 factors. A severe learning disability and a bipolar condition could have easily doomed me to a troubled, non productive existence. However a prodigious unrelenting manic drive was the burr under my saddle that propelled me to unexpected achievement in academia. Of interest here in this regard was that developments in my laboratory at the University of Toronto lead me to opportunities to work, teach and live for short periods in many locations on the 6 continents over a 25 year period. During these intervals, I chose to live in local category accommodation thus maximizing my exposure and participation in parochial experiences. In contrast to the calamitous relationships dogging present world interrelationships my experiences were entirely welcoming and solicitous.
I was born in Hamilton Ontario Canada. My interests include jogging and other fitness programs having run in and completed 4 marathons together with numerous 5, 10 and 20 km events. My prowess in sport to say the least was very average. Non-the-less I participated in and then later coached ice hockey both in Canada and Australia. My reward for all this activity is that I have a healthy cardiovascular system and have endured 3 knee replacement operations. Most particularly I have a passion for work related to environmental concerns. In this regard I have 120 peer reviewed research papers in Environmental Chemistry, one of which nearly landing me in jail.