Schedule for Wednesday July 9

Please note that all schedules are subject to last-minute changes. Here's what we have on tap for you today: 
 

• The extreme workout program CrossFit is wildly popular despite claims that it can be hazardous to people's health. Writer and This Magazine editor Lauren McKeon shares her disastrous CrossFit experience that left her unable to walk for months, while McMaster University kinesiology professor Martin Gibala discusses CrossFit's benefits and dangers.

• Tracey Davis on Sammy Davis, Jr., the singer, dancer, actor, and Rat Pack entertainer -- and, to her, dad. In addition to his talent and fame, the book takes a closer look at the racist brutality Davis endured in the army, the controversy around his interracial marriage to Swedish actress May Britt, and other lesser-known stories about the famous entertainer's life.

• From the Best of Q: The Guardian writer Rachel Holmes on the rising popularity of professional birth photography, an attempt to capture the agony and ecstasy of a child's entrance into the world.