This week on the Weather Network website I encountered another of those diatribes against people who release goldfish into public waters. It was the usual thing. The goldfish are an invasive species competing with native species, overwhelming them, etc. People should realize that releasing their goldfish [here it was specifically flushing them down the toilet) … Continue reading Rescuing Nature | Leave the Goldfish alone!
Autism | Weak Central Coherence | Who can’t see the forest?
In her 2008 book, Autism – A Very Short Introduction, psychologist Uta Frith discussed the "weak central coherence" theory. This is related to the tendency of autistic people to focus on detail. Walking through a forest an autistic person will see the trees and things on the forest floor – ferns, horsetails, fungi, … Continue reading Autism | Weak Central Coherence | Who can’t see the forest?
Morning Mashup |What is all the Talking about?
One morning I was drinking coffee in McDonalds and reading/writing while, courtesy of McDonalds, I involuntarily listened to Nicole, Ryan, etc on the Sirius Satellite radio 'Morning Mashup'. The aim of all their talk, as far as I could tell, seemed to be just to keep talking, with the ultimate goal being those raucous moments … Continue reading Morning Mashup |What is all the Talking about?
Rescuing Loners | The Firing of Dwane Casey
I have to say something about the firing this week of Toronto Raptors coach, Dwane Casey. Though named a finalist for 2018 Coach of the Year, after the best-ever season by a Raptors team, and winning the first round in the playoffs before losing to Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Casey was dismissed. Yet … Continue reading Rescuing Loners | The Firing of Dwane Casey
World War 4 | Don’t you want to know what happened?
Back on Jan 1, 2018 I put my little three page World War 4 story (Dawn of a New World on the White House Lawn) on this site as a free PDF, and I see that it has had almost no takers. Hmmm ...... can it really be that no one wants to know the outcome … Continue reading World War 4 | Don’t you want to know what happened?
The Lost 11 year-old Loner |Was he really Lost?
Last week I went for a walk below the Scarborough Bluffs, the 12,000 year old cliff along the north shore of Lake Ontario created by a giant glacial river during the last ice age. After a long winter, I walked in the spring sunshine there, and explored the woods that grow in the deep gullies … Continue reading The Lost 11 year-old Loner |Was he really Lost?
Autism and Toronto’s Van Rampage
When a van drove down Yonge Street April 23, 2018, our first real spring day in this city, deliberately attacking pedestrians, killing 10 and injuring at least 14, it was with added dismay that I learned that the alleged driver, Alek Minassian, age 25, has been diagnosed with Asperger's. It wasn't a surprise though. Young … Continue reading Autism and Toronto’s Van Rampage
Rescuing Lee Harvey Oswald | Finding ‘The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald’
One day I did a search for novels in which Lee Harvey Oswald is a character, and, among others, I turned up, The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald, by Walt Brown. Walt Brown is interesting. A one-time FBI agent who went back to school to become a history professor, he says his life-long ambition, since … Continue reading Rescuing Lee Harvey Oswald | Finding ‘The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald’
Rescuing Nature, then trashing her again
When Toronto was renovating its waterfront a few years ago, someone got the idea that a small wetland might be created at the foot of Spadina Avenue. Apparently large pike from Lake Ontario were known to be congregating there every spring, looking for a place where they used to spawn. To the city's credit, this … Continue reading Rescuing Nature, then trashing her again
