The psychologist J. B. Rhine, famous for his decades of ESP research, once called the 'after-life' the Mount Everest of paranormal phenomena, a hill he would not attempt to climb. Probably for the same reason, I've avoided writing about it here. But now I'm going to face up to it. One problem is that the … Continue reading Paranormal World | Is there an After-life?
Rescuing Science |Agnostics vs the Big Bang
Recently I encountered the little book, Agnosticism – A Short Introduction , by Robin Le Poidevin, one of many new 'short introduction' editions produced by Oxford University Press, books so small and slim that they will fit in any pocket, yet they're well-written, interesting and informative. Le Poidevin demonstrates that often only the agnostic stands … Continue reading Rescuing Science |Agnostics vs the Big Bang
Paranormal World | Sugar the Cat
There are paranormal phenomena that seem to defy any explanation – for example, Sugar the cat.In 1950, the Woods family in Anderson, California had to move to Oklahoma. They had a beige cat, Sugar, who was a tough customer – he routinely fought with dogs – but he had a phobia of riding in cars, … Continue reading Paranormal World | Sugar the Cat
Rescuing Reality | Why Black lives should matter to everyone
Though I try to stay away from social issues on this site, especially from politics, sometimes there is no choice. I have been married for a long time to an Afro/Carribean woman. We have two daughters of mixed race. I’ve been close not only to my wife's family, but to the West-Indian community in Toronto … Continue reading Rescuing Reality | Why Black lives should matter to everyone
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, insects, tiny … Continue reading Autism | Weak Central Coherence | Who can’t see the forest?
Rescuing Reality|Covid 19|mental health and the consequences of ‘stay-at-home’
This week I learned that UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says the stay-at-home policy invoked as a defense against Covid 19 has resulted in a “horrifying increase in domestic violence.” Was that a surprise to anyone? Well, it shouldn’t have been. After approximately 200,000 years as ‘Homo Sapiens’ (the 'wise hominid'), we ought to know ourselves … Continue reading Rescuing Reality|Covid 19|mental health and the consequences of ‘stay-at-home’
Rescuing Reality | Covid 19 |Quarantining the World
"Life is a shipwreck, but that doesn't mean we can't sing in the lifeboats," Voltaire once said. But the problem for people across the world now, because of the Covid 19 pandemic confined to their houses and apartments, sometimes in just shacks and tents - in our 'lifeboats'- is that there is not much to … Continue reading Rescuing Reality | Covid 19 |Quarantining the World
Rescuing Reality|Covid 19 |Closing playgrounds and off-leash dogparks
Yes, this week Toronto closed down our playgrounds and off-leash dog parks. Day after day our political leaders seem to be falling over each other trying to think up new restrictions. We're told that these things have to be closed down because medical experts say so. Well, show me the science that says a child … Continue reading Rescuing Reality|Covid 19 |Closing playgrounds and off-leash dogparks
Paranormal World | How improbable are you?
The older I get, the more I realize how improbable I am. Each of us is a product of a meeting between two people. You might think the way in which people meet or don't meet, connect or don't connect, should be governed by chance, but something else often seems to be at work. For … Continue reading Paranormal World | How improbable are you?
