What do I mean by this? It's simple really - instead of trying to suppress your shyness (what the social world has been urging you to do all your life), the best thing to do is to accept it – accept who you are. But that doesn't mean giving up and hiding at home. You … Continue reading How to be Less Shy by being More Shy
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
Autism | Mice and Microglia
Here is some interesting new autism research. The website Spectrum News (spectrumnews.org) reports on the findings of neuroscientist Baoji Xu at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida re microglia, a protein in the brain that they say 'prunes' excess synapses in the brain. They engineered mice to overproduce a protein called EIF4E that is essential … Continue reading Autism | Mice and Microglia
Rescuing Reality | Covid 19 and mental health | Seniors vs Millennials and the Future
Recently I suggested that social distancing and the world-wide economic shutdown may be driving us collectively crazy. This week I saw some concrete proof of it. scene of the crime I was running one morning (okay, mostly jogging) in north Toronto’s Earl Bales valley, on the beautiful path shown in the photo. The air was … Continue reading Rescuing Reality | Covid 19 and mental health | Seniors vs Millennials and the Future
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
Why did I write The Shyness Guide?
Why did I write another book about shyness when there are over 600 books about it published already? How could there be anything left to say? Well, because shyness is almost never understood the way I understand it. From the day I entered kindergarten I was acutely aware of how different I was. In my … Continue reading Why did I write The Shyness Guide?
Who is Alan Conrad?
Alan Conrad is me, though Alan Conrad is not my original name. During my last years investigating accidents and personal injury claims, when I was about to publish The Birdcatcher, a book that reveals some of the dark side of the personal injury business, I had to use a pen name to keep a lower … Continue reading Who is Alan Conrad?
Loners |The one place where society welcomes them |Anneli Rufus and her book Party of One
Loners have a hard time in the modern, day-to-day world, yet not in fiction and film. Solitary men - who I think are shy and/or autistic men - are heroes in literature and the movies – James Fenimore Cooper's Natty Bumpo in The Deerslayer and The Last of the Mohicans. David Copperfield in the Dickens … Continue reading Loners |The one place where society welcomes them |Anneli Rufus and her book Party of One
