Olde Posts Addenda (10)

   Updating the Outdated in MM.

36 Hours in .....
  The New York Times frequently offers travel advice for those spending a few days in a city. The paper recently provided some about Vancouver (Oct.1). Sometimes an area is profiled. There was one on Oct. 8, about spending 36 hours in the fall around the Finger Lakes.
   Back in the spring of 2024, the Time's travellers spent 36 hours in Toronto and I provided all of their suggestions in "Visiting Toronto." With the thoroughness to which you have become accustomed, I then pointed to the earlier Toronto explorations done in 2016 and 2005.
   AND THEN, I gathered all of the 36 hours articles done in this century for cities and places in Canada - there is one in 2002 about spending 36 hours on P.E.I. My thinking was, I suppose, that someone might find it interesting to learn what was worth seeing in Victoria in 2004 and if those things were still there and recommended in 2018.
   Well, I have learned that the folks at the Times also had the same idea. They have gathered into book form, all of the 36 hours pieces for various places and provided all of the descriptions, recommendations and photos. For about $70, you can order it from Amazon and have it delivered in a few days. It has much more than I offered for free and their edition also includes the U.S., but, it  will not have all of the negative comments I made about Toronto. 

From Reading While Flying to Watching While Flying
   I have produced a series called "Periodical Ramblings" and I plan to produce more posts about magazines, many of which have disappeared. The last one (#18) was about Wired, the editor of which is Katie Drummond from Queen's. 

  I did one about "Periodicals on Planes"  back when Pan Am, British Air and even WestJet, published their own magazines, which were often about exciting destinations, along with cuisine commentaries. I lamented their loss and see that in the post I mention that someone else had written an "Ode to Airline Magazines." 
  Another ode to periodicals on planes, and reading, has arrived and portions are presented here. It is from an Atlantic Magazine, newsletter, c. June 12, 2026. The author of "Leave Your Airplane-Window Shades Open: Only Watching Movies on the Plane Takes Away From Whatever Magic Is Left in Air Travel," is David A. Graham.
   "Photos of air travel in decades past can cause almost visceral pain for a modern flier. Faded or sepia images show sharply dressed people eating real food in spacious seats. Sometimes the pictures are juxtaposed with the sardine-tin discomforts and unappetizing food of contemporary air travel, and they’re usually accompanied by well-deserved swipes at air carriers. But passengers deserve some blame too. One thing I notice in those photos is that the window shades are always up.
   Nothing can make a lengthy flight packed in an aluminum tube feel good, exactly, but having the shades closed is a reliable way to make it worse. On a recent long-haul trip, I was struck that as soon as passengers boarded the plane—well before sunset—nearly everyone in a window seat within my line of sight closed their shades....
   As the screens have become standard, airlines have phased out their in-flight magazines, which often included delightful and quirky prose by good writers. At the very least, they had a crossword and a sudoku....
   The tyranny of the entertainment system doesn’t just produce an unnaturally gloomy cabin. It also makes anyone who tries to resist it into a bad guy. I like to read on flights, especially if I am deprived of a view out the window; it’s some of the best uninterrupted time I can get with a book. But I still wince before turning on the reading light above my seat. No passenger has asked me to turn it off—yet—but they do recoil and stare when I turn it on. I can blame them only so much; it feels weird to be the only or one of the only people using it, and given how tightly packed the seats are, others are going to get some of the glow. (The final episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm closes with an argument over whether a passenger has the right to open her window shade in order to read.)...
  When I whined about this to my Atlantic Daily co-pilot, Will Gottsegen, he told me that he’d experienced the same thing. “People are now so unused to seeing people read a book on airplanes that they’re mystified when someone tries it,” he said. He also pointed out that passengers on many flights can turn the light on only if they find the button in the entertainment system: “You can’t even perform the one non-screen activity without engaging with the giant, greasy screen inches from your face.”

The Old General Store
   You are excused for missing my treatment of the General Store situation in Canada, since it was hidden under the German word Dorfläden. Apparently they are also  undergoing a bit of a revival in Germany.
   Here is a recent article about a really old general store that has been around in Massachusetts since 1793. 
   "A General Store Almost as Old as America: Ben Shattuck, the Proprietor of Davoll’s in Coastal Massachusetts, Yearns for a Retail World Before Chain Stores and Online Shopping," Steven Kurutz, NYT - Aug. 27, 2026. Davoll's sells just about everything and has a bookstore and cafe. According to this piece, 'In recent years, general stores, long a lifeline in rural America, have undergone a revival — along with an upscaling."

  This reminded me of the Muskokas which were mentioned in my post:

  "Modern iterations, stocked with organic produce and artisanal goods, are doing brisk business in places like the Catskills, coastal Maine and Nashville. Last year, Mindy Gray, who is married to Jonathan Gray, the billionaire president of the investment firm Blackstone, took over the Sagaponack General Store in the Hamptons, stocking it with Charleston Chews, free-range chicken, $159 hoodies and a $300 cocktail kit."
   The appeal is simple: General stores offer nostalgia for a bygone era and an attractive backdrop for social media."

   If you have a look at my post, you will see that I mention a couple of books about the Canadian general store and some links to ones located in Ontario, as well as the oldest one.
  I also did one about a Trading Post, which is a type of general store. Unfortunately Robertson Trading in Saskatchewan, shut down a couple of years ago. Mentioned also is Kingsmill's, the London department store which is now gone. See: A Year-End Bundle of Nostalgia. 
The Bonus: 
  If a subject like this is of interest, you will like the books produced by Boston Mills Press. 

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 51 )

Soldier - Fate Unknown - 1924 
   I was unable to determine if John Miller ever made it  back to Piccadilly Street.

Source:  Globe and Mail, Jan. 24, 1924

Oddments (4)

 A First Sentence
    The first sentence can be difficult to write. That one was not, because this is an oddment, which means that what follows is not much dependent upon a good first sentence. The subject is, however, first sentences and I at least broached the subject in that first sentence.
   I just ran across two, which explains what follows. The first one is very long. Apparently many new university students are unable to read even short books, so I doubt it if they could even get through this opening sentence:

      "Considering how common illness is, how tremendous the spiritual change that it brings, how astonishing, when the lights of health go down, the undiscovered countries that are then disclosed, what wastes and deserts of the soul a slight attack of influenza brings to light, what precipices and lawns sprinkled with bright flowers a little rise of temperature reveals, what ancient and obdurate oaks are uprooted in us in the act of sickness, how we go down into the pit of death and feel the waters of annihilation close above our heads and wake thinking to find ourselves in the presence of the angels and the harpers when we have a tooth out and come to the surface in the dentist’s arm chair and confuse his “Rinse the mouth—rinse the mouth” with the greeting of the Deity stooping from the floor of Heaven to welcome us—when we think of this and infinitely more, as we are so frequently forced to think of it, it becomes strange indeed that illness has not taken its place with love, battle, and jealousy among the prime themes of literature."
 
   The sentence is the first one in "On Being Ill", by Virginia Woolf which was published twice in journal form and then by Hogarth Press. You can find a pdf of the entire essay at Columbia University. It is 36pp. so it may be too long for readers today.

The second sentence is very short. About it, I will say no more.

"Seldom does the theatre adequately address the topic of enemas."

Famous First Sentences: Bad Ones
   Since you are likely not satisfied, I will quiz you about the first sentences of books you should have read. Or not. One of the most famous ones is: "IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT...." by Bulwer-Lytton, which is found in a novel with a much less enticing title - simply, Paul Clifford. It is regarded as an example of a very, very bad first sentence and for many years, until 2025, the folks who taught fiction in San Jose, had a contest to recognize the most horrible sentence. You will be pleased to know that Canadians have won twice and you will be even more pleased that the bad examples are provided:
  In 2001, the Canadian winner (or loser, if you wish) was:

"A small assortment of astonishingly loud brass instruments raced each other lustily to the respective ends of their distinct musical choices as the gates flew open to release a torrent of tawny fur comprised of angry yapping bullets that nipped at Desdemona’s ankles, causing her to reflect once again (as blood filled her sneakers and she fought her way through the panicking crowd) that the annual Running of the Pomeranians in Liechtenstein was a stupid idea."
 In 2019, this was the clunker:

"Space Fleet Commander Brad Brad sat in silence, surrounded by a slowly dissipating cloud of smoke, maintaining the same forlorn frown that had been fixed upon his face since he’d accidentally destroyed the phenomenon known as time, thirteen inches ago." 

Famous First Sentences: The Other Kind
  These are easy to find and, as astute readers of MM, you should recognize some from this baker's half-dozen:

1. "Call me Ishmael."

2. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
3. "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

4. "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."

5. "This is the saddest story I have ever heard."

6. "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

7. "I have never begun a novel with more misgiving."

Sources: 
   The Woolf sentence is found in her essay and here:

"A Century After Virginia Woolf Asked Why Sickness Had Failed to Become One of Literature’s Great Subjects, Writers are Still Struggling to Put Physical Suffering Into Words,"By Hermione Hoby, The New Yorker, October 5, 2026.
   The short one is also found in The New Yorker in a short notice about Molière's, "The Imaginary Invalid," Oct. 26, 2026.
   I will not provide links or sources about the "stormy night", but a search will provide you with good reading for the rest of the month. There is a Wiki entry for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest.

   There are many sources for first sentences, but this is one of the best and it contains the ones above and 93 others, ranked: The American Book Review - The 100 Best First Lines From Novels. 

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 50)

 What Is London's Sister City?
   Questions are easily answered these days, by just asking your phone. If the question is, “What is London’s sister city?”, you quickly learn that the answer is Nanjing. Often the answer is really found on Wikipedia and simply supplied by A.I.
   The question is worth asking at this time because Canada is seeking new relationships with other places since the former bonds with relatives to the south of us have unravelled. Perhaps Canadian cities should add more sister cities or expand by adding the category -  SIBLING CITIES -  with whom cultural and economic ties could be established.
   Given that this is London’s Bicentennial I thought it worth providing more background than A.I. offers. If our newly elected civic officials seek new urban partnerships, this brief bibliography may be useful. If you make it to the end, you will learn that London actually has other Sister Cities, although some of them may be illegitimate. 

Searching for London's Sister City
     If you begin with the concept of the “Sister City”, A.I. informs you that, "A sister city (also known as a twin town in Europe) is a formal legal or social agreement between two distinct cities, towns, or local governments in different countries (or sometimes the same country) to build close cultural, economic, and educational ties.”
  As noted, A.I. says: "London, Ontario's official sister city is Nanjing, China, which established its twinning agreement with London on May 7, 1997. London, Ontario is officially twinned with Nanjing, China. This sister city relationship was formally established in 1997 to build cultural, educational, and economic exchanges between the two regions.The partnership stems from a broader provincial alliance between Ontario and its sister province of Jiangsu (where Nanjing is the capital)."
  If you proceed to Wikipedia (as Mr. A.I. did) you will find a “List of Twin Towns and Sister Cities in Canada” and Nanjing is named as London’s sister. The reference provided (#90) is this one and the link is broken and I could not locate it on the website of the London Chamber of Commerce: "London and Nanjing Celebrate 20 Year Anniversary of Sister City Relationship". London Chamber of Commerce. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  Apart from providing a link to Wikipedia, A.I. does refer to the Foreign Affairs Office of Nanjing. Here is what is found:

Diving deeper, a few more references were uncovered over the years.

2013
1. News Release - Ontario - Office of the Premier - Jan. 16, 2013

"Trade Mission Delegates Sign Agreements Worth Over $200 million in Nanjing,"

January 16, 2013

Quick Facts

Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu — Ontario’s sister province in China since 1985.

The city of London, Ontario is twinned with Nanjing.

The port of Nanjing is the largest inland port in China, shipping 70 million tons of goods in 2011.
2. There is then a long report from Media Relations from Western and here is an excerpt from: "Ontario Trade Mission to China in 2013" Jan. 17, 2013:

  "Although short, the trip to China was a great success. First, President Chakma was able to see the Soochow-Western Centre for Radiation Research at Soochow University and meet with the president there. This visit helped to show Soochow how important this partnership is to Western by reciprocating a visit that Soochow’s President made to Western in November of 2011. Second, signing the faculty exchange agreement with Nanjing University will help us to foster ties with this top Chinese institution located in London’s sister city, Nanjing. Finally, we were able to showcase Western to Premier McGuinty, Minister Duguid, and Minister Chan both through our significant activities in China and through personal interactions."

2015
 This is from a Government of Ontario News Release:

"30 Year Partnership Between Ontario and Jiangsu Remains Strong

Ontario Celebrating Signing of Friendship Accord,"

April 21, 2015

Quick Facts

The provinces of Ontario and Jiangsu were “twinned” in 1985 when the Ontario-Jiangsu Friendship Accord was signed.

Since 1985 several Ontario cities have twinned with Jiangsu cities including: Scarborough and Wuxi in 1996, London and Nanjing in 1997, and Barrie and Taizhou in 2006.

Jiangsu is one of China’s leading economic performers consistently ranking among the top Chinese provinces in terms of per capital annual GDP growth of 8.7%.

2018
  The local paper reported on a discussion about drafting a policy regarding sister cities and perhaps adding additional ones.

"London City Hall: City Staff to Draft Sister City Policy," Megan Stacey, London Free Press, Feb 20, 2018.

   "London is in demand.

At least according to politicians who want to see the city craft rules for relationships with communities across the globe.

London already has one sister city — Nanjing, China — and there could be potential to create similar connections in the United States and even Haiti, politicians said at a Tuesday committee meeting. But not everyone is convinced.

Coun. Harold Usher is leading the charge, advocating for a city policy around adopting sister cities.

“We speak 95 different languages just in London alone. There’s a lot of people from different parts of the world (here). We entertain international students by the droves,” Usher said, adding that people “from all over the world” look to ­London.

“It’s time we had some kind of policy.”

Sister city relationships often are developed to enhance cultural, social and economic connections or drive exchanges between cities.

The committee recommended staff bring back a draft policy. City manager Martin Hayward cautioned that sister city partnerships can fall flat if the communities aren’t engaged.

“One of the worst things that can happen with sister cities is that nothing gets done with them,” he said.

Coun. Jared Zaifman said he has little information about how the city’s current relationship benefits residents in ­Nanjing or London.

Mayor Matt Brown told his colleagues the idea of creating more sister city partnerships was floated during a recent trip to Washington, D.C.

Brown met mayors from across the United States and Canada, including leaders from cities that share some of London’s big employers, such as 3M and General Dynamics.

“There is very good interest in communities south of our border that have trade relationships with us in partnering in this way,” he said of linking up with additional sister cities.

The Rotary Club of London also is joining the push for a sister city policy.

Steve Knox, president of the Rotary Club of London, was part of a team that travelled to Haiti in January to do volunteer work. The mayor of Aquin, Haiti, has written to Brown to ask about forming a sister city link with London.

Knox told city politicians the benefits of city sisters go far beyond economics.

“It’s being driven by friendships and partnerships and capacity-building between non-governmental agencies,” Knox said.

He added that service clubs, churches and schools can play a big role in facilitating cultural and other exchanges as part of sister city relationships."

The Bonus: 
   After more searching I did find that London had (or has) other sisters. They were located on Grokipedia which is mainly the creation of A.I. and Elon Musk. They are listed in this essay, which contains additional information: List of Twin Towns and Sister Cities in Canada. 

"London has multiple sister cities: Gifu, Japan (1969); Huế, Vietnam (1995); Morioka, Japan (1989); Sahagún, Mexico (1994); and Weinan, China (2012), all emphasizing diverse cultural, educational, and economic partnerships."

As winter approaches, it would be nice to have a sister city - or more, located someplace warm. And perhaps we could re-visit the idea of adopting the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Free Books

 ONLINE
   I much prefer reading printed books, but I certainly appreciate being able to read many works in eform that would never have been accessible to me, and millions of others. It should also be mentioned that they are free, if one does not count the cost of an internet connection. Our libraries have expanded greatly since Gutenberg and even Project Gutenberg. The Online Books Page portal provided by the University of Pennsylvania now lists over 3 MILLION.

Standard Ebooks (the project)
  My purpose today is a useful one (for a change) and that is to direct you to a beautifully curated collection of ebooks. The picture and link below will provide what you need to know: Standard Ebooks. 

  Like Wikipedia, Standard Ebooks is the creation of volunteers. Books that are now in the public domain are selected. They are formatted and clearly reproduced along with cover art, also taken from the public domain.
  One can search by author or title and even by collection. For example, there is a collection of the "BBC's 100 Greatest British Novels." You can also learn what books were released into the public domain in 2026 -e.g. The Maltese Falcon.
  There is also keyword searching, but it should be used with some caution. Searching for "Canada" or "Canadian" doesn't yield much, but you can find this work by the "Cheese poet" (James McIntrye) from Ingersoll.

  I also found Leacock's Sunshine Sketches. Enjoy this rainy day and the long winter.
The Bonus: More Cancon
  In case you have missed this resource, which has over 9000 titles, see Fadedpage. 

Western Changes

  As 1000 posts are approached, you may have noticed that many of them mention UWO/Western University and various people who passed through the campus. There is even a post about the pawpaw trees there. That is because, I studied and worked at Western, have a fondness for the place and still live in London.
  What has been written in MM about Western (and everything else) may not have been written well, or well-thought-out, but the words are usually followed by references and sources. That means that if you are confused by a post I have written, the supporting material may be clearer and lead you to information more readily trusted. Most of my stories about Western are backed up by citations that can be checked. Which leads me back to a post I did in August about the loss of libraries on campus.
   In "The Losing of Libraries", I mentioned that there was no longer a Brescia Library. A few years ago, I noted that there was no longer a Brescia University College - "Bad News From Brescia." Before Brescia was shut down, the Brescia Library had been re-named, "The Beryl Ivey Library." All of this is covered in those posts and in the most recent one in August, I indicated that "The Beryl Ivey Library" was now "The Beryl Ivey Pavilion."
  To keep you up-to-date, I will present a source which indicates that the "Pavilion" has been re-purposed. It comes from the Western Gazette, which like the Western News, probably does not get read as much by the locals as it did when it used to be found, in paper, in locations close to campus. Here is a bit from the article, rather than my rendering of it:
  "WesternIC Takes Over Former Brescia Library Space," Cecilia Vong, Western Gazette, Oct. 22, 2026.
   "The space previously occupied by the Beryl Ivey Library has reopened and now serves as the new home for WesternIC.
   The Beryl Ivey Library closed in May 2024, but the space reopened in May 2025 to become home to Western International College, according to Susan Lewis, vice-provost of academic programs.
   In a statement to the Gazette, Western University said “the space has been reconfigured to include classroom space and administrative offices.”
   Located on the former Brescia University College campus, WesternIC, a 10-year partnership between Western and Navitas — a privately-owned education company — opened in September 2026 with the aim of attracting more international students to Western.
   Lewis said the building has been transformed with “academic and student-focused facilities.” The building now contains six renovated classrooms outfitted with new technology, a student advising space, a drop-in space for instructors and administrative offices for college staff, she added.
   “The former Beryl Ivey Library has been transformed into an even more beautiful space; bright, open concept. It’s really the hub for the college."
   Western said that with the library space reopened, Western students are welcome to access common spaces from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m."

   Those of you not at all interested in the loss of libraries, may be interested to learn about the "IC", which is the abbreviation used in the article to refer to the new "Western International College." 

Sources:
  The major one is provided in the article. In addition to the pieces I have written about the campus libraries, see this book for more details: The Libraries at Western, 1970 to 1987 by Margaret A. Banks.
  New names come to the campus and one sees a number of older ones attached to buildings and rooms and even chairs and lectures. Back in 2018, I tried to come up with a glossary for some of them: "Western University Names." In 2025, I compiled some more: "More Western University Names." 
   I noticed recently, the "Chin-Hardie Chair" and two new "Verspeeten Chairs" and that the bookstore is now the "Dellelce Family Bookstore". The stories behind these names are interesting and worth knowing and I suggested a registry would be useful.
  Now, at least, you know there is a Western International College and that there once was a Brescia College.
  For information about the new "Western International College" from Western University see: Western International College. 

The Bonus:
  Many of the Western posts are not about boring libraries. Here is one about seduction, the subliminal kind and the UWO prof who was paid to leave campus:
"Subliminal Seduction."

Caveat lector:
Mulcahy's Miscellany is my personal blog. Those at Western University are not responsible for these posts, especially for any errors, nor are they likely even aware of MM. 

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 49)

 Early Block Heater?? - 1921
   I stumbled across this and have not investigated further. According to the Wikipedia entry, block heaters were developed much later. Perhaps a local historian might want to pursue this. 

Source: The Oregonian, Nov. 20, 1921

Factlet (23)

 Contrarian News For Kids

   The answer is likely "No"! So, let them have candy on halloween. If your child is a little too energetic for your liking, perhaps you should just have a glass of wine instead of depriving the kid of sugar. 

   The source for this information came to me via a newsletter from The Atlantic, to which you should subscribe. It is written by Olga Khazan and can be found on Oct. 26. Here is a portion:

   "Toddler parenting is an exercise in picking battles, and one I almost never pick is the battle over sugar. Quite often, my 2-and-a-half-year-old eats just a few bites of his meal before proclaiming himself “done, done, done,” yet mysteriously also desirous of dessert. Generally, at this point, I’ll give him a cookie, or whatever sweet he’s fixated on—yes, even if he hasn’t finished his healthy dinner, or if it’s almost bedtime, or if we’re somewhere I need him to behave.

   I feel good about these choices because: science. For one thing, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations on added sugar are generous, allowing for more than an entire Klondike bar’s worth of it a day. For another, sugar doesn’t make kids hyper. The sooner parents internalize this, the sooner they can drop sugar policing from the dreaded mental load and reapportion that slot to some other parental drudgery, such as keeping track of spirit days.

  Wherever a child is tipping over a bin of Legos or jumping on a couch, a “sugar rush” is bound to be blamed. Popular shows including The Office and Abbott Elementary have episodes in which characters eat too much sugar, go into overdrive, and crash. I’m often warned by other moms not to give my son anything sweet—by which I guess they mean any and all toddler food—before naptime.

  Their admonitions, however, are misguided. “I know parents, and many people, would love to be able to point the finger at sugar” when a child acts up, Jill Castle, a pediatric dietitian, told me. “But it just doesn’t hold up in the research.” A series of studies from the 1980s and ’90s, led by a prominent pediatrician named Mark Wolraich, helped break the connection between sugar and hyperactivity, which is generally defined as restlessness, poor behavior, and impulsivity.....

   I also think parents persist in believing that sugar makes kids rambunctious for the same reason they believe in so many other dubious child-rearing fallacies. Parents long for an explanation for their kids’ inexplicable behavior and for a sense of control over it. If sugar really explained why kids became manic and naughty, parents could create peace by banning Skittles and soda. But sugar isn’t to blame, which leaves us to accept our kids for the frenzied, irrational beings that they are."
 
Source: 
  Apart from this piece, which will probably not be found in the magazine, the author cites some studies, including this one:

   "Effects of Diets High in Sucrose or Aspartame on The Behavior and Cognitive Performance of Children,"

Authors: Mark L. Wolraich, Scott D. Lindgren, Phyllis J. Stumbo, Lewis D. Stegink, Mark I. Appelbaum, and Mary C. KiritsyAuthor Info & Affiliations

Published February 3, 1994

N Engl J Med 1994;330:301-307

Abstract

Background

Both dietary sucrose and the sweetener aspartame have been reported to produce hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in children.

Methods

We conducted a double-blind controlled trial with two groups of children: 25 normal preschool children (3 to 5 years of age), and 23 school-age children (6 to 10 years) described by their parents as sensitive to sugar. The children and their families followed a different diet for each of three consecutive three-week periods. One diet was high in sucrose with no artificial sweeteners, another was low in sucrose and contained aspartame as a sweetener, and the third was low in sucrose and contained saccharin (placebo) as a sweetener. All the diets were essentially free of additives, artificial food coloring, and preservatives. The children's behavior and cognitive performance were evaluated weekly.

Results

The preschool children ingested a mean (±SD) of 5600 ±2100 mg of sucrose per kilogram of body weight per day while on the sucrose diet, 38 ±13 mg of aspartame per kilogram per day while on the aspartame diet, and 12 ±4.5 mg of saccharin per kilogram per day while on the saccharin diet. The school-age children considered to be sensitive to sugar ingested 4500 ±1200 mg of sucrose per kilogram, 32 ±8.9 mg of aspartame per kilogram, and 9.9 ±3.9 mg of saccharin per kilogram, respectively. For the children described as sugar-sensitive, there were no significant differences among the three diets in any of 39 behavioral and cognitive variables. For the preschool children, only 4 of the 31 measures differed significantly among the three diets, and there was no consistent pattern in the differences that were observed.

Conclusions

Even when intake exceeds typical dietary levels, neither dietary sucrose nor aspartame affects children's behavior or cognitive function."

The Bonus: 
  It is best not to let your kids run with scissors. If you look at Factlet 13, you will learn that there are many, many ways to spell the word "scissors."

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 48)

Better Times and Canadian Made Buicks - 1950

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 12, 1950

More Private Library Photos

  I have presented many posts about libraries, private ones as well as other kinds. A few weeks ago, I included some photos of the libraries of Eric Hobsbawm and William T. Vollman. Once again, I have stumbled upon another article which included some pictures of a writer sitting among his books.

John Berendt's Books
   This may not be Mr. Berendt's library and he may have more books scattered among the photographs, art and a collection of gongs which are described in the article.  Apparently gongs are a way to send guests "out in style." Somewhere in his collection, he surely has a copy of the book for which he is best known - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
   Before he wrote that book, he produced many columns for Esquire, mainly about men's clothes and manners. The rather narrow focus was broadened and "Berendt found a tantalizing story in every subject. The columns in “Classics” reveal gruesome and useful facts — for example, the skin of wild animals is better for gloves, because it’s more supple. He included debonair, noble characters like Benjamin Guggenheim, who sacrificed his spot on a lifeboat on the Titanic and then put on his white tie and tails to die “like a gentleman.” And he debunked myths, such as one about Bermuda shorts, which are not from Bermuda; another about the argyle pattern, which is not connected to the Argyle family (and they don’t like it when you ask).”

   The columns have been collected and are found in this new book: Class Act: A Gentleman's Guide to Dressing Well, published by Penguin Random House.
  "Full of surprising facts, unforgettable characters, and amusing anecdotes, this fully illustrated collection of snappy, elegant essays is as stylish as its subject matter. Part cultural history, part handbook, Class Act serves as a reminder that the clothing we wear is not simply fabric, but a reflection of our character… and sometimes our sheer audacity. A wildly entertaining ride through men’s style and its place in our collective imagination, Class Act makes a strong case that taste and wit will never go out of fashion."
   Apparently Mr. Berendt can be defined as "dapper". We can use a primer such as this these days since many more people are seen out and about in pajamas than pinstripe suits.
Source: 
  "Famous for His Tale of Murder, He Honed His Literary Voice in Fashion: Before John Berendt Wrote His Classic “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: He Trained His Keen Eye on Men’s Wear and Manners in a Long-running Esquire Column," Maggie Lange, NYT, Oct. 13, 2026.

Post Script: 
  I have not read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, but I did see the movie which was directed by Clint Eastwood. It takes place in spooky Savannah, but Mr. Berendt lives on the Upper West Side. 

  I was a fan of Esquire in those days. Weldon Library has some old issues, but unfortunately they are on microfilm. The LPL offers access to the eMagazine and they have a couple of compilations including: Eat Like a Man: The Only Cookbook a Man Will Ever Need.
  For another fine library in Manhattan, look at this one which belongs to Amor Towles.  See The Talented Mr. Towles.    

Northern Cruising

Leaves & Lobsters

Montréal

    A few weeks ago I mentioned that we drove from London to Lorneville in New Brunswick, where we stayed for a week in a very nice house overlooking the Bay of Fundy. We were not far from the port of Saint John and there were often ships offshore waiting to be piloted into the city. 
   Some were tankers and some were container ships, but there were also ferries and cruise ships. There are several online resources which report on the vessels and their locations. Using one, this ship was easily identified as Regent's Seven Seas Splendor, sailing from Boston to Montréal and visiting various ports in between. The itinerary is provided and shows exactly where the ship was located when I spotted it. The "splendor" was not obvious through binoculars, but if you go to the website for Regent Seven Sea Cruises, you will learn that the use of the word is more than marketing hyperbole and that the cruise is in the luxury category. 

     That ship is likely in some warmer port by now. We are back home in Ontario after doing a bit of leaf peeping of our own. My posting rate may pick up, but right now, the sun is shining, as are the leaves, and it is better to be outside than in, looking at a screen.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 47)

 Known Londoners - Glenn MacNutt - Artist - 1905-1987

   Mr. Macnutt was born in London and died in Pubnico, Nova Scotia in 1987. This obituary appears in The Boston Globe on Oct.19, 1987.

  "Glenn Macnutt, 81, of Boston, An Artist, Died Friday in His home After a Short Illness."

   Mr. Macnutt was born in London, Ontario, and grew up in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He came to Boston in 1924 and studied at the Massachusetts College of Art and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School.

   He specialized in watercolor paintings, which are exhibited in many public and private collections all over the country, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard University, Tufts University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Institute of Chicago and The Brooklyn Museum.

   He was also represented in exhibitions at The Critic's Choice in Cincinnati, the Royal Water Color Society of England, and America's Top 40 at the Frye Traveling Exhibition.

   He was a member of the National Academy of Design, the American Water Color Society and the Guild of Boston Artists.

   He received many awards, including the Adolph and Clara Obrig Prize from the National Academy of Design, the Emily Lowe Prize from Allied Artists and six consecutive awards from the American Water Color Society.

   His paintings have also been featured in various publications, including American Artist Magazine.

   Mr. Macnutt leaves his wife, Evelyn (Simpson); two daughters, Jean Aho of Bridgewater, Maine, and Karen L. Macnutt of Dorchester; a son, Glenn Stephen Macnutt of Danville, N.H.; a brother, Donald Macnutt of Digby, Nova Scotia; three sisters, Evelyn Meuse, Vivian Snow and Frances Peters, all of Digby; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

   Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the McHoul Funeral Home, Dorchester. Burial will be in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester.

Sources:
   I did not find anything about Mr. MacNutt in the local (London) area. His name sometimes appears as Macnutt.
  A short biography with a self-portrait appears in the Dorchester Atheneum.
   There are references to him and his work in The Boston Globe. For example: 

"A Few Works Stand Out in Watercolor Show," The Boston Globe, June 19, 1988.
  A biography is found on askART.com and here is a portion from it:

"Artwork by Glenn MacNutt"

1905 London, Ontario, Canada - 1987 Pubnico, Nova Scotia. Known for: Sea-landscape and genre painting, illustration.
   "The following biography is from Karen Macnutt, daughter of the artist, and from the booklet she has written titled "A Sketch of Glenn G. Macnutt": . Glenn MacNutt was known primarily for his landscape paintings, and was a pioneer in using acrylic painting. Born in London, Ontario, Canada, he earned many prestigious honors during his career including a chair in watercolors at the National Academy of Design, New York. He was a Dolphin Fellow of the American Watercolor Society, a Member of the Allied Artists for both watercolor and oil, Past President of the New England Water Color Society, and a member of the Guild of Boston Artists. His parents blended two of Canada's pioneering blood lines of people, the Scots and the Arcadians. His mother's people were from the French speaking village of Pubnico, Nova Scotia, and his father owned a music store in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia."

Post Script:
  These "snippets"are being provided to celebrate London's 200th birthday. The official London website is found here: Celebrating 200 years: London's Bicentennial.
   The subjects of the snippets have varied widely, but a few recent ones have been about those from London who have become well-known - e.g. Frank Colman and Kate Nelligan. 
The Bonus:
  For information about another talented Londoner who moved to Boston and recently became a major benefactor to Western University, see this "Homage to Bill Hodgins." 

  Back in better days, The Boston Globe had a weekly column consisting of "Canadian American News." To see some of the stories from the '50s and '60s see:
"Canadian American Relations." 

From London, ON to Lorneville, NB

 The Bay of Fundy
   I see that my last post was from a week ago and the subject of it was in the Maritimes. That I now also happen to be in New Brunswick is accidental, the result of an opportunity that was presented and too good to ignore. The trip illustrated above took place along a route that was mainly rural and lined with brightly coloured trees.
  The path taken was the longer one shown by the darker blue line and it was not chosen so more trees could be seen. It was picked because it remained above the border, which is a much bigger divide than it used to be. The lighter line goes through the state of Maine. From where we are, near Saint John, we can look down on the folks in Bar Harbour. 
  Although there are cruise ships passing by, they are probably full of Americans looking at the last of the leaves. It is doubtful this year that there will be as many Canadians heading south in search of the sun.

  It was a beautiful day, but it looks like it might turn rainy and I may do a bit more blogging.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Mastriano and the Maritimes (Again)

 

A Doctoral Dissertation in History - In the News!
   This is an update on a post I did about Dr. Mastriano's dissertation which was done at the University of New Brunswick back in 2013. Mastriano is now a Senator for the state across the lake, but he was defeated when he ran for governor of Pennsylvania back 2022. During that campaign, questions about the quality of his dissertation were raised, which created problems for both Mastriano and UNB. All of the issues are discussed in my post and my only purpose here is to provide a brief update and add to the sources I have already provided. 
  In 2024, Mastriano sued UNB and a few other individuals for a variety of reasons which are outlined in this article: "Controversial U.S. Politician Sues UNB for Releasing His widely Criticized PhD Thesis: Doug Mastriano Says UNB Leaked His Thesis, Resulting in Lost Potential Revenue From Book Sales, Speaking Gigs," Aidan Cox, CBC News, July 12, 2024.
  Lately universities have been losing lawsuits, but the good news is that UNB will probably not have to pay the millions sought by Mastriano. Given that most of the news these days has been about the Arday Affair, which involves another problematic dissertation and a university (Cambridge), you may have missed it.
  Here is a source for this recent development: "Judge Removes University of New Brunswick From U.S. State Senator's Defamation Suit," Canadian Press, Sept. 24, 2026.
 "FREDERICTON — An Oklahoma judge has removed the University of New Brunswick as a defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by a Pennsylvania state senator with ties to U.S. President Donald Trump. 
   Sen. Doug Mastriano alleged defamation, racketeering, antitrust and other claims against UNB and almost two dozen academics in 2024 over criticism of his academic research into the American First World War hero Sgt. Alvin York.
   The university granted Mastriano, a retired U.S. army colonel, a doctorate for his research in 2013. York was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading U.S. soldiers behind German lines in France during the First World War to disrupt machine gunfire. More than 20 German soldiers were killed and 132 captured. A movie about York's heroics won Gary Cooper a best actor Academy Award, and the story was memorialized in comic books.
   Mastriano’s academic credentials from UNB were called into question in 2022 when The Associated Press reported allegations from scholars asserting that his doctoral dissertation was plagued by factual errors and amateurish archeology. The university then conducted an independent review on how he received his PhD.
   Mastriano claimed in his lawsuit that UNB engaged in co-ordinated efforts to destroy his academic reputation and eliminate him as a competitor in First World War scholarship, as well as to interfere with his political campaigns.
   Mastriano was a little-known state senator in Pennsylvania until he took an active role in the movement to overturn Trump’s 2020 election defeat. He attracted headlines when Trump backed him for Pennsylvania governor during the senator's unsuccessful campaign in 2022.
   In the 2024 lawsuit, Mastriano was seeking millions of dollars in damages, claiming criticism of his research cost him income from tourism-related events, as well as book, media, television and movie deals. The senator claimed his book sales were reduced, his publisher stopped possible second editions and that he had been prevented from university job opportunities.
   He was also suing former UNB president Paul Mazerolle, vice-president of research David MaGee and professor Drew Rendall, who a few months before the 2022 election for Pennsylvania governor made public Mastriano's dissertation that was based on his research into York.
   Another defendant was James Gregory, who as a University of Oklahoma graduate student and researcher into First World War history and York, filed an academic fraud complaint against Mastriano with UNB.
   UNB successfully argued that it was immune from the jurisdiction of the U.S. district court for the western district of Oklahoma because the school is an “organ of a foreign state.” In a Sept. 1 ruling, District Court Judge Bernard M. Jones II cited UNB's creation in 1859 for a national purpose, its active supervision by the provincial government and the fact that its staff are considered to be public employees."
 The above is also found in  The Toronto Star, "Judge Removes University of New Brunswick From U.S. Senator's Defamation Suit," Sept. 24, 2026.
  I have found no additional information from either UNB or Senator Mastriano about this new development. 
  The University of Kentucky Press has published two books by Mastriano based on his dissertation - Alvin York and Thunder in the Argonne - if you wish to decide for yourself.

Post Script:
  The lost lawsuit alluded to above, is this one: "University of Lethbridge Was Wrong to Cancel Frances Widdowson's 2023 Lecture, Judge Rules," Stephen Tipper, CBC News, Sept. 18, 2026. For another example see, "Professor Timothy L. Jackson Wins $725,000 Settlement," in MM. 

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 46)

 Pigeon Racing - From Boston to London - 1887
   You will learn from the article below that a fellow released some pigeons on a Tuesday morning in Forest, Ontario and one of them had arrived back home in Boston by Thursday afternoon. That beat the record from the year before, when a pigeon from London took a bit longer to fly back to Boston.
   There are still likely many pigeons racing to and from London. Back in the 1970s the baby sitter who took care of a bunch of our kids up around UWO had a husband who had a loft in the backyard and he frequently let the residents loose to race.

   Even those who are more aristocratic can be interested in pigeons. This picture is from a British Pathé film which can be watched by clicking on this link: "The Guiding Princess (1943)." (1:36)

Sources: 
 The Canadian Racing Pigeon Union has produced a good "Short History of Pigeon Racing." There are around 20,000 registered pigeon lofts in North America.
 A thorough and much longer article is found in Wikipedia under "Homing Pigeon."

The Bonus: There were once also Passenger Pigeons.

The Great Outdoors - and Libraries

    Those who work in many university libraries are no longer much interested in the gathering and collecting of books, particularly those which are printed. The stacks are being removed and the spaces are now often simply auditoriums to which students can go to watch their screens. I have suggested before that it might be better for the librarians if they collected something - see, for example, "Libraries As Cabinets of Curiosities." It would also likely be better for the students since surely the collection of just about anything would be more interesting than a gathering of students looking at their laptops. Well, maybe not, but at least the librarians would have something to do and the place could legitimately be called a "Library."

Utah State University's Outdoor Recreation Archive

  Utah State's ORA is a good example of an interesting collection and the purpose of it is explained in the mission statement:
  "The mission of the Outdoor Recreation Archive is to document the history of the people, products, and brands of the outdoor industry through unpublished documents, published materials and audio/visual materials. We strive to make those materials widely accessible to the public, including Outdoor Product Design and Development students, academics, enthusiasts, industry (including marketing and design), and others with interest in the history of outdoor gear."

  Catalogues are collected and while students might not be interested in the older ones, they may be attracted to the more recent examples. 

 

   There are also posters, and periodicals ranging from the Atlantic Coast Kayaker to Washington Trails. 
   Even the books would attract browsers, for example: Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the End of the Map; Mountain Girl: From Barefoot to Boardroom and A Mountaineer's Life. 

  Click on the link provided above to examine the collection. I noticed when looking through the ORA books that they had a copy of Simple Fly Fishing. That reminded me of the collection of "Angling Books" held by the Western Libraries and Harvard, Princeton, the University of Alberta and UBC also have a lot of books about fish and fishing. Perhaps some libraries will continue to be interesting places to visit.

CANCON - A Camping Collection That is not Campy
  For a Canadian outdoor collection, visit Trent University in Peterborough. In the Trent University Archives they have gathered, since 1968, books about camping, brochures and pamphlets about camps, as well as the magazines and newsletters they produced. If you want to read a digitized version of Canadian Camping, you can, without actually going to Peterborough. 
  Since 1925, Camp Tanamakoon in Algonquin Park has operated a summer camp for girls. It is likely that this book in the Trent collection would be both interesting and useful: Camp Tanamakoon, 1925-2024 : a collection of stories from Alumni to celebrate 100 years!

   If libraries are repositories rather than sheds for students, perhaps both the Aesthetes and the Hearties and the Athletes and the Arties will continue to be attracted to them.

Post Script: 
  If you are interested in literature relating to the outdoors and forests and streams and mountains, check the university library near you. While they may not have a special archival collection, they may be able to offer access to related material. For example, EBSCO offers a digital archive of over 1,000 issues of Outdoor Life Magazine, from 1898 to 2010. (Not all libraries can afford such purchases or repurchases and use may be restricted.)



The Bonus:  
  One of the largest "outdoor" libraries is available to you over the internet. Visit: Biodiversity Heritage Library  It contains thousands of titles, including: Forest and Stream. The birds above are found in the BHL.