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.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 45)

 Rabbit Report - 1886
  We have noticed this year, an abundance of bunnies in the Old South section of London. One hundred and forty years ago, a reader of Forest and Stream magazine had a question about the types of rabbits in this area. The Arctic hare was not one of them.

   More interesting than this post is the person who answered the question posed by the correspondent. Clinton Hart Merriam knew about bears and birds, as well as bunnies. Apart from the Wikipedia entry, see the profile at the Boone and Crockett Club, from which this picture is taken.

The Bonus:
   If you are more interested in squirrels (black, grey/gray or even white) see my post, On Squirrels, where you will  learn that they are known to migrate. They also often SPLOOT.  Another bonus: some squirrel recipes are provided.

The Canadian Canoe Museum

  There have been few posts lately because I took a few days off to visit Peterborough where the Canadian Canoe Museum is located. Even if you are not interested in canoes or museums, I encourage you to go anyway, because Peterborough is a pleasant place and it is on the right side of the border. 


  Even if you are not interested in canoes, you should still check out the Canadian Canoe Museum. It is an easy place to visit, with good parking and it is very impressive building containing a cafe among all the canoes, where one can even have a glass of beer or wine.

  If you are concerned that the place does not seem diverse enough, there are many sizes of canoes and kayaks, in many different shapes and colours and there are some from South America and the South Pacific.


  If you are more interested in paintings than in paddling, visit before next April to see the Exhibit - "Canoe Perspectives". The exhibit alone is worth the trip. It contains, "A selection of works by prominent artists, including Frances Anne Hopkins, F. H. Johnston, Alex Colville, and Ken Danby, among others. More than 40 works are presented chronologically, spanning nearly 200 years. Selections from the Museum’s collection, including three canoes and related works such as César Newashish’s Wikwas Timanikan (Birch Bark Canoe), Helen Pelletier’s Wiigwas Mukuk (Birch Bark Basket) and Bill Mason’s Paintbox."

  If you are unable to travel to Peterborough you can still see the Exhibit which is from the McCreath Collection. Simply buy this book which is also recommended. Here is the description from Amazon:

Sources:
  The website of The Canadian Canoe Museum. 
  The Museum is more interesting than you might think: "Canoe Museum Kudos," Jacqueline Kovacs, Canada's History, Summer, 2026.
   The building is certainly interesting and was designed by Heneghan Peng Architects and Kearns Mancini Architects. See: "The Canadian Canoe Museum," Canadian Architect, Dec. 2016.
It is easy to find additional articles like this one:

Bookstore Bits

Shakespeare and Company 
  This storied bookshop is in Paris, not England, and Shakespeare never visited it. There are lineups to get in, however, and it has been around for a long time. A recent article in The Economist wondered why it is so popular: "What the World’s Most Famous Bookshop Reveals About Culture: Shakespeare and Company in Paris is Turning 75. Is its Success Replicable?", Aug. 27, 2026
   Probably not, to answer the question posed in that title. Many people  show up because it is on the left bank of the Seine. Myth has something to do with it since there was an earlier Shakespeare and Company and the American owner of that shop had many famous friends, like Hemingway. It also helps that the shop has "hundreds of thousands of social-media followers," some of whom may actually read books. It also does not hurt that many have seen films in which the bookshop has a role, Midnight in Paris and Before Sunset, for example. Even those who stay at home may have watched Emily in Paris, the TV series.

  While Shakespeare and Company may have been seen by many, those who enter are not allowed to take "selfies", or photos inside the store, which is said to enhance the store's mystique. If you buy a book, it is stamped with the shop's name and logo, which proves one was there. Authors also visit and sign books which "can triple sales" and "higher-margin merchandise, including tote bags and notebooks, accounts for around 30% of total sales." I suppose that what this "Bookshop Reveals About Culture" is that the success of Shakespeare and Company cannot be attributed solely to books or a great desire to read them.

The Bulk Buying of Books
   Back in Canada, very large numbers of used books are being purchased. This is not necessarily good news. They are not bought to be read, but to be scanned. The books are pulled apart and used for training for large language models like Claude.

  "Physical books, particularly those published before OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, are in demand for AI companies. That's partly because some experts say the language models degrade when repeatedly trained on their own output, so they need to be fed with content that is guaranteed to be free of AI-generated text."

That is from: "Used Bookstores Navigate 'Suspicious Bulk Orders Amid AI Book-Shredding Fears," Kevin Maimann, CBC News, Sept 1, 2026.

A Beautiful Bookshop
  In the article in The Economist there is mention of Livraria Lello in Porto which looks like "a cross between a cathedral and a robber baron's mansion." You have to buy a ticket to get in.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 44)

A Transatlantic Flight From London to London in 1927
  In my last snippet, to mark London's 200th birthday, I wrote about a London brewer who was kidnapped in 1934. In this one a London brewery (Carling) offered in 1927, $25,000 to any aviator who successfully crossed the Atlantic. There are many accounts in the news about these London stories and samples about this one are found below.
  Also provided are some sources for those who would like to read more about this aviation adventure, which was not a successful one. The Sir John Carling was able to make it to Newfoundland after a couple of delays, but the plane did not go much farther and was never found, nor were the pilot and aviator.
   

 "Flying From the Heart of the Empire to the Soul of the Empire" - 1927

From the Evening Star (Washington) Aug. 11, 1927.

Sources:
  The picture of the postcard is found at Miller & Miller Auctions where a good account is provided by Tess Malloy: "Brewing With Ambition: The Ill-fated Carling's Brewery London-to-London Challenge: A Daring Transatlantic Journey Ends in Tragedy and Mystery," Oct. 9, 2023.
  The "Empire quotation" is in this article by Larry Cornies: "A Plane Was Lost, and So Was a Story of London's Aviation History," London Free Press, May 21, 2022. Here is a portion:

  "Mere months after Charles Lindbergh's gruelling 33½-hour flight from New York to Paris in May 1927, London entrepreneurs decided the coming age of aeronautics was too exciting to pass up. And Lindbergh's achievement sparked what local historian Alice Gibb has called "the ultimate public relations campaign in London's history."

   That campaign was put together by Arthur Carty, a former London Free Press reporter who had built a news and publicity service with his uncle Edmund Carty, and Charles Burns, president of Carling Breweries.

   The ad they posted in The Free Press on June 29, 1927, only 38 days after Lindbergh's flight, was for a "Canadian aviator to fly from London, Ont., to London, Eng." The $25,000 prize - the same amount paid to Lindbergh - would be equivalent to about $400,000 today. The funds were held in trust by London businessperson Ray Lawson, with the support of mayor John M. Moore and London Chamber of Commerce president A.J. Grant.

  A flood of applications poured in from pilots willing to risk the 6,200-kilometre trip "from the heart of the Empire to the soul of the Empire" in a Stinson Detroiter monoplane, made by Stinson Aircraft Corp. in Detroit.

   The pilot ultimately chosen was Capt.Terence Bernard Tully, a 33-year-old decorated Royal Air Force aviator and former Aero plane test pilot for A.V. Roe and Co. Tully and his wife Anne had immigrated from Ireland four years earlier; he had logged more than 2,500 hours flying for Ontario's forestry service. Tully then selected Lt. James Medcalf, 28, another RAF veteran, as his co-pilot and navigator."
  The pilots took off from Harbour Grace, NL and the story is reported by some folks out east: "Disaster Strikes: The Sir John Carling," Community Stories. (n.d.)

See also, "Harbour Grace Airstrip," by Harbour Grace Tourism.