Dam shapes

The Springbank Dam does nothing important, unless of course you're a canoeist. The dam was only used in the late spring, summer and early fall to raise the Thames River water level for recreation. If fish could talk, they'd have voiced their disapproval. It made heading up river difficult.

At the moment, that is all in the past. The dam had new gates installed and the northern most gate failed. Now, the dam sits surrounded with water and controversy. It is still to be decided just who will pay for the repairs. It has been a number of summers since the canoe club was able to launch their canoes and kayaks on the river. The fish? If they had thumbs, they'd give the present situation a thumbs up.

Torture Team: Rumsfeld’s Memo and the Betrayal of American Values

“How did a state conceived in awe of The Rights of Man make psychopaths of its children?” That is the question posed by Philippe Sands QC and a professor of international law at University College London.

The British barrister raised the question as he delivered the fourth lecture in the Pensa Lecture Series in Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario.

Sands is not only a distinguished English lawyer specializing in international law but he is also an important author writing on international human rights issues. His most recent book is Torture Team: Rumsfeld’s Memo and the Betrayal of American Values.

I went to the talk and wrote about it for Digital Journal.

Enjoy. It will soon be gone.

The southern part of the Byron suburb in London, Ontario, is quite hilly. Many of the homes have steep slopes behind them. Sometimes the slopes are terraced and other times they are simply shrub covered. Both approaches help to anchor the earth, keeping it in place.

This backyard has the shrub covered look.

Tower Ridge

A number of kms west of Byron is Communication Hill, so named because the local television station has its tower there. That height of land is just about the highest bit of property in the area. For that reason the television tower was erected there back in the early '50s. The raised ridge runs for miles south of the city of London. In the Byron subdivision there is what I like to call tower ridge because there are three communication towers erected there.

CFPL, the London television station went on the air November 28, 1953. It was just the second private broadcaster in Canada. Walter Blackburn, who owned the station plus a radio station and the local newspaper, had hoped to be the first but CKSO in Sudbury, Ontario, took to the air a month earlier.

Where the coyotes roam

The other day I did a piece on the area beside the Thames River being posted to warn hikers and joggers of the presence of one or more coyotes. Coyotes are somewhat new to the London area and so folk are not all that knowledgeable about how to act if approached.

As it was the middle of the day, and not between dusk and dawn, I walked down onto the floodplain to have a look at coyote country.

Rather pretty, actually, don't you think.

By the way, this is not the Thames River pictured but a small stream running into London's main river.

White evergreens

It snowed yesterday. But tomorrow it is the first of March. We can still expect more snow, sometimes a lot, but it no longer has much chance of lingering on roads, sidewalks, driveways or even evergreens. The spring sun is here. By late afternoon today, all roads in London were dry and most of my driveway was clear. The March sun is a warm sun in Southwestern Ontario.

Cheers,
Rockinon

Babies learn to swim early

The little six-month-old baby is with her parents in the shallow end of the London Aquatic Centre at a learn to swim class for babies Saturday.

Supposedly most babies like water and by six-months are old enough to take to the water. The only proviso is that the water must be warm enough. If it is too cold babies may not like it. Shivering, blue-lipped babies are not cool; They are cold!

The water was a little cold Saturday; Even mom was shivering. It is no wonder baby didn't like it.

Babies are born with the mammalian dive reflex, meaning they naturally hold their breath when submerged.

But many mothers have a protective, maternal reflex, like this mom. "Dunk my crying child under water? No way!" The little teary eyed baby left the water early, headed for a warm, plush car seat and some cotton flannel pj's.

And she wasn't dunked. Yet. There is always next week.