Thursday, November 13, 2025
On Georgia Street in Downtown Vancouver. Summer of 2018.
Georgia Street is an east–west street in the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Its section in Downtown Vancouver, designated West Georgia Street, serves as one of the primary streets for the financial and central business districts, and is the major transportation corridor connecting downtown Vancouver with the North Shore (and eventually Whistler) by way of the Lions Gate Bridge. The remainder of the street, known as East Georgia Street between Main Street and Boundary Road and simply Georgia Street within Burnaby, is more residential in character, and is discontinuous at several points.
West of Seymour Street, the thoroughfare is part of Highway 99. The entire section west of Main Street was previously designated part of Highway 1A, and markers for the ‘1A’ designation can still be seen at certain points.
Starting from its western terminus at Chilco Street by the edge of Stanley Park, Georgia Street runs southeast, separating the West End from the Coal Harbour neighbourhood. It then runs through the Financial District; landmarks and major skyscrapers along the way include Living Shangri-La (the city’s tallest building), Trump International Hotel and Tower, Royal Centre, 666 Burrard tower, Hotel Vancouver and upscale shops, the HSBC Canada Building, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Georgia Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel, Pacific Centre, the Granville Entertainment District, Scotia Tower, and the Canada Post headquarters. The eastern portion of West Georgia features the Theatre District (including Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts), Library Square (the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library), Rogers Arena, and BC Place. West Georgia’s centre lane between Pender Street and Stanley Park is used as a counterflow lane.
East of Cambie Street, Georgia Street becomes a one-way street for eastbound traffic, and connects to the Georgia Viaduct for eastbound travellers only; westbound traffic is handled by Dunsmuir Street and the Dunsmuir Viaduct, located one block to the north.
East Georgia Street begins at the intersection with Main Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown, then runs eastwards through Strathcona, Grandview–Woodland and Hastings–Sunrise to Boundary Road. East of the municipal boundary, Georgia Street continues eastwards through Burnaby until its terminus at Grove Avenue in the Lochdale neighbourhood. This portion of Georgia Street is interrupted at several locations, such as Templeton Secondary School, Highway 1 and Kensington Park.
Georgia Street was named in 1886 after the Strait of Georgia, and ran between Chilco and Beatty Streets. After the first Georgia Viaduct opened in 1915, the street’s eastern end was connected to Harris Street, and Harris Street was subsequently renamed East Georgia Street.
The second Georgia Viaduct, opened in 1972, connects to Prior Street at its eastern end instead. As a result, East Georgia Street has been disconnected from West Georgia ever since.
On June 15, 2011 Georgia Street became the focal point of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Sunday, November 9, 2025
The Demonology of Northern Europe
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| Flood And Waters Subsiding by Paolo Uccello, 1448 |
I finished reading ‘The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil’ (1900) by Paul Carus a while ago. Therefore, I will continue to quote from it because I've highlighted more than a few pages. "Graeco-Egyptians developed a religious philosophy upon the basis of ancient Egyptian traditions, compiled in a book called the Divine Pymander, which contains many beautiful sayings that remind us of Christian views; but the Divine Pymander (like other philosophical books) is addressed to the few not to the many, and its mysticism rendered it unfit to become the religion of mankind. Apollonius of Tyana is a figure in many respects similar, but by no means superior, to Jesus Christ. For in him the philosophy of the age becomes a religion. His followers, however, were neither better nor wiser than the early Christians; they shared with them the same superstitions, cherishing the same trust in miracles, yet for all we know, they had only few of their redeeming features. Julian, surnamed by Christian authors the Apostate, is in spite of his idealism a reactionary man who set his face against Christianity because he recognised in the latter the most powerful representative of the coming faith. This last pagan emperor, it is true, was a noble-minded and thoughtful man who opposed Christianity mainly on account of its shortcomings, its Jewish affiliations, and the narrowness of its devotees, but he was enamored with the past, and his highest ambition was to revive the barbarism of pagan institutions, which tendency appears most plainly in his retention of bloody sacrifices, his esteem for oracles and a general indulgence in the mysteries of Neo-Platonism. Not only was the figure of Christ conceived after the model of a Teutonic war-king, the son of the emperor, while his disciples became his faithful vassals; not ony did the archangels assume the features of the Asas, the great northern gods, Wodan, Donar, Fro, and others; not only were the old pagan feasts changed into Christian festivals; the Yuletide became Christmas and the Ostara feast in the spring was celebrated in commemoration of Christ's resurrection; but the individual features of the evil powers of the North were also transferred to Satan and his host. Teutonic legends and fairy tales frequently mention the Devil, and there he possesses many features that remind us of Loki. In addition, the ice giants of the Norsemen, the Nifelheim of the Saxons, the Nether-world of the Irish, all contributed their share to the popular notions of the Christian demonology of the Middle Ages. The very name “hell” is a Teutonic word which originally signified a hollow space or a cave underground, and denotes the realm of Hel, Loki’s daughter. The weird and terrible appearances of the gods, too, were retained for the adornment of demoniacal legends; and Odhin as storm-god became “the wild hunter.” Dr. Ernst Krause, who is best known under his nom de plume of Carus Sterne, has undertaken the work of proving the Northern influence upon Southern fairy tales and legends. He finds that all the myths which symbolise the death and resurrection of the sun, giving rise to the idea of immortality, doomsday, and the final restoration of the world, have originated in Northern countries where on Christmas day the sun that seemed lost returns spreading again light and life. Our philologists believe that the Nibelungenlied contains features of Homer’s great epics; but, according to Dr. Krause, it would seem that the original source of the Nibelungenlied is older than Homer, and that the theme of the Voluspa, the first song of the Edda, being a vision that proclaims the final destruction and degeneration of heaven and earth, antedates Christ’s prophecies of the coming judgment. (Matt., 24.) Christianity comes to us from the Orient, but the idea that a God will die and be resurrected is of Northern origin. Dr. Krause proceeds to prove that the conception of hell as depicted in Dante’s Divina Comedia, which may be regarded as the classical conception of Roman Catholic Christianity, is in all its essential elements the product of a Northern imagination. Dante followed closely Teutonic traditions, which in his time had become a common possession in the Christian world through the writings of Saxo Grammaticus, Beda Venerabilis, Alberiens, Caedmon, Caesarius of Heisterbach, and others. It is specially noteworthy that the deepest hell of Dante’s Inferno is not, as Southern people are accustomed to describe the place of torture, a burning sulphur lake, but the wintry desolation of an ice-palace. That this ice hell can be traced back to the days of Gnosticism would only prove that this Northern influence may, in many of its most characteristic features, date back to a prehistoric age. Dante’s portraiture of the evil demon whom he calls “Dis” agrees exactly with the appearance of the principal Northern deity of evil, as he was commonly revered among the Celts, the Teutons, and the Slavs. Dis has three faces: one in front, and the one on each side. The middle face is red, that on the right side whitish-yellow, that on the left side, black. Thus the trinity idea was transferred to Satan on account of the ill-shaped idols of the crude art of Northern civilisation. Dante’s description of Dis reminds us not only of the three-headed hoar-giant of the Edda, Hrim-Grimmir, who lives at the door of death, but also of the trinity of various pagan gods, especially of Triglaf, the triune deity of the Slavs. When Bishop Otto of Bamberg converted the Pomeranians to Christianity, he broke, in 1124, the three-headed Triglaf idol in the temple of Stettin and sent its head to Pope Honorius II at Rome. Dr. Krause suggests that since Dante, who as an ambassador of Florence visited Rome in 1301, must have seen with his own eyes the head of the Pomeranian Triglaf, it is by no means impossible that he used it as a prototype for the description of his trinitarian Satan. Buddhism is a religious revolution against the evils that are dominant in Brahmanism. Gautama Shakyamuni, who claimed to be the Enlightened One, the Buddha, rejected bloody sacrifices, the authority of the Vedas, trust in rituals and the caste system, and taught a religion of moral endeavor which was to be obtained by enlightenment, or the bodhi. He recognised the existence of evil and sought salvation in the radical abolition of all selfishness through the extension of an all-comprehensive love toward all creatures. The many-sidedness of Buddhism is well illustrated in the Buddhistic conception of evil and of a final escape from evil, which is taught to the thinker in the shape of a philosophy, and to the uneducated masses in the garb of a poetical myth, affording the artist a good opportunity for representing deep thoughts in allegorical form. A Latin proverb says: if two do the same thing, it is not the same thing; and this is true not only of individuals, but also of nations and of religions. It is a habit common among all classes of people to condone the faults of their own kind but to be severe with those of others. The oracles of Delphi were divine to a Greek mind, but they were of diabolical origin according to the judgment of Christians. Jesus was a magician in the eyes of the pagans, while the Christians worshipped him as the son of God, and a man who performed miracles. The priests of Pharaoh and Moses perform the same tricks still performed by the snake charmers of Egypt and India, but the deeds of Moses alone are regarded as miracles, and the Israelites claim that he could accomplish more than the Egyptians."
I will also quote something that I found to be interesting from Carroll Quigley’s ‘The Evolution of Civilizations: An Introduction to Historical Analysis’ (1961). In this somewhat thick book, which was his first published work, he wrote not only about civilized society but also about pre-literary history. Although the book isn't an in depth study of every culture that has ever existed, he still wrote about what he considered to be the most important developments in human history, or at least some of the most important developments. I found his chapter about pre-literary history to be interesting too. Therefore, I will quote just a few of the interesting passages from it. By the way, there's a chapter about why Neanderthal man possibly went extinct in ‘Mysteries of the Past’ (1977) by Joseph J. Thorndike Jr. This is one of my favorite books in my collection, and the chapter is titled 'What Caused the Sudden Rise of Modern Man?'. I won't quote from it now, but perhaps I will do so in the future. "Neanderthal man was so different in appearance from most modern men that no observer would be likely to confuse them. His bodily proportions were quite different, since he had shorter legs and almost no neck. There were other, more technical, differences. His rib bones were rounder, rather than flattened as ours are; he had no real chin or forehead; his eyes were protected by bony eye ridges along the brows; and his head was attached to the front rather than to the top of the last vertebra. Because of these differences, Neanderthal man is frequently regarded as a different species from modern man, or Homo sapiens. But he is more correctly regarded as a variety, since the critical mark of species difference, inability to interbreed to produce fertile offspring, was not true of the Neanderthal and Homo sapiens types. It is now generally recognized that these two were able to interbreed and leave descendants on those rare occasions when they encountered each other along the margins of their customary habitats. Such encounters were on the margins of their ranges because Homo sapiens lived under temperate conditions, while Neanderthal man lived under semiglacial conditions. They both lived in Europe but at different times. Homo sapiens retreated to Africa when Europe was glacial, thus abandoning Europe to Neanderthal man, while the latter retreated northeastward toward Asia, where he had originated, as the interglacial period commenced. Just as we associated the movements of Homo sapiens with the movements of a glacial piston that ejected him from Europe or sucked him back from Africa, so we could associate the movements of the same piston with Neanderthal man, who came into Europe with the glacier and retreated with it toward northern Asia when it departed. Because of the conceit of normal egotism, it is customary to regard Homo sapiens as of higher intellectual capacity than Neanderthal man. This is a matter of which real evidence is scanty, but the evidence that is available would clearly indicate that Neanderthal man was at least as intelligent as Homo sapiens. This evidence includes the following: Neanderthal man possessed both fire and clothing, necessities for glacial living, before Homo sapiens did. He seems to have buried his dead, leaving with the body equipment needed in some future life, at an earlier period, thus giving evidence of an earlier recognition of spiritual values. His tools were frequently made in greater variety and with somewhat greater skill, and include the earliest compound tools (in which the blade and handle were separate pieces). But these achievements, which might be interpreted to indicate sufficient mental flexibility to permit Neanderthal man to survive the ending of glacial conditions. By adapting his way of life so successfully to glacial conditions and to the pursuit of the great glacial mammals such as mammoths, Neanderthal man made his way of life too rigid to permit him to exist under postglacial conditions when such mammals became extinct. The climate change, by 2000 B.C., opened the forests of Europe, so that megalithic traders abandoned the seaways of the west in all of the southwestern Europe as far east as the Adriatic and as far north as Britanny and, instead, crossed Europe by boat on the rivers, bringing Irish gold, Cornish tin, and Danish amber across Bohemia and southern Germany to the Danube. Down this river they went to the mouth of the Morava where they split, some continuing down the Danube, while others turned south to the Isthmus of Corinth and the Gulf of Argos beyond. In Argos, the new commercial cities of Mycenae and Tiryns welcomed the northern traders and grew rich from their commerce, which continued on, by sea, to Crete, to Egypt, or to the Syrian Saddle. Those traders who had continued down the Danube crossed Thrace to receive an equally warm welcome in Troy, whence the trade routes continued across Hittite Anatolia and the Assyrian outposts in Cilicia to the Syrian Saddle and Mesopotamia. These European trade routes of the Sub-Boreal period were not disrupted, but were rather developed, by the arrival of the Indo-European warrior peoples in central Europe about 2000 B.C. From the neolithic peasant peoples these conquerors extracted food, and from the megalithic traders they extracted tribute, using the surplus accumulated to exploit the bronze-making resources of Bohemia in forest forges. From this system emerged a prosperous, barbaric (but not civilized) culture known as the Great Central European Bronze Age. This culture reached its peak about 1400 B.C., with northern and western connections to megalithic Ireland, England (Stonehenge), and Denmark, and even more significant connections to Terremare Italy, Mycenaean Greece, and Hittite Anatolia. These southern and eastern connections were with similar Indo-European Bronze Age invaders in other areas. The whole system was destroyed by the onslaught of Indo-European Iron Age invaders about 1200 B.C. These later peoples exploded out of the northern Balkans with devastating force, and established in various areas the Celtic speakers of central and western Europe, the Dorian speakers of Greece, and a variety of Anatolian peoples, such as Phrygians and Carians. In the Aegean and Balkans these Iron Age invaders ended Cretan civilization forever and established a Dark Age that lasted for several centuries. This Dark Age, centering on the period 1000 B.C., marks the transition between Cretan civilization and its descendant Classical Mediterranean civilization, performing a double role as the period of invasion of the former (Stage 7) and as the period of mixture of the other (Stage 1). Farther east the same Indo-European population movements performed different roles in other civilizations. In Anatolia the Bronze Age Hittite invaders who came in over the Caucasus across Armenia acted as Stage 1 of Hittite civilization (1900 B.C.), while the Iron Age invaders from Thrace destroyed and ended this civilization a short eight hundred years later, providing the limits to the briefest and least known of all major civilizations. The Iron Age invaders of the Aegean area, whom we have called by different names in the Balkans and in western Anatolia, drove fleeing before them a mixed group of earlier inhabitants of those shores, including Achaeans, Etruscans (Trojans), Cretans, some Dorians, and various dimly known peoples of the Anatolian shore."
Why Autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD Students Are Stressed at School
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| https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/positively-different/202507/why-autistic-adhd-and-audhd-students-are-stressed-at-school |
- Neurodivergent adolescents experience twice the emotional burden at school of neurotypical peers.
- Students with ADHD are particularly upset by boredom, restrictions, and not being heard.
- Autistic students are particularly upset by social mistreatment, interruptions, and sensory overload.
- The problem is the environment, not the student.
Learning is an Autistic Joy of my life.
But school was painful. Painful. Painful.
This heartbreak is shared by so many neurodivergent people. Now, a groundbreaking study involving over 700 adolescents (11-16 years old) in the United Kingdom helps explain why—and points toward solutions that honor the joy of learning and the dignity of every student. More than that, the study authors suggest that reducing the emotional burdens students experience in school may potentially prevent decades of mental health struggles and save the lives of some neurodivergent adolescents and adults.
Researchers developed a new tool called the "My Emotions in School Inventory" (MESI) by working directly with neurodivergent teenagers to understand what upsets them most at school. They discovered that emotional burden—how often upsetting events happen and how intensely they affect students of specific neurotypes—plays a major role in depression and anxiety, in ways that cannot be simply explained by emotion regulation difficulties.
Key Findings:
- All neurodivergent teens participating in the study—classified based on assessments into autistic, ADHD, or both (AuDHD) groups—experienced significantly more frequent and intense emotional reactions to school events than neurotypical peers
- Neurodivergent adolescents experience twice the emotional burden at school compared to neurotypical peers
- Different types of events were particularly upsetting for students in autistic vs ADHD groups, with a unique pattern emerging for the AuDHD group.
Students in ADHD Group Were Most Upset By:
- Teachers not listening to them
- Boring lessons or tasks
- Being stopped from doing enjoyable activities
- Being told to "try harder"
- Being accused of things they didn't do
- Losing or forgetting things
Students in the Autistic Group Were Most Upset By:
- Peers talking behind their back
- Unexpected waits or delays
- Sensory discomfort (noise, lighting, textures)
- Being rushed to complete work
- Not understanding social situations
- Being rushed to move between tasks
Students who met both ADHD and autism criteria experience the same overall level of emotional burden as the other two neurodivergent groups. However, AuDHD creates unique neurological patterns and combinations of traits—which means that simply combining autistic and ADHD predictions and strategies won't work. One size does not fit all.
Regardless of their specific neurotype, neurodivergent teens were more likely to be upset by:
- Last-minute changes to plans
- Teachers not understanding them
- Chaotic classroom environments
- Not being allowed to use their preferred coping strategies
- Not being able to complete tasks successfully
- Bullying and social exclusion
- Being treated unfairly by school staff
Like canaries in coal mines that warn of toxic gases, neurodivergent students, and neurodivergent people in general, respond appropriately to genuinely problematic environments. The issue isn't that these students are "too sensitive"; they are experiencing legitimate stressors that harm their well-being and may result in depression and anxiety well into adulthood.
The research validates what many neurodivergent self-advocates have long felt: Their distress isn't a character flaw or inability to cope. It's a natural response to environments that are not designed for their neurotype. This suggests several applications.
For Parents and Educators
- Honor each student's individuality rather than glorifying conformity to one-size-fits-all expectations
- Treat all students with dignity, or specifically NeuroDignity, recognizing that different brains have different needs
- Focus on changing harmful environments rather than expecting students to tolerate them
- Simply teaching emotion regulation skills may not be enough when the environment itself creates additional burdens
- Different accommodations or forms of support may be needed for specific neurotypes and for individual students
- Take bullying and unfair treatment seriously. These aren't "character building" experiences but represent genuine harm
For Support Strategies
- Students experiencing the predominantly ADHD pattern of stress may benefit from flexibility in how they demonstrate learning, respect for their interests and energy levels, and providing teacher support and resources to create more engaging learning experiences and enhance communication clarity
- Students experiencing the predominantly autistic pattern of stress may benefit from sensory accommodations, advance notice of changes, social navigation support, extra time for transitions, protection from social cruelty, or, better yet, preventing social cruelty rather than treating it as "rite of passage"
This study helps to further shift the conversation from "What's wrong with this student?" to "What's wrong with this environment?"
Key principles include:
- Respecting neurodiversity: Different brains process the world differently, and that's a feature of humanity.
- Creating inclusive environments: Schools should ensure flexibility for different learning and sensory needs as standard practice; this includes supporting teachers and ensuring that school environments also work for neurodivergent teachers.
- Addressing root causes: Bullying, sensory overload, inflexible curriculum, and social exclusion are environmental toxins, not student weaknesses.
- Honoring individual strengths: Each neurodivergent student brings unique perspectives and abilities that deserve recognition.
By understanding what specifically taxes the emotional well-being of different neurodivergent students, we can create environments where they have an opportunity to thrive. This requires treating every student with the dignity and emotional inclusion every human deserves, and recognizing that an emotional response to an unhealthy environment isn't misbehavior.
Forcing neurodivergent students into a standard box hurts these students and robs the world of the fullness of their talents. Let's create education that works for the full range of humanity, with flexibility and care. Neuroaffirming education can benefit everyone.
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Near Granville Street Bridge in Downtown Vancouver. Summer of 2017.
The Granville Street Bridge is an eight lane bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia. It spans False Creek and is 27.4 metres above Granville Island. It is part of Highway 99.
The original bridge was completed in 1889. It was a 732-metre long low timber trestle. The navigation span, near the north end, was a trussed timber swing span, tied with wire ropes to a central wooden tower. It was largely designed by the CPR, and cost $16,000. In 1891 the bridge was widened on both sides for streetcar tracks, except where the tracks converged for the swing span.
The second bridge was completed in 1909. It was a longer, medium-level steel bridge with a through truss swing span.
On February 4, 1954, the current Granville Street Bridge, costing $16.5 million, opened. A million cars would cross over the bridge in its first month. The city of Vancouver funded the bridge itself as Mayor Frederick Hume said "no formal assistance given by any other government body."
The eight-lane structure was constructed on the same alignment as the first bridge while steel plate girders salvaged from the second bridge made barges for constructing the foundations of the Oak Street Bridge.
The first "civilian" to drive over the 1954 bridge was the same woman who was first to drive over the second bridge in 1909. She had been widowed between the two openings, and so had a different name. Both times she was at the wheel of a brand-new Cadillac.
Recent improvements to the bridge include increasing its earthquake resistance, and installing higher curbs and median barriers.
Monday, November 3, 2025
AuDHD and Sensory Overload - Sensory Friendly Solutions
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| https://www.sensoryfriendly.net/audhd-and-sensory-overload-causes-symptoms-and-coping-strategies/ |
What It Is and How to Manage It
Imagine this: Jason, a college student with AuDHD, struggles with sensory overload in crowded lecture halls. The combination of bright fluorescent lights, overlapping voices, and the hum of projectors makes it difficult for him to concentrate. In fact, this overwhelming sensory input leads to stress, shutdowns, and difficulty processing information.
Similarly, Mia, a working professional, also diagnosed with autism and ADHD, finds open-office environments unbearable. The constant phone calls, the hum of air conditioning, and the glare of overhead lights make it hard for her to stay focused. As a result, she often takes frequent breaks to reset but still ends her day exhausted.
If you or someone you know experiences similar challenges, this guide will help you understand the link between AuDHD and sensory overload and provide effective strategies for managing it.
What Is AuDHD and Sensory Overload?
AuDHD is a term used to describe individuals who have both autism (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, since autism and ADHD may affect sensory processing differently, having both conditions can lead to heightened sensory sensitivity and challenges in filtering out unnecessary stimuli.
Sensory overload occurs when the brain receives more sensory input than it can process, leading to discomfort and distress. Therefore, for individuals with AuDHD, everyday environments can quickly become overwhelming, making it hard to focus, communicate, or function effectively.
How Sensory Processing Differs in AuDHD
Autism (ASD)
- May have heightened sensitivity to sounds, lights, or textures.
- May engage in stimming behaviors (rocking, hand-flapping) to self-regulate.
- Crowded places, unexpected loud noises, strong smells.
ADHD
- Can be easily distracted by background stimuli.
- May struggle with impulsive responses to stimuli.
- Fast-moving environments, multitasking, lack of structure.
AuDHD
- May experience extreme sensitivity and difficulty ignoring distractions.
- May need multiple self-regulation strategies to cope.
- Combination of both, making sensory overload more frequent.
Signs of Sensory Overload in AuDHD
People with AuDHD may experience sensory overload in different ways, but common signs include:
- Irritability or frustration in busy environments
- Difficulty concentrating or processing information
- Physical symptoms like headaches or dizziness
- Feeling overwhelmed, leading to withdrawal or shutdown
- Heightened sensitivity to light, sound, or touch
Importantly, recognizing these signs early can help individuals take proactive steps to manage sensory overload before it escalates.
Common Triggers of Sensory Overload in AuDHD
Sensory overload in AuDHD is often triggered by:
- Bright or flickering lights (fluorescent bulbs, flashing screens)
- Sudden loud noises (sirens, alarms, crowded spaces)
- Constant background sounds (fans, buzzing electronics, overlapping conversations)
- Crowded or chaotic environments (shopping malls, public transport, classrooms)
- Strong smells or textures (perfume, scratchy fabrics, certain foods)
Moreover, understanding your personal triggers is the first step toward managing sensory overload effectively.
Strategies for Coping with Sensory Overload in AuDHD
1. Plan Ahead
- Visit public places during off-peak hours.
- Use noise-canceling headphones or earplugs.
- Choose seats near exits to leave easily if needed.
2. Carry Sensory Aids
- Wear tinted glasses to reduce light sensitivity.
- Use fidget tools to self-regulate in overwhelming environments.
- Keep a weighted lap pad or compression vest for calming input.
3. Create Recovery Spaces
- Designate a quiet, low-stimulation area at home or work.
- Use dim lighting and soft music for relaxation.
- Practice deep breathing or grounding exercises to reset your sensory system.
Looking for More Support?
Our All Access Training includes practical tools and strategies to help reduce sensory overload in daily life for yourself, your workplace and your community.
Frequently Asked Questions About AuDHD and Sensory Overload
What are the signs of sensory overload in AuDHD?
Sensory overload symptoms include irritability, withdrawal, difficulty concentrating, and physical discomfort. Thus, recognizing these early signs can help you take steps to prevent escalation.
How can I reduce sensory overload in shared spaces?
- Advocate for sensory-friendly adjustments like dimmer lighting and quieter environments.
- Use earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.
- Take breaks in a low-stimulation area when needed.
Is sensory overload different in AuDHD compared to autism or ADHD alone?
Yes. Since AuDHD combines traits from both conditions, individuals may experience more intense and frequent sensory overload episodes.
Creating a Sensory-Friendly World
Understanding and addressing sensory overload is key to building inclusive environments where individuals with AuDHD feel supported and understood. For instance, by making small adjustments—whether in schools, workplaces, or public spaces—we can foster sensory-friendly experiences for everyone.
The Exorcist: Believer: Pazuzu Explained
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| https://www.dualshockers.com/the-exorcist-believer-pazuzu-explained/ |
Many of horror's most iconic villains are relentless forces, with Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger flaunting more than nine lives after their several sequel comebacks. The Exorcist franchise has a more supernatural threat at the helm, however, which is why Pazuzu the demon has been haunting the lives of priests and bystanders alike for decades.
Appearing as the main antagonist of now six entries in The Exorcist franchise, fans may be interested in getting to the bottom of Pazuzu’s origin and learning more about the inspiration behind author William Peter Blatty’s villain. Here’s everything you need to know about Pazuzu and the demon’s role in The Exorcist: Believer.
William Peter Blatty released The Exorcist novel in 1971, and the narrative follows the same characters and circumstances made famous in the 1973 film adaptation by William Friedkin. 11-year-old Regan MacNeil is possessed by a demon, and her mother enlists the help of priests Father Lankester Merrin and Father Damien Karras to perform an exorcism. The novel implies that the demon possessing Regan’s body is that of Pazuzu, as the demon’s statue was referenced and visited by Merrin during the prologue in northern Iraq.
Pazuzu returned in Blatty’s 1983 novel Legion, which was a direct sequel to The Exorcist, and it saw the demon taking revenge after being banished from Regan’s body by channeling the spirit of the Gemini Killer into Father Damien Karras’ body. Again, Pazuzu is not directly named as the antagonist, but it is implied that the same entity is behind these events.
The Exorcist movie adaptation referred to the male spirit possessing Regan’s (Linda Blair) body as Captain Howdy, but this is a front for the demon’s real identity, Pazuzu, confirmed by Father Lankester Merrin’s (Max von Sydow) connection to the demon’s statue. Pazuzu is finally named as the demon behind the possessions in the 1977 sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic, when the entity returns to possess Regan again, and The Exorcist III adapted the plot of Blatty’s Legion novel.
Two prequels to The Exorcist, Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, followed a young Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård) and detailed the soon-to-be priest’s first duel with Pazuzu in Africa. In the 2016 television series, The Exorcist, Pazuzu returns to possess Regan’s daughter, Casey (Hannah Kasulka), but ends up possessing Regan (played by Geena Davis instead of Linda Blair) once again. However, Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) is able to rid the demon.
In David Gordon Green’s reboot, The Exorcist: Believer, Pazuzu returns to possess young girls Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O'Neill), after they both perform a ritual trying to contact the former’s deceased mother. Angela’s father, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.), enlists the help of Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) to identify that it is indeed the return of Pazuzu, but instead of being exorcised this time, the demon claims the life of one of the girls and lets the other live before vanishing.
Pazuzu’s origin is rooted in ancient Mesopotamian religion, as the magical entity was known to be a personification of the southwestern wind that reigned dominance over the lilu wind demons and was identified as both a house demon or domestic spirit and a wandering wind demon roaming the wilds.
Described to have an “inhuman and grotesque form”, Pazuzu, the son of the God Hanbi, was known to safeguard homes by repelling other demons and scaring away unwanted guests. People pertaining to this culture would use spells and special artifacts to try and use Pazuzu as their protector, and unlike the events of The Exorcist franchise, Pazuzu worked harder to protect pregnant women and mothers.
Blatty was inspired by the wind demon from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology enough to bring Pazuzu to life as his main antagonist, but the author also took inspiration from the 1949 possession of 14-year-old Robbie Mannheim in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s also been reported that Blatty got the idea of Pazuzu from the 1900 book The History of the Devil by religion scholar Paul Carus, because there’s an illustration of Pazuzu’s statue among the text that looks very similar to the one Merrin encounters, right down to the loop through its head.
Of course, The Exorcist franchise is not the only piece of media that has involved Pazuzu or the demon’s statue. The Highlander television series showed the statue of Pazuzu when Duncan MacLeod battled a being akin to Satan. A similar statue also appeared in the episode There’s No Place Like Home within the Once Upon a Time series, and in the trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Additionally, an episode of Futurama named one of the gargoyles Pazuzu, and Ridley Scott’s 1985 fantasy Legend shows the statue of Pazuzu used in The Exorcist.
Sunday, November 2, 2025
Impacts of the American Civil War
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| Union Soldiers Accepting A Drink by Eastman Johnson, 1865 |
I recently finished reading ‘Paths of Fire: An Anthropologist’s Inquiry into Western Technology’ (1996) by Robert McCormick Adams. As is usual, it took me a long time to finish reading this book because I have a tendency to slowly read dozens of books simultaneously in my free time. When I was reading the book, I was a little disappointed to find out that the author didn't write more about the American Civil War than he did. Of course, the book isn't about the American Civil War but about Western technology. Still, I had a little hope that the author would get into why the civil war began and how it began. I still don't know much about the civil war, and this is why finding out more about it has been on my mind for some time. Carroll Quigley also had almost nothing to say about the civil war in his books. In ‘Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time’ (1966), he wrote that the East united with the West in order to defeat the South. That is all. Of course, this too isn't surprising because none of his books are about the civil war. The American Civil War and what happened in the United States in the 19th century began to interest me only about several years ago. Until very recently, I hadn't owned any books about the civil war, but, some days ago, I took the next step and acquired a list of the books about the American Civil War that got published in the 1970s. After I finish reading these books, I plan to also get some books about this subject that got published in the 1980s and in earlier decades. Of course, finding out about the American Civil War isn't a problem because many books have been written about the subject in past decades. And many films about it have been made too. The United States produces a lot of stuff, and there have been no big political upheavals in that country in the 20th century. Therefore, acquiring many quality works about a subject like the civil war isn't a problem. Anyway, in this post, I will continue to quote from the fourth chapter, titled 'England as the Workshop of the World', and I will begin quoting from the sixth chapter, titled 'The United States Succeeds to Industrial Leadership', from Adams's book. "The initial phase of the Industrial Revolution was an age of textiles, preeminently cotton. The mechanization of weaving continued longer, but the direction was well established by the early 1840s. Already getting underway by that time was a subsequent phase, deserving to be identified as an age of railroads and steel. England still led the way at first in both of these respects, the high-water mark of its supremacy appropriately celebrated in the great Crystal Palace exhibition of 1851. As we shall see, however, there were already hints of what was to come that ruffled the triumphant complacency of that occasion. American success in the beginning to master interchangeable-part manufacturing technology, bursting into public consciousness at that exhibition, was immediately troubling to only a few. But by the 1870s, the threatening significance of new initiatives elsewhere could no longer be denied. The increasing bargaining power of skilled workers, as for example in holding back the acquisition of new, ring-frame spinning technology to replace the now-obsolescent mule, kept labor costs uncompetitively high. England found its industrial leadership increasingly subject to cost-competitive challenges emanating from continental Europe as well as North America. Although it was not apparent to anyone at the time, Britain’s trend of growth in industrial output had begun to slow already by the mid-century. More significant, and probably also unnoticed, were declines in the rate of growth of total factor productivity that began somewhat later. According to the estimates of C. H. Feinstein, “while in 1870 GDP/hour worked in the United States was only 90 per cent of the British level, by 1890 it was 5 per cent and by 1913, 25 per cent, higher. Over the period 1870-1913, American total factor productivity growth appears to have been about three times the British rate… J. G. Williamson, noting growth in skills per worker over 1871-1911 at only 70 per cent of the American rate, concluded that “it may well be said that the ‘failure’ of British industry in the late nineteenth century can be laid to the doorstep of inadequate investment in human capital… compared to her main competitors in world markets.” Of course aggregates like these, as we noted earlier, tell only part of the story. Accordingly we will touch briefly on a few specific features of the epoch of gradual decline that began in England during the last third of the nineteenth century. Its most general, seemingly almost inevitable, characteristics have been well summarized as follows: “Unlike many of their international competitors, who had access only to much more confining markets, Britain’s international marketing structure meant that British firms could get enough orders of similar specifications to reap economies of long production runs, and had a large enough share in expanding markets to justify investments in (what were then) up-to-date and increasingly capital-intensive plant and equipment. But the tables were turned by the spread of tariff barriers and indigenous industrialization.” A second aspect of decline has been perhaps too sweepingly characterized as “entrepreneurial failure.” It involved an apparent unreadiness “to confront institutional constraints innovatively.” If the objectives of this study were extended to include all aspects of international competition for industrial leadership, detailed attention would need to be given to the steps by which ascendancy in the field of organic chemicals and dyestuffs passed to Germany in the later nineteenth century. But briefly to summarize, the heavy chemical industry was initially one in which Britain had been dominant. Its lead was based in part, however, on enormous caustic soda manufacturing capacity using the LeBlanc process. This may have been unwisely retained in Britain after having been superseded in terms of cost and efficiency by the introduction of the Solvay process on the European continent. Careful retrospective analysis has indeed tended to confirm that this was “costly conservatism… profit-losing attachment to continuity and… reluctance to admit a major mistake.” The argument on this point is complex, however, and the rationality of historical hindsight may not accurately reflect the balance of factors involved in actions and decisions at the time they were made. Initially introduced from France in 1818, there were terrible deficiencies in the alkali industry based on the LeBlanc process that became “the chemical industry” in Britain during the first half of the nineteenth century. Extremely wasteful of materials and labor, it was also a source of serious atmospheric and soil pollution and a direct threat to human health. By contrast, the Solvay ammonia-soda process, while more capital-intensive, was at least 40 percent less costly, required only more readily available raw materials, and was environmentally much more benign as well. That much is clear. Yet it is also true that British manufacturers made some progress with process improvements and with shifting their emphasis to the conversion of former waste materials into useful by-products. They may have felt a heavy responsibility, too, not only for the enormous capital tied up in existing plant but for the livelihood of forty thousand employees. Perhaps even more complex, but also no less suggestive of management weakness, was Britain’s failure to retain the advantage of its initial priority in synthesizing an aniline dye from coal tar residues in 1856. Henry Perkin, the brilliant young discoverer, had even followed up this achievement within little more than a year by making arrangements to produce the dye on a commercial basis and almost instantly finding a ready market for it. Perkin’s was a largely serendipitous discovery, and his greater achievement lay in overcoming costly, technically deficient engineering obstacles to the production of a mauve dye. The synthesis of alizarin, in which Germany won the race by hours in 1869, led more directly to a wide family of further discoveries and had a much greater economic impact in its own right. More important still, it demonstrated that the newly emergent field of structural organic chemistry could be deployed in the pursuit of commercial success. Only by German industry was the lesson quickly grasped that “the secret of commercial success lay in continuous chemical research.” Already by 1873 Britain’s decline in the field was evident, and by the late 1880s Germany had completely seized the lead in organic chemicals. Recruiting few salaried managers and relying on outsiders for marketing, British firms were equipped to exploit potentialities of neither scale nor scope. Vigorously investing in both of these directions, a handful of German firms reduced the price of a kilo of dye from well over 100 marks in the early 1870s to 23 marks in 1878 and then to 9 marks by 1886. By 1913, in consequence, out of a world total of 160,000 tons of dye, Germany produced 140,000 and Britain only 4,400. Nor was comparative performance much different in pharmaceuticals, films, agricultural chemicals, and electrochemicals. And by 1913 also, two-thirds of the electrical equipment machinery made in British factories had been developed not in its own research laboratories but in those of Siemens in Germany and General Electric and Westinghouse in the United States. As Anthony Travis has shown, this was more nearly a cause than a consequence of the subsequent passing of scientific leadership. Germany’s emergence as the dominant power in the dye industry had its roots in business principles that are hauntingly familiar to students of Japanese economic performance today. They included careful study and detailed improvement of the English technology that was initially copied; a greater readiness to assume the risks consequent upon long-term investment; greater effectiveness in meeting the needs and tastes of diverse foreign markets; and painstaking insistence on maintaining product quality. The British empire, as well as its areas of traditional industrial strength, seemed to promise higher returns with fewer risks. On the other hand, “the German investors, as latecomers on the industrial scene, had to look elsewhere for new opportunities and found them in domestic industries based more heavily on scientific research and newer technologies.” In a word, Perkin and his British contemporaries simply “did not build the organizations that could manage the resources needed to do this kind of work, so the world’s leading textile-producing country lost its dye industry.” The Civil War defines the beginning of a new watershed in American economic and technological history, a thunderous entry upon the uncharted landscape of modernity. In an unexpectedly sanguinary, all-out struggle, its logic and momentum forcefully submerged, without entirely displacing, earlier, regionally concentrated opposition to growing national integration. Similarly anticipated by few at the outset was the abolition of slavery. Meanwhile, having made a major contribution to victory, the North’s superior industrial base and logistical mastery helped to precipitate a confident new, national pursuit of international industrial and technological ascendancy. So much is common knowledge. Most historical accounts of this great national turning point concentrate on the gathering political tensions that led to it, the conduct of military operations, and the impacts on the South of the era of Reconstruction that followed. However, more relevant for our purposes were the ensuing extensions of national authority by statutory enactment and constitutional amendment. With the Confederacy’s defeat, strict constructionists and advocates of the primary rights and powers of the states had permanently lost key citadels of their strength. So of primary concern here are a different set of outcomes, focused primarily instead on the victorious North. The contrast is overdrawn, but is also not without some underlying accuracy, between the plantation-based leadership of the South that retained an important national role only until the war and the more complex and dynamic amalgam of business leaders, a growing industrial work force, and the yeoman farmers of the North and West. In particular, the general-welfare clause of the Constitution, its favorable implications for federal government initiatives previously encountering entrenched opposition and hence largely unutilized, now could take on a more active meaning within the coalition that formed the Union and retained its primacy after the Union victory. Commencing over a sectional clash that had dominated and constrained political life almost since the founding of the Republic, the Civil War thus had the ironic effect of helping to clear the way for the requirements of a modern industrial state. The reduced importance of traditional sectional balances meant that the federal government’s intervention and assistance could be more openly sought as an investment in national unity and economic growth that would benefit all groups in society. With population rapidly flowing into national territories that had bridged the continent, increasingly urgent needs could be federally addressed for a more effective fabric of administration and communications. As an enormous railroad transportation grid rapidly materialized, the prospect of an integrated national market of unprecedented size was sure to stimulate correspondingly ambitious plans for industrial and commercial growth. Although Alexander Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures had been simply ignored by the Congress when it was submitted in 1791, his far-sighted advocacy of affirmative support of industry by a strong national government thus began to receive a belated measure of vindication. Along with the historic legislation associated with the emancipation of slaves, the 37th Congress passed a series of measures embodying this outlook. Considered together, they may well deserve the label “revolutionary.” Common to these measures was a readiness to treat portions of the vast public domain in the still largely unoccupied West not as a permanent asset but as a strategic resource – using land grants as an incentive to attract new settlers, new schools, and the railroad-building activity that would ultimately tie the nation together. The Morrill Act that led to the establishment of land-grant colleges carried with it the seed of federal support for research as well as education in the field of agriculture. Also established in 1862, with some of the same objectives, was the Department of Agriculture. Its duties included acquiring and diffusing “information on subjects connected with agriculture in the most general and comprehensive sense of that word, and to procure, propagate, and distribute among the people new and valuable seeds and plants.” Before long those responsibilities would require the assistance of a staff of scientists to assist in carrying them out. As Hunter Dupree observes, “Although opponents could and did invoke states’ rights against federal scientific activity, the outbreak of the Civil War had ruled in favor of Alexander Hamilton’s interpretation of the general-welfare clause as clearly as it presaged the triumph of Hamilton’s vision of an industrial nation. No doubt the exigencies of the war effort contributed at least a greater sense of urgency to both of these undertakings. With military recruitment, able-bodied farmers declined substantially in number. Nevertheless, “northern farm production continued its consistent increase even as the war progressed.”
Saturday, November 1, 2025
Thursday, October 30, 2025
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
In Harbour Green Park in Downtown Vancouver. Summer of 2017.
Harbour Green Park is situated at the edge of Coal Harbour, a scenic waterfront area in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. It stretches along the seawall, just west of the Vancouver Convention Centre, and is accessible via the Vancouver Seawall or nearby streets like West Cordova Street. The park spans approximately 3.1 hectares (about 7.7 acres), offering a compact yet inviting greenspace amidst the urban core.
The park features rolling lawns, appealing views of the harbor, and a well-maintained waterfront setting. Tripadvisor reviews highlight a notable fountain at water level, adding to its aesthetic and functional appeal as a resting spot. It connects seamlessly to the Vancouver Seawall, a popular pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, making it a key link in the city’s waterfront network. The Vancouver Park Board’s park finder notes easy access from the seawall or adjacent streets. Described as “floating at the edge of Coal Harbour,” the park offers a tranquil escape with panoramic views of the water, mountains, and downtown skyline, ideal for relaxation or light recreation.
Tripadvisor ranks Harbour Green Park No. 64 out of 619 attractions in Vancouver, with 59 reviews and 317 photos as of the latest data. It earns praise for its “nice park and fountain” and is often included in three-day Vancouver itineraries, alongside Stanley Park and the Vancouver Harbour. Some visitors express mild surprise at its high ratings given its small size, but its location and views consistently receive positive feedback. Popular for leisurely walks, picnics, or photography, especially during sunset. Its proximity to the Convention Centre also makes it a convenient stop for tourists or business travelers.
While specific historical details aren’t detailed in the provided results, the park’s integration into Coal Harbour reflects Vancouver’s post-industrial transformation, turning former industrial waterfronts into public spaces. As a public park, it’s generally open from dawn to dusk, though exact hours may vary with seasonal adjustments. Easily reachable by foot, bike, or public transit (e.g., buses along West Cordova or the SeaBus nearby). Parking is limited, so walking from downtown is recommended. Adjacent to luxury condos, the Coal Harbour Community Centre, and the bustling Convention Centre, it blends urban sophistication with natural beauty. Fall weather (mild, around 10-12°C) would enhance its appeal with colorful foliage and crisp harbor views, though rain is possible, so visitors might need umbrellas. Harbour Green Park is a charming, compact waterfront oasis in downtown Vancouver, celebrated for its scenic views, fountain, and seawall connectivity. It’s a must-visit for a quick escape or as part of a broader exploration of the city’s coastal attractions.
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