the curious incident of the dog in the night-time

"The medium is the message" is illustrated by "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" (2003).  The story is told so that us "neurotypicals" can better understand and appreciate how autistic people see the world and interact with it.  You should note that there is a spectrum of autistic behavior. 

One trait noted by Christopher John Francis Boone,  (the narrator) is that he enjoys puzzles which led him to enjoy murder mysteries.  He fits many of our stereotypes for autistics and justifies some of them:  obsession with colors, taking words literally and not understanding metaphors, avoiding lying (except white lies), avoiding looking at faces, better than average memory, screaming with little excuse, and heightened mathematical expertise.

The author depicts the exasperation of caretakers that is not quite understood by autistics although they sometimes acknowledge it.  He is loved by two people (his parents), but makes their lives difficult and at one time or another they both have hit him.

People around him, his parents, teacher and neighbors find their routine disrupted, sometimes very dramatically.  Definitely played a role in marital stresses.

Oh, yes he did solve the mystery of the dead dog.

Mark Haddon, the author and illustrator won several awards.  Perhaps ironically this was written for the adult market, but won awards in both adult and children's categories.  I believe he provided the drawings and also found the mathematical challenges.  He is also a painter.

If you would like to understand the autistic mind and appreciate how they affect people around them, "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" is a good choice.

Michael McCreary is also autistic, but at a different point on the spectrum and has been able to fit in a little better and observe outsiders.  His acknowledgment at the bottom of the link below is priceless.  .http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/04/funny-you-dont-look-autistic.html

From Mistakes to Meaning

All of us have made mistakes.  Both authors have made headline making mistakes.  The mistakes were difficult to live with to the extent they didn't want to talk to anybody about them.  But they were friends and eventually opened up to one another and became obsessed with trying to understand why the mistakes were made and how they could put themselves back in place.

Michael Lynton worked up to be the CEO of Sony Entertainment.  He was more of a numbers guy and together with other decision makers got together to decide whether or not to give the green light to "The Interview," a comedy involving an assassination of the North Korean dictator.  We learn later that a lot of thought had been given to the matter and there was a lot of enthusiasm from the creative team including some queries into likely North Korean reaction.  Michael later admits that he got caught up in the momentum and gave the final ok.  He also confesses that he felt as an outsider to the creative process.

North Korea was not ok.  They were able to hack Sony's computer system and reveal many embarrassing emails.  Many relationships were disrupted as celebrity actors had been criticized by executives.

Joshua L. Steiner worked his way up to be the chief of staff at the American Treasury Department in Washington.  He had decided to keep a private diary to keep track of the many events in his department.  Ironically he was not involved at all with the events under Bill Clinton's administration in Arkansas, but nonetheless Republicans were able to use parts of his diary to embarrass the Clintons as well as revealing personal information.  Why did he feel the need for a private diary and why wasn't he more circumspect about the contents?  And why did he reveal (to the wrong people) that he even had such a diary?  The Whitewater scandal hit national headlines with Joshua's diary playing a role.

After the two men went through a catharsis they decided to explore the issue of making mistakes by talking to experts and to friends, many of whom were celebrities.   But everyone makes mistakes that makes them feel regret.  In the long run people regret not so much what they did as what they didn't do.  For another relevant perspective on regret, courtesy of Daniel Pink see  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/06/the-power-of-regret.htm

Malcolm Gladwell, well known for his perceptive books had a surprising regret.  He had been a runner in high school and won many races, however after a period of losing some races he quit totally.  Finally in his early fifties he started running again as it was one of the things he was good at.  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/02/blink.html

The decision to have babies is fraught with difficulty.  For women it often means a diversion from a career or some other plan.  There are time constraints that make the decision more difficult.  For many, even those successful at a career, regret they didn't have more children.

Because of Michael's entertainment connections you might be interested in his insights, especially regarding, especially Seth Rogan and  Brad Pitt.  David Frankel, a successful director wanted to do "The Big Year" about bird watchers, but the studio wanted him to do "Moneyball" with Brad Pitt.  He had written an early version, but Pitt didn't like it and another writer, Steve Zallian was asked to write another version that suited Brad Pitt more.  Still the studio wanted David to do the directing, but Brad Pitt said no as he had been offended ty David's vision.  "The Big Year" cost $45 million to produce and only earned $8 million.   On the other hand, "Moneyball" cost $50 million to produce and grossed $110 million.

What did they learn?  What did they conclude?  Mistakes are part of life and you needn't let them stop you from moving on.  You will do better to understand the root causes of your mistake.  They provide some formulas, but I would like to end with some quotes from the book.

Seneca said "we suffer more in imagination than in reality."

Groucho Marx, "Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret."

Jonathan Haidt, "The mind is divided like a rider on an elephant and the rider's job is to serve the elephant."  Check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/the-anxious-generation.html

Barnard Baruch "I have known men who could see through the motivations of others with the skill of a clairvoyant, only to prove blind to their own mistakes.  I have been one of those men."  

After analyzing, maybe apologizing we need to move on.  Everyone makes mistakes. 

Another blog on mistakes came about for book by Terry O'Reilly:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/06/my-best-mistake.html

The Eleventh Hour

Salman Rushdie is perhaps most famous for having written "Satanic Verses" in 1988 that provoked a death threat.

Before that, after graduating with an English education (Cambridge) Salman was an advertising copy writer.  While doing that he was writing a science fiction book that failed to impress either potential readers or critics.  Still working in ad agency he wrote "Midnight's Children" that came out in 1981.  It won the Booker Prize that allowed him to become a full time writer.  Years later he was involved in writing the script for the film version co-operating with Deepa Mehta and one of the stars, Shriya Saran is a favorite..

"Satanic Verses" offended Muslim fundamentalist governments and was banned in 20 countries.  More critically it raised the ire of Ayatollah Khomeni who issued a fatwa demanding Salman's death in 1989.  He went into hiding, making a few high security public appearances and continued writing.

By 2022 it seemed safe, however there were still those who took the fatwa seriously and Salmon was attacked at a public author's event.  Before anyone could restrain the attacker, Salmon suffered being stabbed that ended up losing one eye and damage to his hands and liver.

Being an outspoken author was dangerous and he decided he had to deal with this violation of trust.  One of the results was the non fiction book "Knife." 

Now he was ready to get back to what he normally does.  Write fiction.  I have been stuck by a quote from Picasso who said "Art is the lie that shows us the truth."  To me it suggests that fiction can be a tool to give us greater human insight.  

The title, "The Eleventh Hour" is meant to convey the concern that we all face; death and how to deal with it in our quest to give meaning to our life.  Salman decided on 5 short stories to give different perspectives in an engaging manner.  

He draws on his background in India, England and United States.  Some of his references hit me as I didn't expect any to Indian films, but I should have known better.  Others will pick up on things he experienced in England where he went to school or America where he took up residence.

He is credited with using a magic realism style.  As a youngster, Salman was first impressed by "The Wizard of Oz" that sets a fantasy frame to tell us a little bit about three real men.  In his five stories he combines fantasy in a historical context.

We are grateful that Salman survived and if you get a chance to read "The Eleventh Hour" you will be grateful too.

Grieving over a cat

 No apologies.  Oscar, our family cat was just put down at the vet's and I am feeling very blue.  Aldershot Animal Hospital was very understanding of our feelings.

Death can be sudden, even with some warnings.  A year or so ago Oscar seemed to lose weight and had problems making it to the litter box.  Oscar had been looked at by the vet and we were given a prescription and food advice.  He seemed to eat more than ever without gaining weight and still jumped on tables.  The night before he seemed as usual, but a little more tired.  In the early morning Sharon noticed some blood around his mouth and was surprised that he would not eat any treats.  A quick trip to Aldershot Animal Hospital and it seemed that his mouth was a serious concern and very likely to impede eating.  His other ailments had not improved.  It seemed that he was doomed to increasingly suffer.  The Vet gave us kleenex and we pretty much went through a full box.  

 It is hard to put into words how we felt about Oscar.  He was our first male cat.  All cats are individuals and Oscar certainly was.  He was very independent, walking away when he was not interested in how we were trying to get his attention.  But he enjoyed jumping on tables when it suited him and sometimes seemed to relish jumping on my shoulders.  Finding new hiding spots to surprise us was another experience.  He did sometimes seek attention and it was hard to ignore his eyes and stretching out and if that didn't work he would rub against us.  Curious about new things brought into our house he would sniff and paw and if he could, taste.  He would sometimes play with guests.

We had been through this before, but it didn't feel any easier.  I still remember Maggie who came to us as a stray and broke our hearts when her turn came.  Unfortunately pets do not outlive their human companions.  I would like to thank Mary Ditta and Kate Albanese for helping me through a previous difficult time.See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/12/maggie.html

 I didn't always identify wanting cats around me.  How did I get converted to having cats be a big part of my life?   Lorri, my sister in law was crucial for this process. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/01/how-i-became-cat-lover.html

What have I learned?  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/10/philosophy-from-observing-cats.html  

A time when the whole world suffered, my cats helped me keep sane.   I would like to thank John Polkinghorne for putting a heated bathroom floor.  Both our cats loved it.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/05/my-two-cats-are-my-pandemic-saviours.html

 

If you got this far, thank you for letting me try to express my grief.  I do apologize for putting this together hastily, but it helps to alleviate my feelings a bit.  It will be a few days, if ever, I will feel normal.  We do have another cat, Izzy who is just noticing her brother is not around.  She will get more attention.

Detective Hole

A few years back stumbled on a Jo Nesbo book and at first thought it was a bit weird.  But then got hooked and read a few other of his books and watched two of his movies.

Jo Nesbo is inventive with his crime plots as well as characters.  At first it might seem grisly, but one gets used to it.

Harry Hole is in a series of books and in "Detective Hole"(2026) although based on "The Devil's Star" much of the characterization comes from previous books.  He has been a problem drinker who goes in spurts and has guilt feelings.  We are introduced to Harry as he is drinking at a bar when called upon to pursue a robber.  He ends up flipping the car and his partner dies.  We are made aware that Harry is required to take regular therapy.

Five years later he gets sidetracked with his girlfriend's son and suggests his partner follow up a lead and he will catch her later.  Another officer, Tom Waaler arrives at the scene of a suspect before the partner and swiftly sets it up so the suspect is forced to kill the partner and then he kills the suspect.  The story is Waaler was too late to prevent the partner being killed and he was lucky to defend himself.  Viewers, of course, realize Waaler has a hidden motive and is almost certainly corrupt.  Hole suspects enough, says so, but is not able to prove anything and his efforts result in being fired.

He was upset over the death of his partner and becomes depressed enough to start drinking.  At about the same time his superior's attention is drawn to a killing that appears serial.  Realizing Hole is the most experienced officer for such delicate cases, a supioer orders he be reinstated.   The condition is that Waaler is in charge of the investigation.

Viewers have been set up for a riveting crime unraveling and sorting out the corruption.  Lots of action, some twists and Hole's personal life is under stress.  Detective Harry Hole is a complex character.  If you like action mysteries this is very well done.

The series exhibits a lot of professionalism and here are some of those responsible.

Jo Nesbo not only wrote the book, but also wrote the script and was an executive producer.  He has performed as a musician, singer and song writer with albums to show for it.  He graduated with a degree in economics and business administration after which he worked as a freelance journalist and stockbroker until his writing got launched.  His books have sold over 50 million copies and have been translated into 50 languages.  Although most noted for his crime novels he has also written children's books.  With films, he has 16 writing credits, 6 for producing and 1 for additional crew including "Headhunters" (2011) and "The Snowman" (2017).

Oystein Karlsen was a director and also an executive producer.  He has 12 directing credits, 10 for writing and 9 for producing.

Anna Zackrisson was the other director.  She has 12 credits for directing, 8 for assistant directing and 5 for the Art Department including "Let The Right One In" (2005).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/06/swedish-movies.html which is a general review of some interesting Swedish films and near the end is a paragraph on "Let the Right One In". 

Tor Arne Ovrebek was one of the producers.  He has 16 credits for producing, 13 production management and 10 for special effects including "Ex Machina" (2014), "Tenet" (2020) and "Dune (Part One)" (2021). 

Tim Bevan was one of the executive producers.  Born in New Zealand.   He has been nominated for 6 Oscars.  Tim has 189 credits for producing and 2 for acting including "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994), "Fargo" (1996), "Elizabeth" (1998), "Atonement" (2007), "Les Miserables" (2012), "The Snowman" (2012) and "The Theory of Everything" (2014).

The music was provided and performed by a duo, originally from Australia, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.  They met in 1994 playing in the band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.  They collaborated on several albums and films, but also had many solo efforts.  Nick has also written books.  Warren played the violin, piano, accordion, guitar, flute and a few other instruments.  He and his wife bought land on the island of Sumatra and donated it to the Jakarta Animal Aid Network.  

They each had over 60 composing credits and 19 with the music department, including this one, while Warren had 18 credits for acting.  Between the two of them they contributed their musical talents for "About Time" (2013), "Far From Men" (2014), "Mustang" (2015), "Hell or High Water" (2016) and "Wind River" (2017).  Nick Cave was nominated for the 2025 Oscar for original song in "Train Dreams" (2025).  Warren Ellis wrote the music for "I'm Still Here" (2024)--not yet seen, but winner of the 2025 Oscar for best international film.

Ronald Plante, from Quebec was the cinematographer.  He has 61 cinematography credits, 5 for the camera and electrical department and 1 for acting including "Monsieur Lazhar" (2011), "Jappeloup"(2013), "The Good Lie" (2014), "The Kind Words" (2015), "Bon Cop, Good Cop 2" (2017), "La Bolduc" (2018) and "Three Pines ,Season One" (2022). 

Simen Gengenbach was an editor.  He has 46 editor credits, 6 for the editorial department and 1 for directing.

Tobias Santelmann played Harry Hole.  He started in the Nordic theatre.  Tobias has 41 acting credits, 1 for producing and 1 for cinematography including "Kon-Tiki" (2012) and "Atlantic Crossing" (2020).

 Joel Kinnaman played Tom Waaler, the bad guy.  His father was a Vietnam War army deserter and his mother Swedish.  He grew up speaking English to his father and Swedish to his mother.  He was active in Swedish theatre.  Joel has 57 acting credits and 2 for producing including "Safe House" (2012), "Child 44" (2015), "House of Cards" (2016-2017), "For All Mankind" (2019) and "The Silent Hour" (2024).

Ellen Helinder played Beate, Lonn with the police as a facial recognition expert.  She started acting on stage at age 10.  Ellen has 29 acting credits, 2 for writing and 1 for directing.

Pia Tjelta,played Rakul Fauke, Harry's girlfriend.  She got started in the theatre.  Pia has 39 acting credits and 1 for producing.

Jesper Christensen played  a police support staff.  He has 157 acting credits, 1 for directing and 5 for producing including "The Interpreter" (2005) "Casino Royale" (2006), "Everlasting Memories" (2008), "Flame & Citroen" (2008), "Storm" (2009), "The Young Victoria" (2009), "The Debt" (2010), "Melancholia" (2011), "The Last Sentence" (2012) and "The King's Choice" (2016).  Jesper also was in "Sentimental Value" (2025), not yet seen, but nominated for the best international film Oscar. 

If you love clever mysteries and can handle a little grisly violence this is worth your while.  Available on Netflix subtitled and dubbed.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them pretty good.  Check out the one link to get a fuller idea of what those films offer.

1929

All my grandparents lived through the Depression.  Both my parents were brought up during the Depression.  Most of the time they put it behind them, but I and my siblings were once in awhile told things were much different in the not too distant past.

1929 was a pivotal year with the big stock market crash.  Although it was very significant and tied to the general economy there were other factors in the Depression.

Banks were necessary to finance farming, manufacturing, business in general and for consuming big items like houses and cars.  Some banks got involved with stock market investing.  At the same time it was easier to invest in stocks as buying on margin became easier.  That meant one could buy stocks with a downpayment and a loan.  This freedom meant more people could invest, pushing up prices with the hope of becoming rich.  Stocks have never been without downturns.  So when a downturn does happen the investor will find their stock is worth often less than what they still owed.

Communication was greatly improved after Marconi invented the radio that by 1921 there were 544 American radio stations.   Millions of citizens had access to the movements of the stock market.  

The wealthy (some of whom became wealthy with luck, or skill investing) were able to increase the fervor of increasing prices, while other wealthy people could also make profit when the prices went  down through a process called shorting.  Sorkin gives details of the manipulators, their life style and their eventual downfall.

Winston Churchill lived the high life, mostly in debt.  Gave speeches and wrote books to survive.   He liked to visit the States and had powerful friends with plenty of advice.  He also lost in the stock market.

A tariff bill, Smoot Hawley passed in 1930 helped reduce the price of grain and also cut trade by 60% within a year.  This deepened the Depression.

President Herbert Hoover is closely associated with the crisis, however that may be a bit unfair.  He had been a very successful businessman and after World I he was in charge of a humanitarian project to feed millions of Europeans.  His advice during the panic of 1921 proved to be good.  

Another consequence of the stock market crash was the Glass-Steagle bill that separated commercial banks from investment banks.  The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was also established under the Roosevelt administration. in 1933.

One of today's society characteristics is acceptance of debt.  The governments of most nations pay ever mounting interest.  There is always pressure to reduce taxes (especially of the wealthy), but also to increase spending.  Inequality also seems to be increasing. 

The concluding paragraph "...we need to remember how easily we forget.  The antidote to irrational exuberance is not regulation by itself, nor skepticism, but humility--the humility to know that no system is foolproof, no market fully rational, and no generation exempt.  The greater the heights of our certainty, the longer and harder we fall."

The value of reading this book is to help us remember.  There were a few powerful men who didn't always play by the rules.  Borrowing money to support a false belief of pending riches still exists.  The government enabled many to borrow to enrich the nation.  Manipulating the market is perhaps more sophisticated.

Radioactive Emergency

Disaster films seem to fill a need for people. Perhaps we feel lucky to have avoided one, or maybe we have suffered  and want to review from a safe location.  Chernobyl is one that adults can recall.  It was at a nuclear plant.  The disaster in Goiania, Brazil was with an abandoned barrel.

Two scavengers looking for scrap metal snuck into an abandoned clinic and discovered a lead capsule containing a glowing blue powder.  A few days later they took it to a scrap dealer and soon its unusual properties were brought to the attention of Marcio, a radiation expert and he realized the danger.  The blue powder was identified as Caesium 137, a radioactive agent, useful for treating cancer, but extremely dangerous.  Goiania is a city of over one million in a central part of Brazil.

Dr. Orenstein was brought in and took steps to control the spread.  Because it had been open in public for several days the danger had spread.  Eventually over 110,00 people were examined, over 200 were hospitalized and 4 died.   Much property including soil had to be destroyed or isolated.  Waste disposal  was a source of riots.

At first there had been resistance to being examined, but before too long hysteria set in.  One very young girl died and was buried in a lead coffin in a concrete lined burial plot, but crowds vocally protested as they felt it was dangerous for them.

Experts were brought in and there were conflicting views on treating the victims.  A bus trip was determined to be contaminated and required a wider effort.   An indigenous tribe was on the periphery and felt threatened.

Ultimately the experience led to new protocols that have become global standards.

Here are some of the key people for this well done film.

Fernando Coimbra was the director and a writer.  He has 16 credits for directing, 10 for writing and 3 for producing, including "Narcos" (2015-17).   

Gustavo Lipsztein was the creator and a writer.  He has 10 credits for writing, 4 for producing and 3 for directing.

Adrian Teijido was the cinematographer.  He has 44 cinematography credits and 2 for the camera and electrical department, including "Narcos" (2015-17) and Oscar best foreign winner "I'm Still Here" (2024- not seen).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/narcos.html

Karen Harley was one of the editors.  She has 55 editor credits, 7 for the editorial department and 5 for directing including "The Second Mother" (2015).

Vicente Kubrusly was another editor.  He has 21 editor credits, 3 for director and 1 for writer including "Caramelo" (2025).

Johnny Massaro played Marcio, a radiation expert.  He has a background in theatre, including as a playwright.  Johnny has 35 acting credits, 3 for directing and 3 for writing.

Paul Gorgulho played Dr Orenstein, a ,senior radiation expert.  He has 56 acting credits.

 Bukassa Kabengele, played Evenildo, a vocal victim.  He has 43 acting credits and 2 for soundtrack.

Antonio Sabola played Dr.Eduardo Souto  He has 35 acting credits, 2 for producing and 1 for directing, including "I"m Still Here" (2024).

"Radioactive Emergency" is available on Netflix, subtitled and dubbed in several languages.  It is worth seeing not only for the drama, but a reminder at how precarious life can be.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.

If you are fascinated by disaster films check out these posts. 

Another disaster:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/04/chernobyl.html

A disaster in Communist Poland  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/02/lead-children-communist-enviromental.html 

A sea disaster  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/02/hewliusz-post-communist-disaster.html