My highly qualified fellow presenter at the workshop spoke of working on specific mental exercises, tailored "self-talk" and the adoption of certain attitudes of thinking to help bring calm normalcy to those with anxiety issues.
My input to the workshop came from my focused and pragmatic research to find calm in the middle of the perceived high stresses of life, coupled with my ability to design and build electronic equipment to help me achieve that calm state.
My inventions mostly encouraged production of beneficial alpha brain waves by a choice of audio, visual or electromagnetic stimulation.
The autistic, highly intelligent audience appreciated the full breadth of methods from we two presenters with our different "takes" on the subject.
We didn't speak of medication.
We on the autism spectrum not uncommonly have "co-morbidities", unusually high sensitivity to medication and its unwanted side-effects.
We might also avoid strong lights, loud sounds, coarse clothing, for other examples of excessive sensitivities.
Brain Injury Whanganui are the people to ask if there are similar co-morbidities among the brain-injured. I suspect not.
I hope the Brain Injury Whanganui fundraiser was highly successful and will benefit the needy. Sorry I missed it.
STAN HOOD
Whanganui
strong>Not an expert
In his July 8 "The eyes have it" letter, David Gash defends his citing of Alan Hayward as qualified to write about evolution by being a physicist and "able to look objectively at the field of evolution".
Ironically, Mr Gash quotes Hayward commenting on the Miller experiments on possible origin of life, not evolution. The two are not the same.
He also fails to mention Hayward's position as an "old Earth creationist", which rather obviates the "objectivity" of his "look at the field of evolution".
But my point here is both broader and sharper.
Mr Hayward was entitled to express his educated, if prejudiced, opinion in commenting on evolution in 1985 at his time of reading and writing. What he was NOT entitled to then, and even less so now, is to be cited as an expert within, or authority on, the subject of evolution.
By contrast, evolutionary scientists I have cited from time to time have had lifetime, active, distinguished careers in the laboratory and field, adding positively to the sum of human knowledge and to our understanding of the natural world.
RUSS HAY
Whanganui
Houses at risk
Re the letter from Peter Bedborough headed "Finish the job", I have some sympathy for the writer and share his thoughts regarding those water barriers, another waste of ratepayers' money by those who thought they knew best.
I wonder if he has noticed that our city's oldest houses are not built on a flood plain on Anzac Parade but around Bell St and Wicksteed St, etc.
Houses on Anzac Parade are a mixture of former state houses built in the 1950s, government pool houses and private houses built in the 1960s. Yes, there are a couple of stately older houses, but these are set well back from the roadway. This showed me houses built on Anzac Parade were not in a flood plain area in the early 1900s.
At some stage some bright spark in the local council gave consent for houses to be built there.
As recently as a few years ago, the district council gave building permits to build a house on Anzac Parade and bordering the Matarawa Stream.
I and another regional councillor used the Wanganui Chronicle, asking our council not to issue further building permits in flood-prone areas.
I understand the practice continues.
At the same time, the same council drew red and blue lines on maps across properties on the southern Kai Iwi hills close to the cliff faces.
They even allowed a garage to be built (WDC permits issued) and a few months later said the garage should be moved; it was in an earthquake/danger zone.
They did the same on Hipango Tce, much to the annoyance of house owners there.
But, for some strange reason, no red or blue lines on Anzac Parade.
Managed retreat is not a new term, but climate change/global warming is a new term, and as a result there are few options left to protect land and property. Trampers and hikers don't pitch their tents right on the edge of a river or stream.
If it's raining or going to rain, common sense prevails and you move to higher ground.
BOB WALKER
St John's Hill
