Temple Grandin with Claire Danes, her biopic counterpart.


People working in the mental health industry often use the phrase "There is ability in dis-ability". I believe no other individual demonstrates this better than Temple Grandin. Diagnosed with high-functioning Autism at age 2 and unable to speak until age 4, therapists had told Grandin's mother that her best option was to institutionalize her daughter. Refusing to do so, Temple's mother put her through elementary school, a gifted boarding school and college. Temple, herself, chose to move forward to achieve a BA degree in psychology, an MA degree in animal science and a doctorate degree in animal science as well. Now, how do you like them apples?

Her story has been less than linear on a psychological scale, though. Throughout her life Temple experienced hypersensitivities - especially when it came to sound and touch. She would reach sensory overload if anyone attempted to hug her, which eventually lead to her most notable invention: the hug machine. While watching cattle enter a pressurized chamber that calmed them before receiving a shot, Temple was inspired to try it out for herself during times of anxiety and panic. As she'd imagined, the machine gave her the squeezing comfort she needed without overstimulating her. The hug machine is now used in many therapeutic practices for people affected by autism.

Grandin's second breakthrough invention concerns her passion for animals - cattle, in particular. She had noticed that cattle were herded into a "dip" of chemicals to rid them of tics and other critters. Farmers would prod them with metal rods as they walked through and paid little notice to the stress the procedure inflicted on the cows. Some would even drown in the dip. Grandin was appalled by this and took action to design a dip that followed the cows' circular walking pattern, keeping their stress levels low. It was a humane alteration to respect animal treatment laws, which has now been implemented in more than half of North American farms. 

What amazes me is how Temple's two passions in life - animals and autism advocacy - are both fields that were significantly affected by her brilliant ideas. She is currently a professor at Colorado State University, teaching about autism and humane animal handling. Last year she was honoured on the TIME Top 100 Most Influential People under the category of "heroes", and a hero she has been; showing people with disability that they are not barred by what they are born into.

"I don't want my thoughts to die with me. I want to have done something", says Claire Danes playing Temple in the HBO biopic Temple Grandin. This quote resonates on a personal level for me, having so many thoughts in my head that could be translated into actions. If there is one thing I will take away from the story of her life thusfar, it would be to give those thoughts life.

Photo credit: Carlos Corredor

Last night I was lucky enough to catch electropop up-and-comer Dan Black at Toronto's Wrongbar. It was a night to remember. With Dan on synth/macbook beats/vocals and two un-introduced hipster boys on guitar, the act graced the stage sans an opening act. The crowd was unsure of how to react at first and kept a safe distance from the stage, while Carlos and I strode front and center to snap some amazing shots and videos. Fuck being hipster when you can capture memories that wipe the average concert-goer video off the map, right? So, Dan et al. started off the set with a fun, catchy beat...STILL with minimum audience response! I was shocked at how exclusive they were acting, considering Toronto is known for being so quirky and lively.

Thankfully after a few songs, the crowd seemed to loosen up and just enjoy the sweet music entering their ears. Every song Dan played was energetic, interactive and well-sung. The only improvement I would suggest is to play a longer set...but of course with Dan's first album being released a bit less than a week ago this is not exactly a fair request. Nonetheless, Dan's bassist's passionate cowbell performance alone was enough to compensate for it. And of course after an encore, the guys jumped off the stage into the audience and made their way back to their dressing rooms. Just like that.

I was lucky enough to snap a photo with the bassist - who seemed "tired', let's just say - and of course Dan himself. He was surprisingly very easy to talk to, and although he thought Toronto was a confusing crowd, he knew that if they weren't satisfied they would've walked away. As well, he sounded pretty hyped to return to Toronto one day.

Now some of you might be wondering, "So, what's up with the title of this post?" Well, it's actually the title of Dan Black's new album, which he describes in one of his webisodes to have a double meaning. The first one entails the French word "un" - meaning "one" - for this is his first album. As the man himself says, "There can only be one". The second meaning, alternatively, is referring to the pronoun "un-" in the sense that any word beginning with "un-" is NOT something. Dan aims for his music to stray from clichés and achieve what "un-" defines.

Overall, I find Dan's performance skills and musical integrity to be revolutionizing pop music as we know it. Kanye West seems to agree to some degree, for just last week he posted Dan's single, "Symphonies" on his blog which obviously showered Dan with a lot of sudden attention. If you want to see the skills for yourself, I've posted some videos of last night's performance on my alternate youtube channel. Feel free to check them out and comment your thoughts, opinions, raves and rants.

And with all that said, I must say that said show was ten of the best-spent dollars to ever leave my wallet.