The marvellous Mr M!

A number of years ago now, the first day of school that September brought with it a cherubic yet devilish grin lighting up the face of one Jay Malandrino, a new hire in the English department at Central. As our first chat proceeded, there was a voice inside me that said this one was somebody to take note of. As the years progressed, that first encounter blossomed into a friendship of epic proportions, the moments we shared filled with more mischievous grins punctuated by raucous belly laughs, and deep ties were forged. 

He's an easy one to like, that JayMal.

Scrub forward in that movie and we find ourselves at a troubling point where glitches on the hardware necessitated the replacement of a vital organ, and the emotions were as raw as you can imagine. At 46 years young, my buddy was sliced from collar to navel and his faulty ticker was replaced with one that until recently, was serving its owner steadfast and true. 

Jay Malandrino is a limited edition!

Quick of mind, hilariously witty, gentle souled, and loyal to a fault, he's just the kind of dude every guy could one wish for as a shoulder to bear the burdens of Life with, and the memories we jointly created while colleagues at ol' BCC are treasured and timeless. He doesn't know it ... until now ... that I would occasionally steal a moment or three to stand outside his classroom and giggle at the amazing way he would interact with his students. He was much beloved in those years, was Mr M, and his students were never shy about letting him know. Eventually the stars aligned so that Ron and I could welcome Jay into our Sr Boys Rugby family, an addition that took an already wondrous happening over the top into the realm of legends, a triumvirate of equally minded type A's, each bringing his own flair, sharing a symbiotic bond that produced accomplishments of epic proportions ... and that's saying something for our program!

Like all good things, the sands of time shifted, and Jay was traded away to cross town rival Innisdale, and although we stayed in touch as much as schedules allowed, it definitely dulled the shine that once was. True to form, Jay quickly made an impact at his new "home", and combining his passion for coaching with his new found love of all things ASD, the lure
of Mr M spreading even further as hoards of new students took a shine to his light, like so many moths.

It would take a long time to list all of the legendary shenanigans we shared, so suffice it to say that he was a true mate, a dude's dude, and as it would turn out, a fantastic husband and dad. What's not to like about a life that plays out that way?

All of that's why the news of his health failing hit so many of us like the proverbial wrecking ball. I knew that he had some issues with his ticker, having multiple procedures aimed at sorting out some electrical issues, but he shared with Ron and I on the sidelines of this past spring's OFSAA rugby, a fitting locale, that he would eventually require a transplant, his heart was slowly giving up. A whirlwind of medical mechanisms sprung into action and the news spread though the Central grapevine that the deed was done, Jay had come through the momentous surgery and was stable, although anticipated complications meant that he still had some mountain left to climb. 

Months later, the three Caballeros were back together, but these minutes were different in a significant manner, the surroundings downtown TO's Hennick Bridgeport Hospital, one of Canada's premiere complex care and rehabilitation facilities. Our reunion was filled with smiles and hugs, words of appreciation and gratitude, laughs, some scrumptious Chinese nibbles, plus a tour of the now defunct Don Jail. What's not to cherish about an afternoon like that? 

As I write this, Jay is mentally preparing for his escape ... he is scheduled to be released into the warm embrace of his beloved wife Robin, and the group hug of three adoring boys, each the apple of his eye. He still has some work to do, the complications of his surgery slowly waning, but he'll be home with his peeps and the worst of his ordeal should be in his rear view. 

Here's to you Jay! I love you like a brother!

What are we waiting for?

Climate Change ...

For some reason there remains debate about it's existence on the various social media platforms, despite the entire scientific community trumpeting both its validity and consequences. People are dismissing it with a wave of their ambivalent hand, and it doesn't help that certain political leaders have publicly condemned the overwhelming proof of significant changes happening right before our collective eyes, attempting to convince their followers that the science community is bunk. Despite the warnings from our most learned minds, people who by the way have nothing to gain from spreading misinformation, a vocal number of keyboard warriors continue to fill the Internet with half-truths or blatant lies in an effort to convince those straddling the line that those same learned minds are all "quacks" bent on fear mongering. 

What puzzles me is why ... what do they hope to gain? Or, is it what they hope to maintain?

This piece was a direct consequence of a Nature of Things episode I streamed about the causes, the potential impacts, and the signs that we're nearing the point of no return. Hosted by Sarika Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of the iconic David Suzuki, the episode examines our changing predictable weather patterns, the rise in extreme weather events, the alteration of the Jet Stream and AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation), and drop in salinity of the planet's oceans due to ice cap melt. 

Atmospheric scientists and meteorologists vehemently argue that Arctic warming rates, weakening ocean currents, and Jet Stream altered dust patterns are triggering extreme heatwaves, intense hurricanes, and volatile storms. These scientists offer irrefutable proof that invisible air forces are behind the rapid shifts in weather patterns affecting daily life globally ... and warn that continuing down our present path will only result in more significant changes. 

Give the video a watch (CLICK) if any of that interests you.

Suzuki enlists experts in various fields to explain how the interconnectedness of Nature, when disrupted, will precipitate significant changes with a cascading effect on what we have come to treat as normal, throwing the proverbial monkey wrench in the gears of the global economy. One of the most chilling sentences comes thanks to Ben Kirtman, a leading climate modeller, and I'm paraphrasing, "Even if we stopped polluting CO2 and methane completely today, there'd be 30 more years of warming." Even if Kirtman is off a little on his calculations, it's entirely likely that things could get significantly worse before they get better.

That is heavy stuff!

The air quality warnings in July 2026 are a direct result of those shifts in weather, the horrendous outbreak of wild fires across Canada and their resulting smoke plumes that drift 1000's of km as the winds blow, only existing due to the extreme heat and drought conditions brought on by those factors listed above. Actual climate change involves things that are difficult to see in everyday life, and those with their heads in the sand are quick to protest, "I'll believe it when I see it!", but when those same are forced inside due to the hazardous conditions like those few days, it would be ridiculous not to acknowledge something's not right. Millions of hectares ablaze is releasing untold amounts of new CO2 into an already impacted atmosphere. 

Unless you're a US politician, and then the issue is Canada's incompetent forest management ... SMH.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that these wildfires aren't anything new since they've been happening for millions of years, and with Canada's Boreal forest being the largest continuous one in the world, much of which is inaccessible, prevention management simply a ridiculous notion. Most of those wildfires were the result of lightning strikes but the composition of the forest floor with all of the peat, windfall, loam, and detritus, fires might lie smouldering for a while before a full fledged ignition. What has changed is the level of infrastructure that is consumed by these wildfires, contributing its chemical release to the smoke, causing increased concern when it travels 1000's of km to denser populations.

It took decades of ignoring the consequences to arrive at the place where we are now, making possible solutions to the damage extremely difficult, expensive, and inconvenient to our accepted life style, but the mountain of evidence has reached Everest proportions prompting potential consequences for billions on the planet. I need to point out, however, that the fear mongering about of human extinction is bunk, IMHO, and only feeds the flames of those who argue that the scientists are wrong. The impact of the changes will most certainly change the way we co-exist over the coming decade with increased natural disasters, violent weather events, disappearing coastlines, and declining farming successes, all of which could legitimately lead to the deaths of millions, if not billions, in the most extreme outcomes.

However, if you didn't know, Nature will always win.

Look at Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst (so far) nuclear catastrophe, as proof that Nature will always find a way to reclaim the damage we humans have inflicted on her. Despite lingering radioactivity, populations of grey wolves, brown bears, European bison, and Eurasian lynx have returned to the area and thrive in densities similar to, or higher than, uncontaminated nature reserves. (LINK) The scope of the forest takeover where approximately 70% of the abandoned territory has now reforested, untended gardens and ruined structures have been actively reclaimed by vegetation, demonstrating Nature's power to reclaim her own once left behind after humans move away. It's worthy to note that those 1000's of hectares of new trees are busily scrubbing the CO2 out of the local atmosphere.

I am in no way purporting to be an expert on climate change, but I am interested, and I am trying to help where I can by examining habits that contribute to the problem. The purpose of this is to ask readers to stay well informed from REPUTABLE sources, and make any changes that are comfortable (or even mildly uncomfortable) in an effort to help, no matter how small. It's a huge issue and the entire planet needs to embrace solutions to mitigate and manage the damage our greed has inflicted on our home, the only habitable choice for us at our present technological abilities.

What are we waiting for?