Aeolienne

The bit about him being in a relationship with a zookeeper surprised me a bit, because I'd seen him quoted in press releases by the Captive Animals Protection Society (who are anti-zoos). Then again, just because he gives them the odd soundbite doesn't mean he buys into their entire philosophy. It's a bit like Martina Navratilova lending her support to PeTA's anti-fur campaign whilst turning a blind eye to their blanket opposition to animal experimentation ("Even if it led to a cure for Aids, we'd still be against it"). Here's a rather provocative piece by Chris in his capacity as a zookeeper's significant other: Why killing Marius the giraffe was justified - even though it's a PR disaster

He was fired from Google for arguing that men may be more suited to working in tech than women. Now James Damore opens up about his regrets – and how autism may have shaped his experience of the world "I see things differently": James Damore on his autism and the Google memo

Sorry if I sound cynical, but when I read this supposedly heartwarming story I had a bad feeling about it: Sister asks the internet to help celebrate her autistic brother's 21st birthday Remember Craig Shergold?

They now have an office in London: Want to solve the trickiest problems in the workplace? Employ more autistic people

In Japan there's even one on a train! Passengers enjoy Japan's first cat café on a moving train

I've been turned down. This is what the DWP said in their letter under the My decision heading:As your needs vary, my decision is based on the help you need most days. You said you can manage taking nutrition, managing therapy or monitoring a health condition, washing and bathing, managing toilet needs or incontinence, dressing and undressing, communicating verbally and reading and understanding signs, symbols and words. I agree you can manage these activities. You said you have difficulties preparing food, engaging with other people face to face and making budgeting decisions. I decide you can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided, engage with other people unaided and make complex budgeting decisions unaided. You said you can manage moving around. I agree you can manage this activity. You said you have difficulty planning and following journeys. I decided you can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided. At your recent consultation you appeared tense however your mood was stable. You were able to effectively engage with your assessor and establish eye contact with them. You demonstrated good long and short term memory and appeared to have insight into your condition. You demonstrated good cognition and were able to give detailed answers to the questions asked. This is consistent with informal observations at your face to face consultation, how you engaged with the assessor and your mental state examination results.

I wasn't diagnosed until after I completed full-time education; does that count?

It's worrying to think that he could end up a more hardened criminal after spending time in jail.

Merle Haggard, Mama Tried

Texas, In Demand And yes, that really is Alan Rickman in the video. Lucky, lucky Sharleen Spiteri!

Tomorrow is the closing date to book places as a day visitor at Autscape, but they haven't finalised the schedule yet. How rubbish is that?

Soundgarden at Lollapalooza Chile 2014

This issue (July) will be the last paper edition of Asperger United. Thereafter it will only be available as an online edition. Thoughts anyone? Will the paper edition be missed?

The ponds have even featured on the Radio 4 programme Open Country: Hampstead Heath Ponds

Isn't Young Enterprise meant to cover this? My school was well into YE and in my younger years I was interested in getting involved, or perhaps it would be more true to say I was curious to find out how people went from a concept to running a business. But then late in Year 11 a pupil from the year above gave us the lowdown on what it was really like and I was put right off. She said, IIRC, "You spend the best part of the beginning of the autumn term arguing about what the product is going to be - you discover who your real friends are." (Emphasis added.) I had a suspicion it would be like playing rounders. That is, the most popular people snap up the most rewarding positions whereas I'd get the equivalent of deep-fielder where I'd have ######-all to do most of the time but would still be expected to attend every meeting (and get yelled at if I failed to respond to something coming my way).

What's your secret? Aeolienne, aged 42, single, only ever had one relationship

My interests are Baroque music, recorder playing, practical conservation, reading (fiction, astronomy, environmental issues) and visiting art exhibitions.

Former altar boy facing years in jail for planting home-made bomb on Tube train A weapons-obsessed student is facing years behind bars for planting a home-made bomb on a busy Tube train. Former altar boy Damon Smith built the device at home with a £2 clock from Tesco after finding an online al Qaida article entitled Make A Bomb In The Kitchen Of Your Mom. Smith, 20, claimed it was a hoax but was found guilty of possession of an explosive substance with intent following a trial at the Old Bailey. The autistic defendant, who smiled in the dock, will be sentenced by Judge Richard Marks QC later. On the morning of October 20 last year, Smith, then aged 19, packed a rucksack with explosives and deadly ball-bearing shrapnel as he headed to college in Holloway, north London. He was caught on CCTV as he travelled on the Jubilee Line, casually flicking through a text book before getting off and leaving the bomb on the floor, timed to go off within minutes. At least 10 passengers were in the carriage at the time and some of them spotted the abandoned rucksack and alerted the driver. The driver at first dismissed it as lost property and took it into his cab and carried on towards North Greenwich, jurors were told. During the journey, he spotted wires coming out of the bag and raised the alarm as he pulled into the station. Had Smith's bomb worked, it would have exploded just as commuters were being ordered off the platform, the jury heard. The defendant went on to college and, on returning home in the evening, checked the internet for news of what he had done. Upon his arrest by counter-terrorism officers, Smith admitted making the bomb but claimed he only meant it to spew harmless smoke as a Halloween joke. He told police he had been inspired from watching someone on a YouTube channel called Trollstation doing a bomb prank. A search of Smith's home in Rotherhithe, south London, revealed his fixation with guns, explosives and other weapons. Police seized a blank-firing self-loading pistol and a BB gun, both bought legally, as well as a knuckleduster and a knife which he showed off in an online video. Police also uncovered torn-off scraps of shredded paper with bomb-making instructions on it and a "shopping list" of components. Smith told police he was interested in Islam but denied being an extremist even though he posed next to an image of the Brussels-born Islamic terrorist alleged to have masterminded the attacks in Paris in November 2015 In his defence, extracts of a psychiatric report were read out confirming an autism spectrum disorder. He had been interested in bomb-making since the age of 10 and said it was "something to do when he was bored". Smith, who grew up living with his mother in Newton Abbot, Devon, said he had thought about putting a bomb in a park but decided it would be "more funny" to delay train passengers. Original link: http://www.aol.co.uk/news/2017/05/25/former-altar-boy-facing-years-in-jail-for-planting-home-made-bom/

And here's the result... Issue 6 The Autism Issue

No-one actually explains what CMT stands for.

Is the hospital passport related to the disability passport?

Are those related to the "Disability Passport"?

What language(s) do you use?