Improbably, it didn't rain our entire time in Ireland. In fact, most days it was downright sunny, which didn't make it easy to leave.

There's nothing like that ol' Bagatelle tune Summer in Dublin to make you long for the streets of Dublin and I swear to God as I was walking along Lower Baggot Street earlier this week two guys (not buskers) were singing it as they sauntered along together—not just a line or two, I mean entire verses. Ack! Talk about piling on the nostalgia.

So I guess it's pretty obvious, I'm still not over Dublin. Maybe that's never actually going to happen.

• More Ireland photos

I will be incommunicado quite shortly. I'm about to embark on what promises to be a fascinating expedition to Mars along with famed boy reporter Tintin, Professor Calculus and the ever cantankerous Captain Haddock. I can't divulge any other details at this time, you understand (matters of planetary security and all that...), but I will say that I'm looking forward to playing fetch with Snowy on the Red Planet.

Okay, so I'm not exactly journeying to Mars...I'll actually be hanging out in the Emerald Isle but Paddy good-naturedly granted my recent request to draw a Tintin style image of me and once in possession of that I couldn't resist starring in my own Tintin type adventure. I mean, who could?

But if you want to humour me and ask me how the Red Planet was when I get back, that's cool with me.

April 25th is the 12th annual National Day of Silence in the U.S. Participating students in a record 6,000 middle and high schools across the country will protest discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. This year the day will also honour the memory of fifteen year old Lawrence King, murdered at school by a fellow student because of his gender expression and sexual orientation.

Anyone who communicates with participating students on April 25th will be presented with a Day of Silence card explaining that “My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment” and urging people to “think about the voices you are not hearing today.”

Meanwhile conservative organizations like the American Family Association are urging parents to keep children home if their school is taking part in the Day of Silence. THE AFA's Day of Silence FAQ includes the following:

Q. Isn't the Day of Silence just a way for students to learn compassion and tolerance?

A. In reality, the Day of Silence is a one-sided campaign to manipulate acceptance of homosexuality by every student. Nationwide, parents are fed up with the political hijacking of their kids' classrooms with no opposing views allowed. What makes it even more problematic is that the results of 'tolerating' this lifestyle without objection can be tragic for many young people. The risks of homosexual behavior are well-understood by public health officials, but are being ignored by some politically correct school administrations.

I hope the children of parents who support these sentiments grow up to be more open-minded than their parents. I hope that they realize just because the phrase in reality is used doesn't mean what follows it has any resemblance to the truth. Obviously someone who labels the Day of Silence a one-sided campaign doesn't understand the vehemence with which heterosexuality and strict ideas about gender are enforced (through bullying, harassment and social expectations) on every other school day or maybe they do and just want to dedicate each and everyday to a one-sided campaign of their own.

By even using a term like 'homosexual behavior' the AFA shows their rigid way of thinking about sex and sexuality, as though every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individual has identical sex lives. If the AFA is truly worried about young people's health why is there no mention of the fact that AIDS is now the leading cause of death for African-American women aged 25–34 and that “most of these women got HIV from having sex with a man.”? At least one in four teenage girls in the U.S. currently have an STD yet that figure hasn't prompted the AFA to deem 'heterosexual behavior' risky.

If we're talking about risks, as a base we should acknowledge that no one should feel they are at risk of violence or harassment at school just by being his or her genuine self. The Day of Silence is about respect. It's about feeling free to be who you are without having to pay for it.

Conservative organizations may try to disguise their objections as concern for young people but the funny thing about intolerance, it's not that easy to hide.

You can read more about helping to ensure school is a safe place for all students at GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network).

• Day of Silence

• Remembering Lawrence King (MySpace)

• Remembering Lawrence King (Facebook)

Yesterday I mentioned how much I enjoyed Soulpepper's production of The Odd Couple. The play was originally scheduled to run until April 19th but this morning I received an email from Soulpepper's marketing coordinator letting me know that the show has been extended until May 3rd by popular demand. So if you enjoy good theatre and are going to be in the Toronto area during the next two weeks, definitely pick up a ticket. I can't remember the last time a production made me smile so hard.

This afternoon we went to see Soulpepper's production of The Odd Couple, which was every bit as entertaining as the reviews proclaimed. Unfortunately, today was the end of the play's run so I can't recommend you buy tickets. I would, however, highly recommend catching virtually any Soulpepper production. The company's a wonder.

One of the other tremendously great things about today was the weather. It's been summer in Southern Ontario since Thursday when we hit the heavenly temperature of 23. After a long hard winter people are basking in our turn of luck. Everyone's outside, grinning in T-shirts, strolling around in flip-flops and eating on patios. Especially eating on patios!

Because I already mentioned my Africam addiction I might as well add that this morning featured more fun animal sightings. First I saw a herd of these

which included some playful locked horns

and then one of these (who may look similar from a distance but, unlike those above, didn't have horns).

Next some giraffes showed up at one of the watering holes and hogged the spotlight shamelessly.

It's hard to believe that a day featuring a hilarious production of The Odd Couple, patio weather AND real time giraffes could ever be topped but I'm hoping for rhinos, hippos and monkeys next. After all, summer is just getting started!

I watched the documentary Autism: The Musical during the week and it's been on my mind ever since. The film tracks the lives of several kids with autism spectrum disorders and their families over six months as they workshop and then perform a musical under the guidance of an acting coach (herself the mother of one of the children in The Miracle Project).

The capabilities these kids possess vary widely—some are highly verbal but have trouble communicating their own thoughts, others are disinclined to talk at all and/or avoid eye contact while revelling in certain subjects or activities (Henry knows everything there is to know about dinosaurs and reptiles and Adam loves the cello). The challenges these kids and their acting coach, Elaine, face are many—the kids have trouble focusing, they easily become overstimulated and seek to withdraw, and impulsive behavior causes numerous disruptions.

The film also documents the parents' struggles and concerns in guiding their children through a world that wasn't designed for them. One of the moments that hit me particularly hard was when Lexi's mother laments that she can't force society to value her daughter. Fourteen year old Lexi has the singing voice of an angel but finds it easier to mimic others' language than to answer a direct questions. “What parent says this?” Lexi's mom asks in frustration. “I hope she dies before I do.”

That's not to say that Autism: The Musical isn't hopeful. Progress is made even during the course of the film. Neal communicates with the help of a talking machine. Despite a tantrum at dress rehearsal, Adam plays his cello live. Henry, who had been withdrawing into his own world, takes up karate.

And then there's ten year old Wyatt, who, although he's in a special ed class when we're introduced to him, seems astoundingly perceptive about his condition, intelligent almost beyond his years.

Throughout the course of the movie Wyatt reveals his experiences with school bullies but also the desire to make genuine, compassionate friendships. Sitting on a swing in his backyard he remarks, “Sometimes I don't like it when kids go into their own world. You know, I do that alot but sometimes...I realize it now. You are in your world. How are you gonna make friends in your own world? You see, this is what...sometimes I don't get about kids, why do they—why do I even go in my own world? It's like, you're not talking to anybody, there's no point of it.”

In a documentary about autism, a disorder that's typically marked by communication and social interaction difficulties, the moment leaps out at you. It's impossible to imagine that anyone watching wouldn't feel a connection with Wyatt. Happily, he's continued in the Miracle Project—acting and now mentoring other children.

Watch the trailer: