<< Dec 2009 "The wheels of God grind slow, but they grind exceeding fine." Saturday, November 28th, 2009 - 3:01 pm
From the BBC website:
John Demjanjuk is due to stand trial in Germany accused of helping to murder more than 27,000 Jews at the Nazi death camp of Sobibor in occupied Poland. The BBC's Steve Rosenberg returns to the site of the camp with one man who survived its horrors:
Happy Eid to all our Muslim readers. Hope my US readers had a good Thanksgiving Day Friday, November 27th, 2009 - 2:48 pm
Apparently I have some American readers so I'd just like to wish you guys a belated happy Thanksgiving Day. Discussion on Personal Development in Schools Friday, November 27th, 2009 - 2:28 pm
I've been having discussion with a friend who is a school governor and volunteer at a local school about my 25 November post on schools (problems concerning the teaching of Personal and Social Development).
Here is his well thought out response:
"What you say doesn't surprise me at all - 'they' (the educational establishment, for want of a better label) can't even decide what acronym to use: is it Personal and Social Education (PSE), Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education (PSCHE), or Personal, Social and Health Education, and Citizenship?
"Despite that, I understand that all teachers are now expected to teach this subject.
"That means that teachers who can't even find a definitive name/acronym for the subject, let alone have any competence in teaching it, have to go into class rooms and give lessons (that have to tick all the equally jargon ridden boxes that Ofsted 'inspect'), when many of them would rather not touch it with a barge pole!
"Indeed, one of the prime qualifications (in realistic terms rather than in those of EduSpeak) - sincere political or religious beliefs - would be represented as bias, so that all such sincerity is automatically unacceptable. Not that I think political or religious indoctrination is acceptable, but where else can any justification come from. (I include humanism and liberalism under those headings.)
"The general idea - as you say - looks laudable in the abstract, but good teaching in this area seems to me to need enthusiastic specialists just as much as, for example, Biology, Art History, or Mathematics.
"Perhaps paradoxically, the Primary sector is likely to be very much better served. In this sector, the prime expertise isn't in the topic being taught, which is obviously basic, but in techniques of generating enthusiastic learning.
"(To give a 'chapter and verse' reference, a primary school I know about, which has a significant ethnic mix, runs class trips out to visit mosques, churches and temples - and for all I know synagogues as well. That shows the imams, vicars/priests and rabbis as largely equivalent - and shows the same respect for the religions practised at home by all pupils. That seems to me pretty good - and remember that I'm a humanist/atheist. I don't know just how all those visits are negotiated, possibly by a School Specialist; which takes me back to my original point.)"
And as a Christian I would agree with that wholeheartedly.
He then goes on to say:
"What I'm saying is that the teacher who set that gobbledegook homework isn't really the one to blame, it is the system that expects all (secondary) teachers to deliver the subject well that is actually at fault. I don't see that distinction in your post."
I do agree with that too. I had tried to convey it, but obviously I wasn't clear enough. Grit Bin Guardians Thursday, November 26th, 2009 - 9:08 am
Trying to get more grit bins in my ward today. The Town Council has persuaded the Area Committee to give us more but they (in other words Bradford Council) are insisting that we have to have people agreeing to be "Grit Bin Guardians" to let Bradford know when they need refilling. I've got a volunteeer for one location; now I'm on the trail of another. They (Area Committee of Bradmet) gave us about two days' notice; their meeting is tonight. Schools mean well - but Personal and Social Development brings problems Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 - 3:17 pm
Schools have to teach topics set by the government. The teachers who have to teach PSE (Personal and Social Education) try their best, but frankly I came across an example recently that made me wonder whether they should be given the task in the first place.
I tutor a little girl from a 'non-British' ethnic background and she needed some help with understanding a homework task recently. It was on the topic of multi-culturalism. The wording had clearly been arrived at in some teachers' or advisers' meeting. It was full of staffroom jargon and the children were supposed to go home and do the homework task given them in gobbledegook language.
I suggested that she ask her class tutor for help with understanding what it all meant. However this was work set for the children new to secondary school and she did not have the confidence to do that. She eventually asked her brother over the phone. (He's away at university.)
Unfortunately the point was not conveyed to the teacher and the school that setting work in teachers' jargon for eleven year old children does nothing at all for cultural diversity - or for education for that matter. It must leave the children mystified, alienate all ethnic groups, including British ethnic, and alienate children from each other. Job not done!
I dread to think how the topic of domestic violence will be treated by schools. How will that go down as a homework topic, I wonder.
A worthy aim - but what about how it will be put into practice? Ticking boxes is not the same thing as education. Cumbrian Floods Monday, November 23rd, 2009 - 1:46 pm
Cumbria has been having a very rough time with the floods, particularly in the North of the county around Cockermouth. The death of a police officer who was having to divert motorists was especially sad.
Even though the old Westmorland area, where I used to live, has not been affected in such a devastating way it too is suffering from flooding with several roads closed and Ambleside having been cut off.
I hope the people of Cumbria get some help from the government. Many people in the county are not at all well off. 76th Anniversary of Holodomor Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 - 10:43 am
It is the 76th anniversary of the Holodomor famine in the Ukraine, deliberately engineered by Stalin and brutally carried out by his henchmen.
Last year there was a solemn commemoration in the Ukraine and in many parts of the world. I took part with about 2,000 others in the ceremonies in London.
Although Gordon Brown sent a personal message on the 75th anniversary last year Holodomor has still not been recognised as genocide by the British government. Saint Cecilia's Day Tomorrow Saturday, November 21st, 2009 - 7:57 am
Saint Cecilia's Day is 22nd November - she's the patron saint of music. When I was in the 6th Form at school Betty, our music teacher, invited us all to a party to celebrate St Cecilia. Of course a sing-song was part of the occasion. She was a wonderful singing and choir teacher. She did not play the piano, yet our school choir won first prize in nearly every music festival (apart from once only getting a second place). We sang the interludes in concerts by Germani (Vatican Organist) three years running. One time when we did a recording for a radio programme, one of our songs wasn't the right length. Under the recording team's noses we learnt a new song, with Betty pretending we were just doing a run-through. We got away with it and it went out on the broadcast with no-one the wiser. Great fun! What is politics for? Friday, November 20th, 2009 - 8:17 am
With many people thinking politicians are just in it for themselves these days the Labour Party is not helping the situation by being so reluctant to sort out the mess in parliament. On the other hand, do we really want them to be the ones to try to do it? Won't that be a bit of a recipe for disaster? Plan for Keighley's Environment Thursday, November 19th, 2009 - 7:10 pm
Today I had a meeting with a member of the Town Council staff to talk about my ideas for improving Keighley's environment, as part of the Town Plan steering committee. She thought my ideas were very interesting. Hurry, hurry! Six Months to put Everything Right!! Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 - 10:19 am
The Labour government's aspirations will be paraded in an hour's time in the Queen's Speech - not written by HM Queen Elizabeth II.
Lord Mandelson in this morning's Today said both that their targets had been met and that they were working hard to achieve their targets. Er?? Labour has had twelve years when they have presided over a widening gap in British society. He said to Evan Davis, "You can't have it both ways, you know, Evan."
No, you can't.
Evan Davies asked what was the point of writing new bills when existing bills were not going to be achieved, for instance the Fuel Poverty Bill which was supposed to be achieved by 2010. Asked whether it would be achieved by 2010 or not Mandelson would not answer.
I've always believed that actions speak louder than words.
Nick Clegg is calling for the government to get the mess they've already created sorted out before they leave office, rather than making up lots more aspirational bills.
Of course they won't. They don't seem to care what mess they leave behind. They know they're not going to win the next General Election and it will be somebody else's problem.
If like me you both listen the radio and watch TV you will probably have noticed that radio is often a day or two ahead of TV with some news items. The Today programme in particular is often the leader in the field, for example on Today this morning there was an article on a study by Barnardo's about child trafficking within the UK. Nothing on TV so far.
Here is a summary from the Today website:
The charity Barnardo's is warning that thousands of children across the UK are being sexually exploited by adults. The charity says there is evidence that abusers are becoming increasingly organised and are transporting children across the UK to be sold for sex. Correspondent Kim Catcheside reports on the rise in child trafficking, and chief executive of Barnardo's, Martin Narey, discusses policies to help trafficked children.
Diana Wallis, Yorkshire Liberal Democrat MEP, is campaigning against child trafficking. Biggles and I both come from Marske-by-Sea Saturday, November 14th, 2009 - 7:27 pm
According to people from Marske-by-Sea, where I was born, Biggles was written there. Seeing a mention of him on Nader's blog reminded me.
When an older sister of mine heard Sir Winston Churchill's speech, "We shall fight them on the beaches," she thought he meant at Marske-by-Sea and that she'd be expected to do her duty and take part. After all there was a beach at Marske. She was only about six! Aah! Nader and I went to the War Memorial Friday, November 13th, 2009 - 7:21 pm
Nader and I attended a special ceremony at 11 in the morning on the eleventh of November, World War I Armistice Day. There were lots of people there and Jonathan led prayers. If they can die for us they should be able to vote! Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 - 11:38 am
Here is a link to a report about Bradford Lib Dem Councillor Howard Middleton. He has joined the Lib Dem call for members of the armed forces to be able to vote at the next General Election. Howard (who was last year's Lord Mayor of Bradford) is calling for them to be enabled to vote.
The result of a poll on Lib Dem Voice about whether the Lib Dems should have all women short lists has been published. I myself said in the poll that there should be no all women short lists, but that where there are good women candidates they should get more support from the party. The majority agreed with this. I don't agree with any kind of discrimination: one person's positive discrimination is another person's negative discrimination. Here is a link to the Lib Dem Voice results:
At the Remembrance Sunday parade this morning I was thinking:
"My parents used to take me to the Remembrance Day Parade at Marske-by-Sea and I used to think it was all about old people.
Now I realise it's all about young people." Remembrance Sunday Sunday, November 8th, 2009 - 7:14 am
Their sacrifice for freedom was the ultimate one. We honour them. Wearing my Red Poppy Saturday, November 7th, 2009 - 7:01 am
I buy my red poppy because the money raised by the British Legion goes towards improving the lives of those in the services who have been injured - and relatives who have been bereaved.
It's totally inadequate, but buying and wearing a poppy and then attending a Remembrance Day ceremony is a small thank you to all who have served our country in the armed forces.
It doesn't matter how a poppy is worn and I wouldn't dream of being a "poppy fascist", but just in case anyone wants to know I have found out from a British Legion ex-serviceman the correct way to wear one:
A woman's poppy should be worn on the right with the leaf pointing to eleven o'clock.
A man's poppy should be worn on the left with the leaf pointing to one o'clock. There is nothing British about the BNP Thursday, November 5th, 2009 - 12:19 pm
Thanks to Conservative Home for the website, There is nothing British about the BNP. Here is a link:
Nothing British Website* about The views of our veterans Fall of the Berlin Wall and Gorbachev Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 - 8:23 am
The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall is coming up on 9th November. I recently heard something on the radio about it. Why didn't the Soviet troops go in and crush the uprising as they had in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968? The answer was simply: Gorbachev. He didn't allow it. A truly great man. Has he been forgotten on the world stage so soon? Yorkshire Regional Conference Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 - 1:55 pm
Vaughan Bruce of Keighley and Ilkley Liberal Democrats, will be presenting a policy motion on the employment rights of disabled people at the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Conference on Saturday. Nader Fekri, our Prospective Parliamentary Candidate will be summing up. On the meaning of the word "man" Sunday, November 1st, 2009 - 11:41 am
Now that I've risen to the lofty heights of being a Town Council committee vice-chairman (grin) I wish to say that I have no wish to be a vice-chair or a vice-chairwoman or a vice-chairperson. I am a vice-chairman.
Chairman and vice-chairman are the correct terms. "Man" in this sense is the Old English word meaning any human being who is being addressed - and it has meant that for about fourteen centuries.
Later, influenced by German, the term "man" came to mean an adult male person.
Not only is it an Old English term but the word "man" is still commonly used in North East England, the West Indies and in the Southern States of America in the sense of any human being. Yep, I'm one of those.
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