paedophilophobia

Part of my end of term resolution is to have lunch every day and, instead of eating it whilst working (dropping crumbs into my keyboard as I go), I have decided to take half hour actual break. The problem is what to actually do with the break. There is a staff room but it's like going to the kind of waiting room you might expect when waiting for bad news from a doctor or lawyer. If it's busy you just have to sit there and do your best to avoid colleague's spit on your lunch while they blither on about something you are trying to get a break from. Walking and eating are out as that's bad manners apparently. The 'refectory', with its plastic seats and fixed tables, has all the charm of a hospital cafeteria. Also it's full of screeching students, awful food and really annoying signs that overuse quotation marks. We hope you enjoy your "food" and "have a nice day". The quotation marks around "food" make me wonder what the hell it actually is. At least they seem to realise that naming it thus is quite possibly an infringement of the trades description act. It's funny how often i and other people invoke the trades description act. To be honest I only have the vaguest of notions about what it says.

My desk, then, is the only reasonable place to eat lunch so I have tried to get a paper, listen to the radio or do a similar diverting thing that's not work while I eat. Today I watched part of 'Child of our time' the BBC 'experiment which charts the lives of kids from various backgrounds then layers on a bit of real and a lot of pseudo sociology and psychology. (Link to BBC site). The bit I found interesting was how since 1987 the zone within which we allow our children to play has shrunk by 90%. The graphic they used really did the trick. i found it quite shocking. It's easy to recall my childhood and ramble on about how I used to go out in the morning and come back only when it was time for my tea. What really struck me though was explanations offered for this. Of course the perception of danger in the form of paedophiles or cars or, even worse, paedophiles in cars was there and the contrast between this perception and the reality. The more subtle explanations though was about how there is a self perpetuating cycle exacerbated by smaller family sizes. Perceived danger = some parents getting panicky. Some parents getting panicky= fewer kids on the streets. Fewer kids on the streets= perception of isolation which in turn = even fewer kids on the street. Hardly any kids on the street= remaining kids have nothing to do on the street so don't want to go on it any more.

Best mate is looking for a project. Granted he is interested in human rights and 'big' stuff but a 'reclaim the streets' for kids campaign could be something that got swift, tangible and life changing results. When I was watching it it made me want to get all the kids in my block outside, give them a football or something and see how they got on (locking the doors so they couldn't get in until they'd had a fight or something). However a 40 + bloke knocking on doors and inviting kids out to play may not be the best way to go about this.

There is a counter view that says that although kids sit in front of TV and PC screens a lot that this is nevertheless simply another way of preparing them for the big wide world. They still discover, they still play, they still interact. As much as I'm an enthusiast for technology and enjoy a slovenly evening in front of the footy, I can't help thinking that the loss of rough and tumble real world discovery could be having a big impact. If nothing else we're turning our kids into a bunch of nerdy jessies.

In Bruges

Just this second got in from a one night only showing of 'In Bruges' at Hebden Bridge's quirky old local cinema. Everything about the experience was mind blowing. No big buckets of pop corn; instead you can take a mug of fair trade cocoa in. I know it sounds a bit fluffy and middle class but it beats the hell out of having to tolerate crunching, rustling, muttering, whispering youth.

That top film has just bumped whatever was top of my all time top ten off the top of the list. (Not often I get to use the word 'top' 4 times in one sentence)It's impossible to describe without making it sound pretty crap so I won't bother but, to paraphrase Shrek, it's layered like an onion and a sodding big one at that. The trailer gives a tiny flavour but don't watch it if you haven't seen it and you're the kind of person who doesn't read the blurb on books because you spend the first 150 pages waiting for the bit alluded to.

totally addictive

Scribble Help the Ink Blots get to the finish flags.

Play this free game now!!

I could play this all night. You have to use the mouse to draw the little guys out of trouble. By the way, this one is brilliant too. http://www.miniclip.com/games/bloxorz/en/ I'm stuck on level 13. You only need to use arrow keys- (Rog, I think this could keep you awake at night mate!).

Capris

Another lazy post. This is my mate Doug's band The Capris. They played at the thing I had when I left my last job. They were first rate. Available for weddings and other corporate functions. Rockin' baby.


This is their website. I believe they employed the "unflattering photography studio" for their portrait. Actually they are as old as they look but that means they are contemporaries of the music they play. Doug's wife also makes a very good chicken stew. http://www.thecapris.co.uk/

Penalty

No pens as yet in Euro 2008 but whatever happens I have my fingers crossed that they turn out like one of these two.
Comedy:

Ar5ena1 arrongance:

Exam Stress

I'm doing a presentation this evening on alternative assessment methods. Basically it's looking at how we use exams and academic essays too much in Higher Education. When I was doing my research I came across this article which says, "The British Dental Association (BDA) is warning that stressed pupils who grind their teeth, bite their fingernails and chew pencils could damage their jaws." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/793396.stm

Forget all the pedagogic arguments I say- this is a clincher

Busy

I'm having a bad day. We have the external verifier in today. I wonder if he has heard the phrase 'little Hitler'? Grrrr... for this reason and because I have loads of other stuff on I haven't been able to vent my spleen (wherever that is) or any of my other organs through the blog medium. Colleagues have had it both barrells a few times already today. This video cheered me up no end though. I am not alone.