When going through some websites concerning the technology of 3D body scanning, I stumbled upon the interesting site of Cornell University, that says that this technology cannot only be used to help overcome the problems concerning the online purchasing of clothes. There it is said that, as I mentioned in an earlier post, it also has the potential to change the way clothing is made and purchased. Nowadays, many industries follow the trend towards customizing their products, and so does the clothing industry. This industry is making customized clothing by using body scanners and other new emerging technologies.

The following pictures compare traditional mass production of clothes – as is known today – to the scenario of customized production of clothes – as will be known in the future.

In this scenario, the clothes you can find in stores originate from the designer’s mind and each new style begins as a sketch. The second step in this process, is the development of a pattern. After that, the pattern is fit to a model. Fourthly, clothes of all sizes are sewn at the same time, using methods of mass production. After this step, we as a consumer can find the clothes in a store, where we try them on before purchasing them. But we all know that no two people that have the same size, have the same body shape, so the result here is that we often buy clothes that do not fit us perfectly.

In the future, we will be able to buy the clothes we ourselves imagine, by actually being involved in the design process. The second step in this process will be that your body gets scanned in a 3D body scanner, which makes sure that accurate body measurements are taken. Those measurements will be used to create an individualized garment, that is made by the use of sophisticated machines and flexible processes that make a one-of-a-kind production possible. Result: your custom-made and unique piece of clothing will fit you perfectly!

Source: http://www.bodyscan.human.cornell.edu/scene0037.html

What a great resource. My husbands family settled in Illinois after coming to the US from Germany. So this is GREAT!

http://www.ilsos.gov/GenealogyMWeb/marrsrch.html

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This was a helpful book but arrived late from amazon.

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As a graduate student in public health, this book has been an incredible asset to my education. It was first introduced to me as the text for a research methods course in ‘Health Behavior’, but I’ve used it repeatedly since then in writing my thesis, abstracts, and journal articles. Specifically, the book includes a step by step breakdown of the research process… in writing my thesis, this step by step design turned a very intimidating and overwhelming task into something much more organized and enjoyable.

Because the book is structered well, it is both an ideal introduction for those new to behavioral science and as an aid to more advanced professionals writing for scientific journals. Statistics are approached in a very comfortable manner, and each chapter is brightened with a cartoon explaining things ‘in a nutshell’.

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“A top official at the European Commission has signalled an important change in the EU’s attitude towards innovation that will highlight the role of creativity and design. The new approach could see a shift away from support for high-tech companies and towards new ‘creative clusters’ of design firms, business support services and progressive regions …” (more)

[Alan Osborn, University World News, 6 December]

Last year we started a family history Wiki, in the hope that it might make it easier to cooperate with others in gathering family history. The Wiki format, which has been so successful in compiling Wikipedia, one of the most useful encyclopedias the world has ever seen, seems ideal for family history, where members of families all over the world  can contribute different parts of the family story.

Daily page views of our Family Wiki 2008i

We began the family wiki in May 2008, and it seems to have attracted plenty of visitors right from the start — more than this blog, in fact. I thought we might get 2-3 visits a day, perhaps 40-50 a month, but it has been quite a lot more than that, rarely dropping below 25 page views a day.

Daily visitors in 2008

Since each visitor usually looks at more than one page, the actual number of visitors is also quite interesting. It seems that it has rarely dropped below 20 visitors a day.

OK, not everyone who visits the site is related. Some may see a surname that they are interested in, but find that it is a different branch of the family, especially with common surnames. They might come, look at the index and a couple of pages, and see there is nothing connected with them, and leave again.

Edits and Editors - 2009

That is rather discouraging.

You can see how discouraging it is by seeing the number of page edits, which has dropped since it started. Also the number of editors is revealing. Only one other person has contributed anything to the pages, and I’ve had to write all the rest myself. The essence of a wiki is that it is cooperative, and many people contribute something to the full story, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. But surely some of the people who visit find a family that is connected to theirs, and could contribute something to the story. And only two left messages.

There is also the question of where visitors come from.

Where visitors came from - 2008

Most of our families were originally from the UK and Canada, and some are from Germany. Some were Huguenots who went from France to Prussia in the 17th century, and spread from there to other parts of the world. The recent generations are in Southern Africa, but we also have others in places like Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Most visitors are from the USA, probably because more people there have internet access than those in other places. But there are relatively few from some of the countries where most members of our families came from or are living now.

So if you go to our family Wiki and find you are connected to any of the families there, please consider contributing something, however small. Ask if you can become an editor — if you can show you are related, we’ll make you one right away. And add something to one of the pages — an anecdote, an extract from a will, whatever. It doesn’t have to be perfect — that’s the beauty of a wiki. Someone else can polish what you write, and one story sparks off another memory, so someone else can expand it and put it in its context, and that way we all benefit.It can be a legend, a rumour, a story you were told, a black sheep in the family. If it’s a legend or a rumour, just label it as such — those things too are part of the family history.

Of course if we are sixth cousins we’ll have a relatively small proportion of our families in common. So what do you do if you want to write something about one of your relatives who isn’t related to us? Why, start your own family wiki, of course, it’s quite easy to do, and then we can link them for the common relatives.

So please, don’t just be a leech, sucking information from web sites without giving anything in return. You can learn lots of things from the web, but you can also pass on sometrhing of what you have learned so that others can benefit. Please visit our family wiki, but if you are related, please contribute something as well.

Comment on Editorial by Alberts B, “On incentives for innovation”, Science, 2009, Vol 326, 27 Nov, p1163.

I read with interest the views of Bruce Alberts in his recent editorial in Science about the new NIH New Innovator Award funding scheme that moves the emphasis away from funding specific projects to funding investigators. This sounds similar to the UK’s Wellcome Trust move to fund more investigators instead of specific projects over a medium term (ie 5 years) (see Kaiser J, “Wellcome Trust to shift from projects to people”, Science, 2009, Vol 326, 13 Nov, p921). The reasoning is that if the best and brightest investigators are funded to follow their interests and have the funding to tackle big challenging problems, without the worry of thinking about where funding will be coming from every few years, science and society will ultimately benefit. As Alberts mentions, with the traditional funding model, there is too much “me too” research going on. This may be due to the fact that if there are a few groups doing similar research, the best chance to get funding is to have similar, but not exactly the same, goals and achievements. Although science is incremental in its advancement, this approach is not inspirational, pioneering, and may even be limiting the true potential of how far researchers should be pushing their science.

With regards to how we fund innovation and research, of course, finance and economics comes into play. Funding dollars are limited, and funders who are sensible and responsible need to fund projects that have a track record of results and progress. But not all research should be funded like this. Much like how we would like to see any great inspirational and lofty human endeavour, scientific research and advancement should also be a bit risky, pioneering, pushing the envelope, and “blue sky”. I believe that a risk-averse funding model in science has limited the level of ambitious ideas in research, and therefore the potential benefits that society could have gained.

Although we live in a society that rewards immediate results – think of CEOs and senior executives who get huge bonuses and pay packets for producing yearly profits and stock price gains for their companies and shareholders – scientific and technological innovation are a longer term endeavour. It should not be funded with similar frameworks used in the business world, because fundamentally science is not business. In this society where we want results and things right here and right now, I think we need to re-educate people that not all worthwhile things, such as scientific innovations, appear quickly.

As an analogy, in the financial investment and stock market worlds there are big financial rewards given to those investors and investment bankers who take successful risks and gambles, we should therefore also give proper incentives and rewards for those doing risky and big scientific research. Predicting and choosing correctly which companies will profit is good, but the potential benefits for society of research, including those who are the poorest in society, are not just for the few wealthy shareholders and board members. They are for all of us. And it’s about time to use a better funding model to produce more inspiring science.

Holy Basil

Yes, but let me tell you how. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to some antibiotics. Staph infections cause redness, inflammation, tenderness, sometimes oozing pus, possible skin abscess, and fever. MRSA has appeared often in the news recently because of a significant increase in the numbers of MRSA infections. Because severe MRSA infections can even lead to death, it’s very important to take MRSA infections seriously and to use whatever antibiotics are available. That said, stubborn MRSA infections may need the addition of helpful herbs to do several things: 1) potentiate (increase the efficacy of) the conventional antibiotics, 2) concurrently fight infection by immune system stimulation or antibiotic action, and 3) preventing the formation of biofilms.

In a nutshell, all organisms have ways of eliminating toxins. For bacteria and cancer cells, cellular efflux pumps help reduce cellular concentrations of antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, or environmental poisons. Some efflux pumps are known as multiple drug resistant (MDR) pumps, which reduce cellular concentrations of the very “medicines” we use to fight them (by way of chemo or antibiotics), and thus reduce their efficacy. Bacteria can “learn” resistance, which can be passed down to later generations, and resistant bacteria include MRSA, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and others. (Thank you, David Winston). In recent history, most MRSA infections have been transmitted via healthcare settings, but recently this trend appears to be changing. For one thing, the prophylactic and over-use of antibiotics contributes to the development of multi-drug resistant bacterial strains, as does the common practice of patients’ not completing a full cycle of antibiotics, allowing bacteria the ability to mutate, change, and become resistant to many conventional antibiotics.

Earlier I referred to biofilms. Biofilms are another survival strategy that help some (Persister) bacteria survive toxic medications. In this case, the resistance traits are not passed on to further generations, but persisters create bacterial colonies that produce biofilms, or slimy films that form a protective barrier against toxins. A few studies have demonstrated that some herbs, such as catnip, have the ability to break down biofilms, thus allowing the antibiotics to work better against the infection.

Honey and clay, as mentioned in earlier posts, have a long history of topical use for skin infections. French green clay has been shown to have specific activity against MRSA (Williams 2007), and Manuka honey from New Zealand has been found to be an effective topical remedy for MRSA (AP, 2007).

There are many herbs that can be used against MRSA, and I have chosen a selection of those herbs for this post.  If you have questions about where to find extracts or how to create a formula, please let me know! As for the herbal remedies, it is important to note that some herbs A) inhibit the MDR pumps, discussed above, some B) inhibit or kill MRSA and other antibiotic resistant bacteria, and some C) enhance antibiotic activity in one way or another. It would be wise, therefore, to create a formula drawing from these three different groups, so as to best supplement conventional antibiotics. Even better would be to consult with a trained herbalist who can take into consideration the full spectrum of your health, potential for drug interactions or contraindications, depending on what pharmaceutical drugs you may be on or additional health conditions you may have. One can additionally create topical salves with antibiotic, vulnerary herbs and essential oils to further treat a skin infection, and these generally have no containdications except for allergic reactions (albeit rarely).

Garlic

Barberry Root & leaf (berberis spp.), Coptis Root (coptis chinensis), Goldenseal Root (hydrastis canadensis), and Oregon Grape Root (mahonia aquifolium, M. repens)  ~ berberine containing herbs can work together with berberine extract to both reduce biofilms, inhibit MRSA, and inhibit MDR pumps. It does appear that a standardized berberine extract should be used along with alcohol extract of the whole herb, and both are less effective when used alone. (Stermitz, et al, 2000)

Thyme (thymus vulgaris): baicalein (also see Baical scullcap, below), a flavone found in the leaves of this herb, is believed to inhibit several different MDR pumps as well as possibly damage the integrity of bacterial cell walls. When used with antibiotics, this flavonoid increased the efficacy of the drugs needed to kill MRSA (Stavri et al 2007).  Thyme’s essential oils are also considered antibiotic, and thymol, in particular, is a well-known disinfectant, antibacterial, antibiotic, and antiviral agent that makes thyme oil a wonderful addition to topical salves used to treat MRSA.

Garlic bulb (allium sativum) ~ ah yes, beloved garlic; creates inhibitory synergy with antibiotics; effective (in-vitro) for many resistant bacterial infections.  (Abascal & Yarnell, 2002)

Category B: Inhibit or kill MRSA and other resistant bacteria

Andrographis (Andrographis paniculata): in vitro research indicates that water extracts (infusion/decoction) have significant inhibitory activity towards MRSA. Traditionally used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medical systems for treating viral and bacterial infections, this herb has a long track record of use against flus and bacterial infections.

Catnip (nepata cataria): this common mint inhibited MRSA and reduced bacterial adherence by helping prevent the formation of biofilm in studies (Nostro, A. et al 2001)

Elecampane root (inula helenium): in vitro studies indicate that elecampane strongly inhibits over 300 strains of S. aureus, including MRSA (O’Shea 2007). I learn from David Winston, master herbalist, that the eclectics (nineteenth century Western herbalists) used Inula to treat tuberculosis, along with Echinacea, and it has been effective in treating antibiotic resistant pneumonia and viral or bacterial bronchitis.

Holy Basil/ Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum): an aromatic adaptogen that has shown signficant in-vitro inhibitatory activity against three strains of MRSA (Aqil, et al, 2005). Long used in Ayurvedic medicine for its antibacterial essential oils to treat bacterial and viral diseases.  Microbial endocrinology also shows us that reducing cortisol (stress hormone) levels can also help prevent and resolve illness, as well. Tulsi is an amazing herb that will be highlighted in an upcoming post — my readers simply have to know more about this herb!

St. John’s Wort (hypericum perforatum): long noted for its antidepressant effects, SJW’s powerful antibacterial activity is often overlooked. The alcohol extract of fresh flowering tops can be used internally to treat viral and bacterial conditions, and in this case, has shown activity against MRSA (Abascal & Yarnell 2002). Additionally, an infused oil is used topically for painful infections and nerve pain.

Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) essential oil:  this powerful essential oil, used to treat all manner of skin conditions, has also shown to inhibit MRSA (LaPlante 2007) and was superior to chlorhexidine or silver sulfadiazine at clearing topical MRSA infections (Dryden et al 2004). Tea tree is already widely used for treating topical infections, burns, boils, etc, and makes a fabulous addition to handmade medicinal salves.

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

Baical Scullcap/ Huang Qin root (scutellaria baicalensis) or other scutellaria species, including S. lateriflora and S. galericulata: appears to assist antibiotics in their efficacy by enhancing bacteriocidal activity. This herb is commonly used in Chinese medicine for damp/heat infections such as infectious hepatitis, dysentery, tonsilitis, and bacterial infections with high fevers, and thus has a long use (Huang Qin) of use against such infectious conditions.  Studies have shown it  improves activity of 4 different antibiotics against 4 different strains of MRSA (Yang et al, 2005)

Sage (Salvia officinalis): sage extracts strongly potentiate gentamicin and other aminoglycosides in treating resistant strains (Horluchi et al 2007). Sage tea is effective for treating sore throats and is used for gastric ulcers.

Turmeric root (curcuma longa): extracts of turmeric have demonstrated ability to decrease MRSA effectiveness, acts as an antibacterial agent, and enhanced the effectiveness of beta-lactam antibiotics against MRSA (Kim et al 2005).  Curcumin extracted from Turmeric strongly inhibits virulence factors, including biofilm production (Rudrappa & Bais 2008). Turmeric is used in Ayurvedic medicine for treating gastric conditions, infectious hepatitis, and topically for infected lacerations. Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and quite possibly one of the top 25 herbs that no herbalist should be without. Because I live in an urban environment and can’t grow my own, I have fresh turmeric shipped to me from an organic farm in Oregon, Pacific Botanicals, so I can make my own alcohol tinctured extracts.

Uva Ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) : corilagin, a polyphenol isolated from uva ursi, has had significant ability to enhance antibiotics by reducing the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of beta-lactam antibiotics needed to treat MRSA (Shiota et al 2004). This is a herb frequently used for urinary tract issues and should not be taken continuously for long-term use, but is perfectly safe when taken in 2 week intervals.

Keep in mind that the above represents just a few choice herbs and that a larger range of herbs have been studied for effectiveness against drug resistant bacterium.  These herbs, however, are readily available and commonly used for similar conditions, so they should be easy to find.  A reputable source, and my first choice, for alcohol extracts is Herbalist & Alchemist ( www.herbalist-alchemist.com), the company connected to herbalist David Winston, from whom I learned about most of these important studies.

References (full refs available upon request):
AP, 2007
Abascal & Yarnell, 2002
Dryden et al 2004
Horluchi et al 2007
Kim et al 2005
LaPlante 2007
Nostro, A. et al 2001
O’Shea 2007
Shiota et al 2004
Stermitz, et al 2000
Stavri et al 2007
Williams, 2007
Yang, et al 2005

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler an American futurist.

This quote found on the front page of the Intel’s Assessing Project Tool web site gives a foundation  and premise for Intel’s  free educational resource . For those trying to assess 21century skills, this site provides some practical tools and resources to answer this question. Not only does Intel provide a unique interface to construct a rubric, it includes theory, rational, best practices, and outstanding examples. It is more then an assessment tool, if used correctly it allows teacher’s to truely transform their practice using a planning process that starts with the end and involves on-going assessment. Please take a moment to read over my review and explore the links that will highlight some of the outstanding attitibutes of this site. As always, take a moment to visit my 21centuryedtech Wiki .  If you have 21century skill assessment practices to share please post a reply or send an email. I enjoy reading and make it a practice to answer each and every e-mail. – Mike (mgorman@sacs.k12.in.us)

The biggest question I get from teachers when conducting workshops on technology integration and 21st century skills remains, “How do you assess the 21st century skills?”  While it is important to make sure content standards are integrated and assessed in student projects, many times the 21st century skills are loosely incorporated and assessed . This leaves students often confused with the attempted integration of  21st century skill, resulting in a goal never achieved. Once again, as most research suggests, it is important that all projects are designed with the end in mind. The conclusion includes both content standards, and the 21st century skills that are to be acheived by students. This end, is a part of the planning process that is communicated to students in the form of a rubric. The rubric must act as a guide while students engage with the project’s on-going process.

This preparation can be time consuming for the educator, which is why I invite you to explore Intel Education’s Assessing Projects Tool. I am a long time fan of the Intel Thinking  Tools. I am just as impressed with the Assessing  Projects Tool.  Intel states, “When assessment drives instruction, students learn more and become more confident, self-directed learners. Assessing Projects helps teachers create assessments that address 21st century skills and provides strategies to make assessment an integral part of their teaching and help students understand content more deeply, think at higher levels, and become self-directed learners”.

The site overview page  gives the benefits of assessing projects, numerous references and authoritive writings,  and some outstanding assessment based websites  based on 21st century education. Learn more about the purpose of assessment, various assessments that go beyond tests, papers, and oral presentations, and how formative assessment which is continuous and ongoing promotes real achievement. Additionally, while higher-order thinking such as critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, and metacognition, can be a challenge. this tool explores methods for assessing thinking. Last, this tool explores what components are necessary for successful assessment in a school.

Intel gives you the opportunity to Try It.  Here you can try a Demo to explore the Assessment Library and examine checklists, rubrics, and scoring guides on thinking skills, processes, products, and performances. There is also a video tutorial that allows you to see how features of the Assessing Projects application work in the classroom. You can also view a great animation of the process which helps simplify the process. Explore some example project assessment forms for both the elementary and secondary level. Intel states that assessment strategies can be broken into five main categories. While not all methods within a category are needed, all categories should be included in an assessment plan. The categories included are Strategies for Gauging Student Needs ,  Strategies for Encouraging Self-Direction and Collaboration,  Strategies for Monitoring Progress,  Strategies for Checking for Understanding and Encouraging Metacognition,  and Strategies for Demonstrating Understanding and Skill. There is also an area that describes the planning of assessment, the changing of assessment strategies, and some sample lesson plans complete with timeline of project, venn diagram, table, and assessment timeline. I find it useful to use the large selection of pre-made rubics and modify and save them to my Intel Work Space. From here they can be exported as a Word or Excel file.

In conclusion, Intel offers a top of the line tool that is free to educators. There are other tools which I will explore in future posts but I do suggest that anyone exploring assessment of 21st century skills take a look at the Intel Assessing Projects Tool for its ease of use, vast resources of information,  on-line productivity, and theory behind practice. While it acts as a rubric machine, it goes much farther by transtorming educational practice. Please feel free to email or post. I am interested in learning about other tools available for 21st century assessment.  While taking your journey in 21st century education, please visit my 21centuryedtech Wiki. Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you – Mike (mgorman@sacs.k12.in.us)

On the day after Thanksgiving, NPR decided to strangely dump a fantastic piece of evergreen content on the internet. Why they would choose to do this on a day when more people weren’t paying attention I don’t know. It’s an animated video that humorously illustrates an experiment that was designed to find out if ants have internal pedometers– basically, if when they go back and forth to the nest they are counting their steps.

I particularly love the voices of the ants. It seems to me like a good representation of what they would actually sound like if they spoke.

As something of an aside, I’ve had ants on the brain a lot recently. Last summer ants invaded our apartment. Despite our constant efforts and many battles won, we never won the war. Now as the summer begins anew in Peru they are back for a sequel. Someone told us the best strategy was just to coexist with them. I’m not sure I agree but ants are definitely fun to watch and ponder.

One of our Peruvian friends is an expert on Amazon ants, and has told us that she keeps several pet colonies in her bedroom, much to the chagrin of her family. I think I need to write about her. Seems like it would be short story gold.

From AT&T’s lab.  A nifty geographic representation of musical artist.  Zoom in and out to find artists.

Creator:  AT&T

Uses: GMAP – a technique for visualizing relations and structures as maps

I found another new organization that I met with yesterday!  They are so awesome I think I’m going to send all the new volunteers there.  I’ve been having trouble wrapping my head around what exactly they do, however, because they do everything!  Everything from child nutrition to microfinance to tuberculosis testing to environmental protection to local governance.  And they work in partnership with Hunt Oil who made it to my blog last month.

PRIMSA works all over the country but right now I’m looking for new placements in Lima, so we’re going to work together on a few projects:

EducANIMADO

This project is designed to help kids in school get healthy exercise as well as good nutrition.  They work in a part of Lima called Los Olivos, which is an area traditionally of low income but has really come a long way in the past decade.  Sadly, in Peru (like everywhere) junk food is really cheap – especially pop, which is usually cheaper and/or cleaner than water.  EducANIMADO is a program designed to make nutrition and healthy food fun, and volunteers can help with lesson plans and implementation.

Tuberculosis Research

Apparently the current sort of test they do to determine if someone has TB is a rather slow process, so PRIMSA is doing research to develop faster tests so they can start treatment to patients faster!  They also do some other stuff for tuberculosis patients, doing home and sanitation improvements and helping provide job training and improve nutrition.

Microfinance Research

My favourite project that they do is microfinancing, or microloans, which are for amounts like $100 or so and help really poor people do something like buy a sewing machine so they can start a home business.  This placement is all about researching to make loans more effective and stuff like that

The Verdict

I think the camera is a wonderful tool that the artist can use in the development of his or her art. It opens up so many possibilities, only restricted by our imagination, self-confidence and our preparedness to challenge ourselves as often as possible.

There is a danger however, of the camera being the sole source of inspiration. This results in imitations of photos that are then presented as art. What does one learn by this practice? Where is one’s individuality, one’s style? Is this honest art, or art that is second hand?

I admire the camera for what it can do for me, as long as I tell it what to do. Sure, there are times when accidental photos occur and that’s great. We should recognise and celebrate those moments. But we can never improve on or replace the artist’s eye.

I am disappointed with the lack of regard for technique, especially in drawing that I see today in younger artists. Maybe it’s a sign of the times, maybe it’s just me remembering the extent of my art training.

As artists we have the opportunity and right to use whatever means we can to create our work. But it’s use creating the work, not the technology.

Today’s featured images are from a series I took at Launceston’s Cataract Gorge.

Tomorrow: My latest drawing is finished!

Richard

Patient A is an adolescent GCSE student at school. I went to his school to meet him and to draw him. The art teacher was very helpful and we set up an area in the art class to do the portrait. Patient A was in a very good mood when I met him. A bit shy but very happy to talk once we where sitting down. He told me that his favourite subjects where art and drama and showed me some of his art-work. He wants to go to college after his GCSEs and learn a trade rather than going to university. He has a cousin who is an artist and he told me that he has made a sculpture that he will send for thousands of pounds, Patient A seemed impressed by his cousin. We talked about being at school and  thinking that anyone over 20 is old and how that changes as you get older yourself. He had two badges on that said “CITIZEN” which had been given to him in reward for a good deed he had done for the school. He is also a sports captain and told me he loves playing basketball and football at break-time with his friends. We talked about the canteen, pizza, cheese toasties portugese custard tarts, portugal and Ireland. He sat still and really concentrated for over an hour and said he enjoyed the experience of being drawn. When I had finished the drawing he brought one of his friends into the class to show him the drawing and seemed proud and said thank-you. 

Below you can see self portraits A made in his GCSE art class.

Dr F came to the Maudsley as a medical student on a short elective and worked in the emergency clinic with a famous psychiatrist called Antony Clare and enjoyed this.When a medical student on my surgical placement her consultant noted how hopeless she was in surgery but how good she was with patients and suggested she do psychiatry. Her interests are campaigning and teaching on improving the lot of children in the UK and she is also involved in an NGO which helps asylum seekers in detentiton to get treatment and get out when necessary.

Dr F has a wonderful realtionship with her patient (Patient C). Her patient attributes her full recovery to meeting Dr F. When I asked what they had in common she replied “So much! I have just been luckier in my life experiences”.

She is a lover of nature and finds peace when walking or cycling in the country side or by the sea. She love elephants, wild animals and birds. 

She is influenced by the work of John Bowlby and his followers carrying out attachment research has influenced the way she works and is the conceptual basis for her understanding of  working with survivors of abuse and of torture.

She has a collection of miniature houses, animals and pots made by south americans, who she lived with as a kid.

When I asked her what she would change about psychiatry she said “Remove the right to section people”

especially to extra shifts…it’s taking my doing more motto one step further. once i get in a working~making money frame of mind…i go into american work ethic mode.

a few people have asked me about the goals i referred to in a previous post. i have 4 main goals for this year~~~

1. get my kitchen finished

2. have matt come here for a visit

3.  go to roses  graduation

4.  be with my mom on her 75th birthday

i know i probably won’t be able to fit all those things in but extra money will help. so the result is that i am working one extra shift every weekend plus christmas eve and christmas night….

after january it will be near impossible to work extra since i am starting my MSc…with the exciting “qualitative research”~~~

did i mention i have been named on another study as a collaborator??? i’ll be working with the ethnographers in leicester~~~

on my day in newcastle with the senior research nurse, she was interviewed by the BBC about a study she published about noisy wards. besides her going red as we listened to her voice on the BBC…. i was really touched that her first comment was to say she needed to call her parents and tell them to listen….

my own feeling was that maybe this really could turn into the second best career choice i ever made~~~

As with other socially categorized groups of people, the elderly do not escape being stereotyped by the more dominant groups in society. Old age is often perceived as a less significant stage of life after the peak of adulthood, one that represents decline from full physical, social, and linguistic competence. A question that presents itself is whether such stereotypical perceptions of the elderly are consistent with their actual lives and linguistic behavior. I consider this question by examining naturally occurring, informal peer conversations among the elderly, a type of conversational data that has rarely been studied. I focus on such conversations by elderly Japanese women, comparing the content and the manner of their conversations with commonly held perceptions about elderly women and their verbal behavior, such as the images of being depressed, submissive, and unconcerned about physical attractiveness. The examination reveals that the elderly women in the present study do not display such images; in fact, they can be lively and humorous even when presenting painful experiences, and they exhibit an image of being independent and conscious of their physical appearance.
Examinations of verbal presentations by elderly speakers among their peer acquaintances provide an insight into an aspect of their lives that is rarely available to younger people. The observations obtained here, it is hoped, will lead to a better understanding of social situations in which older people are placed and of their patterns of communication, and ultimately to a decrease of misunderstanding in intergenerational communication.

from the International Journal of the Sociology of Language

This article demonstrates how humor can be used as a resource for managing and minimizing unavoidable conflicts in caretaking of the elderly. Focusing on one particular caregiving task, the diaper change, the article shows how conflict arises in these situations due to the emotional and physical stress that both caregiver and care recipient are under. While these situations and their ensuing conflicts are unavoidable due to the institutional constraints of caregiving, the article attests that when caregiver and care recipient engage in humorous talk before initiating the diaper change, they pay more attention to each other’s needs and wishes during the diaper change and thus manage to minimize the conflict that is bound to occur.

from the International Journal of the Sociology of Language

As part of a larger research project on images of older people (the over sixties) in UK advertising, this article reports findings from a focus group study in which participants discussed their views on seven TV advertisements depicting older people as central characters. These were selected from a sample of TV ads broadcast in the United Kingdom between 1999 and 2004, and included a range of positive, humorous, negative, and vulnerable depictions. A total of nine focus groups each comprised of three subgroups: young, middle-aged, and older adults. In addition to the ads themselves, our analysis centers on the participants’ reactions to the ads. Our focus is on the discursive positioning of the discussants vis-à-vis the ads in terms of age stereotypes and age identity constructions for self and other. Participants not only comment on any perceived depictions of older age, they also position themselves, and others, age-wise, in relation to the depictions, and at times use their age identifications as discursive means to account for their views. The focus on how viewers align with these types of ads can be seen as an important addition to previous research on images of aging in advertising, as well as on talk about age. In our analysis, we make use of the theoretical notions of discursive construction of age and positioning theory.

from the International Journal of the Sociology of Language