Dyspraxia Awareness Week (by sarah)

It is Dyspraxia Awareness Week! And as I didn't know about it until yesterday I am trying to spread the word!

10th - 17th of October.

Firstly what is Dyspraxia I here the multitudes cry (ok well one or two of you anyway) - Dyspraxia is sort of Dyslexia of movement - obviously it is a lot more than this but that is the easy way of putting it.

There are other things associated with it such as loose joints and speech difficulties. I was 'diagnosed' with both Dyslexia and Dyspraxia at the beginning of my A'levels - there is a huge overlap between the two along with ADHD and Aspergers. I have posted on this before here.

I knew of the Dyslexia Association but not that there was a Dyspraxia Foundation.

Anyway I will probably do another few posts on this topic through out the week - you have been warned!

Why is Science Vital (by sarah)

Science is threaded through out the modern world, everything is affected by or initiated by science. Shouldn't the money be spent on health care? I hear you cry - what do you think is at the bases of the treatments? What allows the equipment to function and be used? SCIENCE!

What about the environment? Surely that was caused by science? No it was caused by ignorance and mis-management and what do you think allowed us to see what was happening? SCIENCE - what do you think will allow us to drag ourselves and our planet out of it? SCIENCE.

Then there is our transport systems, heating for our homes, clean water, foods and hygien. The cloths we are wearing - all those nice washable colours and enduring fabrics? SCIENCE was at the root of all of these.

The artists pigments and the fact they don't die as much from accidental substance abuse - SCIENCE.

Even trying to sort out the mess of the financial crises comes from SCIENCE. Because you know what Maths is SCIENCE. And on that subject we plunge straight into the humanities from war anylises to domestic abuse statistics.

What about business? I hear you cry - shouldn't we be concentrating on strengthening the private sector and let nessecity drive invention?

Ok but you see modern business is reliant on computers - weather it is running their e-bay shop or because they use a bank and where do software engineers get the tools to be able to make these boxes of lights do such amazing things? SCIENCE. Yep sorry guys but even if you only take the logic part of programming into account here - computing is a SCIENCE.

(For the purpose of Research and Development - Science, Engineering and technology in general are all far too interlocked to be seperated out - though I do have views on this aswell but that is beyond the point being made here.)

And to those who say - ok but get rid of all non-vital research - I say that without blue sky research you hamstring the entire scientific entity. Things crop up in unexpected places leading to major breakthroughs - just look at some medical history 😉

I was horrified over the proposed funding cuts in science - how to spiral a country into a social war of attrition as all our initiative and endevours - business start ups etc.... disappear - in other words - all the sorts of things you need to bump a country out of recession.

Looking at other countries it appears that those who invested in science regardless clawed their way up whilst those who didn't dwindled and became weaker.

All of our global equivalents are currently increasing science funding so this is pure madness which is why I have chosen to write yet another blog post about it. Please please check out ScinceIsVital and sign their petition at the very least.

Science is Vital Poem/Rap (by sarah)

Science is vital the scientist said
The politicians just shook their heads
And smiled oh so very primly
they knew what's best they said rather grimly

Science is vital the teacher cried!
The politicians shrugged and simply lied
The way they had done before
Is telling the truth such a chore?

Science is vital the nurse intoned
The politicians thought it just - another funding moan
Even with their private health care plans
They failed to see what drove - those cancer scans

Science is vital the cleaner shouted
The politicians just looked at money and counted
Forgetting to take in the longer view
Thus knotting the financials into a thorny stew

Science is vital the artist sang
The politicians ignored them till the world went bang
Or did at least for an island at the edge of the world
Crushed and broken is societal whorls

Slowly it crumbled to the sea
A brain drain leaving it's people be
Without the intellectual resources to save themselves
This is what historians will see once they delve

A people derelict and poverty stricken
Science is vital

Why
did
they
not
listen?

Science is Vital (by sarah)

Science is vital - it provides us with technological break-threws which are the corner stone of the modern economy, it provides medicine which we have all benifited from in one way or another and it has fueled the creative industries. At a time when other countries have increased their science funding regardless of the economic state or even becuase of it, our government has decided to slash funding.

Ham stringing the country for at least the next 20 yrs if not 100 (in my opinion). I am watching the brain drain increase as friends are already feeling for other countries where they can continue their research and eat.

This is why I just thought I'd bring Science is Vital to your attentions. Please sign their petition regardless of what your job is (without science you wouldn't have your TV, toaster, kettle! or car - just think about it for a while).

There is also a demo on the 9th of Oct and lobbying on the 12th for those who can make it - check the site out for info on those.

The Google-Fu and MySociety Rap (by sarah)

My Google-Fu
Does Work for you
I writes to my MP
I helps my community

Remember
TheyWorkForYou
And MySociety

Helping you to say what's wrong
Which is why I made up this song
To let the people know
About how and where to go
To set things straight
To fix things
B4 it's to late

When I sees things out of place
I writes it on MySpace,
Live Journal, Blogger, WordPress and twitter
Yes I'm a social media witter!
Citizen journo of the worst kind
Google and you will find

ME

Doing electronic rants
For my community