2013-06-19T05:13:26-04:00 Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=hannah-gal Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Hannah Gal Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3332816 2013-05-24T13:04:01-04:00 2013-05-28T10:04:58-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
Outspoken Bowler discusses Gove's curriculum, teaching standards, male teachers, multiculturalism and academies among other burning topics but as the debate over teachers' pay and pensions rages on, I cannot help but quiz Blower about her reported £112,896 pay.
'This pay is equivalent to a headteacher salary in inner London' her department tells me, 'many academies pay substantially more..'

I start by mentioning Bill Gates' and Mark Zuckerberg's advice for students to learn programming and code. I wonder if Blower welcome's Gove's fitting plan to shift the emphasis to an up to date ICT curriculum?

A The NUT has some serious concerns about the content of the new computing Programmes of Study. We do not dispute the importance of learning programming skills but believes that this alone is not relevant for younger children, particularly those who might have no or limited computer access at home. What is certainly vital is that the Education Secretary stops and listens to the advice he is being given about reforms to the curriculum to ensure that is a relevant and vibrant for all pupils.

Q As many schools now play an active role in increasing parents' awareness to potential online danger and  'internet conduct', I wanted to ask if you support schools also 'policing' students' out of school internet conduct? would you for example intervene if you heard of a student being cyber bullied by fellow students?

A Even though the bully might have occurred off the school premises, schools would rightly address the issue. If a school didn't intervene, then it is likely that an issue between pupils could escalate leading to problems on the school premises, so it would be counter-productive to ignore the incident.  Schools would take a similar approach if for instance a fight occurred between pupils on the way home, or if it became apparent that pupils were misbehaving on buses.

Q One of Michael Gove's stated goals is getting better standards of aspiration and higher expectations in poorly performing schools.
The Olympics have boosted the sense of aspiration and high expectation within many children but these qualities are still missing from many parents' culture/mentality, how can schools help instill these qualities in children ?


A I'm not sure I agree with you on that. Many young people have had their aspiration boosted by the Olympics but any legacy is sadly lacking by the loss of school sports provision. In order to keep pupils motivated we need to have a vibrant and relevant curriculum which engages all students. Michael Gove's proposal for the new national curriculum will do nothing to achieve this. Teachers are genuinely fearful that pupils will be forced to learn in a way that is inappropriate. Michael Gove needs to listen to those who understand education and start taking advice on what will really work for all pupils. He should also listen to other stakeholders such as the CBI which has recently warned against memorisation and recall being valued over understanding and enquiry, and transmission of information over the pursuit of knowledge in its fullest. Successful teaching and learning happens when you trust teachers to develop the curriculum on offer to students. It is also of paramount importance that schools are sufficiently funded to provide children and young people with the sort of experiences and courses that can so enrich their learning and interest such as music, drama, art and sport. Pupils from low income families cannot afford such activities out of school and increasingly many parents who would not identify themselves as such find it difficult to fund such pursuits. Cuts to school budgets and the pressure from league tables to achieve in a narrow range of subjects means that many schools do not, or cannot, afford to provide students with the wide range of subjects and activities that is so important to raising pupil aspiration and attainment.

Q Do excellence and competition conflict with tolerance and kindness?

A Excellence does not come through competition between schools but through schools working collaboratively together to share best practice. The London Challenge programme which this Government got rid of provided the support schools needed and made a real difference. The results spoke for themselves. Despite inner London boroughs comprising some of the most deprived areas in the country, London pupils outperformed many schools in better off areas. But no excellence and competitiveness are not in any sense the antithesis of tolerance and kindness. A well rounded person would display these qualities and characteristics appropriately.


Q In light of the education minister's introduction of teaching observation as a key part of assessment, before an offer of a teacher training placement is made, I wonder what teaching qualities you personally rate the highest?

A Passion and patience

Q Would you like to see more male teachers entering this noble profession?


A Teaching is one of the best professions in the world so for men or women it would be a good choice. The most important issue when deciding on a career in teaching is not someone's gender but whether they actually have the qualities to be a good teacher.

Q Male teachers naturally bring different qualities to those of their female counterparts, not better or worse just different.
All teachers and head teachers I talked to welcomed the current rise in the number of male teachers and I wondered what your position on this development is. 

A There is no evidence to show that male teachers are better than female..

Q Multiculturalism is a burning issue for many. I interviewed many tolerant parents who resent any exceptions made on religious grounds, ( from wearing earrings on school grounds to enabling the existence of faith schools..)
Would it not be simpler and fairer to have just one code of practice for all parents and children to adhere to?


A As more schools become academies and free schools, the number of institutions which act as their own admissions authorities will increase. Accountability and fair access will be difficult to monitor in such a complex admissions landscape. At a time when most parents want a school admissions system that is fair and easy to use, under these proposals they are more likely to get one that is unfair and divisive.
Always Someone Else's Problem, a report by the Office of the Children's Commissioner raised this issue of unfairness. The majority of those who gave evidence to the report raised concerns about the admissions policies of schools being used as a means to exclude pupils: examples of parents of SEN pupils being dissuaded from applying, parents being told that expensive school trips were compulsory and school uniforms being prohibitively expensive were given. Academies have excluded pupils and carried out fixed term exclusions at a far greater rate than state maintained schools. This is a pattern that has been evident over a number of years.
We need to have a clear and transparent admissions policy for all schools that ensures every pupil, regardless of educational needs or parents' wealth, can gain a place at school. Surely that is the point of state education.


Q Many schools are choosing to become Academies, what is your overall view of the success of the process to date.

A There is no evidence to show that academies in themselves boost the attainment of pupils and yet the Government is insisting on pursuing at break neck speed this fragmentation of our education system. The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee report Department for Education: Managing the Expansion of the Academies Programme, makes clear that Michael Gove's haste to expand the number of academies at all costs has come at the expense of financial accountability and value for public money. It is quite extraordinary that in these times of cut backs and austerity the Government has found millions of pounds to support its academies and free schools programme. It is hard to see how the Education Secretary can justify spending tax payers' money in this way. This programme will create a chaotic and unaccountable education system. Michael Gove must urgently rethink this policy which is neither needed nor wanted and is a dreadful waste of public resources and money



Q In Bromley (Kent), where all but one secondary schools are now academies, many have suffered financial detriment since they converted..

A Many academies found they were not entitled to as much money as they had been led to believe prior to conversion. Costs of replacement services have also often proved considerably higher than those provided by the LA
Q Can you please comment on the a question from a local secondary school headteacher who asks - how does the government believe that secondary schools which are suffering cuts of hundreds of thousands of pounds to their sixth form funding will be able to sustain adequate sixth form provision, particularly in light of the raising the school leaving age?


A We do not believe they can. A survey of 450 NUT members in Sixth Form Colleges showed that an overwhelming 90% believed that funding cuts are impacting negatively on their students' education. Cuts to staffing and courses, removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance and larger class sizes were all mentioned as contributing factors. 75% of those surveyed believed that funding cuts would narrow the range of subjects offered to students within the next two years. A further 62% believed that funding cuts for 16-19 qualifications would limit the number of study hours students are funded for and some respondents commented that they felt this situation could worsen. Half of respondents believed that funding cuts would affect the teaching of practical subjects while only 8% believed the cuts would have no effect on practical subjects. These funding cuts come at a time of the highest ever levels of youth unemployment and on top of the reduction in the EMA and a tripling of university fees. We are failing future generations by this short sighted approach to education. The Government needs to ensure that schools and colleges are properly funded to guarantee a first class education for all our children.

Q I would like readers to form an opinion on the important issues raised. I feel their judgement might be affected by the knowledge that a person who 
has previously opted for a teacher strike is such a high earner, specially at these hard times..readers know what ministers' pay is but expect (rightly or wrongly) a 
teaching professional's pay to be more in line with average, perhaps slightly above 
average pay..  

The pay is equivalent to a headteacher salary in inner London - many academies pay substantially more. Our union pay scale is in line with the national pay scale for teachers..this is the professional rate.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3272126 2013-05-19T19:00:00-04:00 2013-05-20T05:39:11-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
"Is she waiting for you Gracie?" I ask the frail, dementia-stricken former nurse as her eyes wander furiously around her bedroom, "I should think so," she replies, "come on... my mum said to come straight back," she sweetly rushes me.

Like so many dementia sufferers, Gracie often reverts to her childhood and relieves moments with genuine joy as well as sadness. Just last week I met 84-year-old Joan who with a heart-melting smile told me: "Nobody loves me more than my mum."

Like so many sufferers, Joan and Gracie are both under 24-hour care after endangering their lives and putting their families through agonizing worry. From leaving taps running and stove fire burning to wandering to the shops wearing pyjamas and sitting at the bus stop at midnight waiting hours on end for the bus.

"It is all terribly worrying," says Joan's husband Paul, "but the scariest thing is when she goes missing. Police once found her in a field hours after she went missing, she had no idea how she got there, we nearly died of worry... needless to say she is not allowed out of the house by herself anymore."

Ahead of Dementia Awareness Week, starting on 20 May, I speak with Dot Gibson, National Prescribing Centre (NPC) general secretary and start by asking about her headline-making objection to police using GPS devices to track people with dementia.

Q: Can you please clarify your position on the use of GPS devices please?

A: Fitting a GPS device to people with dementia is like using sticking plaster to hide the crisis in health and social care. This is what I said in media interviews following the news that more than 100 local authorities are using GPS devices to track people with dementia and now Sussex police have adopted the scheme to save money when they are called out to find a missing dementia sufferer.

My views provoked stressed relatives to say that I was out of touch; they welcomed a tracking device for their loved-ones who could wander off alone. I understand: my confused mother-in-law was often found outside a shop at midnight wanting to do her shopping. So whilst I completely understand the feelings of those who wish to protect their loved ones in this way, the whole area of how we look after those who can no longer look after themselves needs a wider response than simply looking at tracking devices. That can only be one part of a much bigger response. However, no-one wanted to widen the debate - they just wanted to focus on the single issue. But family carers deserve more.

Our main concern is the crisis in the health and social care system. Over 15 years, 20 commissions and other inquiries, including a Royal Commission into long term care have concluded that the social care system is not fit for purpose. Undercover journalists issue shocking reports which hit the headlines for a day or two, and then the story disappears. 
 
Q: Relatives of dementia sufferers have welcomed the greater freedom this technology brings as well as the relief knowing those missing can be found, what would your argument to them be?

A: Successive governments designate the needs of dementia sufferers as personal and not medical and so only entitled to means-tested social care, meaning that many end up selling their homes to pay for this or are forced to use up all their savings. Inadequate research into dementia, lack of nurse and care-worker training, leave relatives finding it more and more difficult to cope; they often have to enter into a long and arduous process to get respite care, and feel guilty for even considering assistance to care for their loved ones.

This means that unless they are rich enough to buy personal, professional 24-hour care, people with dementia are often limited to one or two visits a day to help them bathe, eat and go to bed. Visits can be just 15-minute slots with a different carer each time; there is no time for the compassionate and person-to-person contact which a dementia sufferer badly needs; often put to bed as early as 5.30-7.00 pm the dementia sufferer will wake up in the middle of the night thinking it's morning.

Now we are seeing cuts in staff at sheltered housing schemes and the closure of day centres, luncheon clubs and the like where older people get together socially, have sing-songs, reminiscent sessions and organised coach trips etc, which help to overcome loneliness and give family carers a chance to relax. These cuts are now putting family carers under even more pressure.

At the end of this tragic set of circumstances local councils and the police understandably are turning to the use of GPS devices to pick up the pieces. But this could be open to abuse. How far could it be extended? Who decides; who provides and who pays for it? There must be proper regulation to stop abuse of human rights but who will regulate? There must be consent, but the individual can only give this in the early stages of dementia.
 
Q: What in your mind are the most burning issues for pensioners today?

A: There has been a lot of nonsense talked about how older people have been spared the effects of the austerity measures and cuts in government spending. Somehow they are being portrayed as if they are getting special treatment at the expense of younger generations. Not only is this completely untrue, it is also extremely divisive and dangerous. All ages have been affected.

Older people have seen their pensions devalued through the use of the Consumer Price Index, the winter fuel allowance has been cut, many bus services have been either reduced or withdrawn altogether causing particular problems in rural areas, tax allowances have been frozen for the over 65s, and social care budgets have been cut by up to 30% so that at least a million people are now unable to get any support at all, while the rest struggle on trying to cope without the help they need.

Around one in five pensioners has an income that is below the official poverty level, three million households are classed as being in fuel poverty, 800,000 are denied social care at home whilst many more are worried about the cost and quality of care that they do receive and every year over 20,000 die from cold related illnesses. All of these issues need addressing if we are to improve the lives of both today's and tomorrow's pensioners.
 
Q: if you were to meet David Cameron tomorrow what would your message to him be?
 
Don't see older people as the problem, but an asset. Every year pensioners contribute £40bn to the economy more than the state pays out in pensions, benefits and care - through paying taxes, volunteering and unpaid caring. Benefits such as the bus pass actually make economic as well as social sense. For example, it enables pensioners to keep mobile and independent, saving the NHS money, but it also gives them the opportunity to continue making a contribution in their local communities. These benefits need to be kept - not means-tested or withdrawn.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3289805 2013-05-16T22:55:58-04:00 2013-05-20T06:10:36-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
Inspirational, quality teaching is one of the topics I present to the UK's department of education spokesperson, along with cyber bullying, raising standards, bringing programming and code into the curriculum, academies, the rise of male teachers and more.  
 
Q As Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Berners Lee openly advise students to learn programming and code, I congratulate your office on shifting the emphasis to an up to date ICT curriculum

A .The new computing curriculum will mean pupils have a real understanding of how digital technologies work -- allowing them to create new technologies rather than being passive consumers of them.This brings exciting challenges for computing teachers -- we are raising our expectations of the subject knowledge they should have, including how computers work, programming and coding. We want a generation of children being taught how to write computer animations or design apps for smartphones -- not be bored by lessons in how to fill in spreadsheets or learn word processing.
 
Q Many schools now play an active role in increasing parents' awareness to potential online danger and  'internet conduct', can you please comment on the unique challenges the internet brings to education?  
 
A  No child should have to suffer the fear and victimisation of bullying. Children from the age of five will soon be taught how to stay safe online. They will also learn how to communicate safely and respectfully.
 
Q You state 'getting better standards of aspiration and higher expectations in poorly performing schools' as one of your goals, can schools help instill these qualities children and parents?

A We are driving up standards right across the board by bringing the best graduates into teaching, developing a world-class curriculum and restoring order to our classrooms. We are driving forward the Academies and Free Schools programmes with more than half of secondary schools now enjoying Academy status. We have introduced the EBacc so more pupils are encouraged to study the core academic subjects that universities and employers demand and we will be introducing a new, far more rigorous examination system
 
Q You support the introduction of teaching observation as a key part of assessment, before an offer of a teacher training placement is made.

A As all the evidence from around the world shows, nothing is more important for raising standards in our schools than ensuring that we have more great teachers. That's why our reforms focus on attracting the best and training them to the highest standards. We expect ITT providers to have in place rigorous selection process so that only candidates with excellent subject knowledge and aptitude for teaching enter training. We also want schools to place a greater role in selecting and training for new teachers.
 
Q Would you like to see more male teachers enter this noble profession?

A We want more men to consider primary teaching. Applications from men have already risen, with 50% more male primary trainees in 2011/2012.We're encouraging men to apply for training places by holding events where they can speak to teaching experts and other trainees. Up to 1,000 high quality male graduates will take part this year in a new school experience programme which will boost numbers further.
 
Q Many parents resent any exceptions made on religious/cultural grounds, from wearing earrings on school grounds to enabling the existence of faith schools.. would it not be fairer to have just one code of practice that applies to all parents and children in all English schools?

A Schools have the freedom to set their own uniform policies. We expect them to act reasonably in accommodating the needs of different religions.
 
Q Many schools are choosing to become Academies, how successful is the process to date?
 
A Great heads and teachers are best placed to run their schools - not town hall or central government bureaucrats. We have given them the freedom to take charge, and thousands are grabbing the chance. Two million pupils are now reaping the benefits - including more than half of all secondary pupils.
 
We believe that the support and advice of an academy sponsor is the best way to improve underperforming schools. Sponsors have already turned around hundreds of struggling schools across the country.
 
Q Are you aware that in Bromley, where all but one secondary schools are now academies, many have suffered financial detriment since they converted? 

If academies are meant to be independent of local authorities, why has the government given local authorities the power to decide on allocation of funding including the level of AWPU?  

A Academies funding is calculated on the same basis as all of the other council-run schools. The only differences are down to variations in pupil numbers. The rate of funding for pupils is protected by the Minimum Funding Guarantee and cannot reduce by more than -1.5 per cent in any year.
 
Local authorities develop the funding formula working through their Schools Forum which is made up of representatives from all types of schools in the local area, including academies. The number of representatives is determined by the number of pupils attending each type of school. The forum agrees the final funding formula. For 13/14 local authorities are following new regulations which introduce a new much simpler formula."
 
Q How does the government believe that secondary schools which are suffering cuts of hundreds of thousands of pounds to their sixth form funding will be able to sustain adequate sixth form provision, particularly in light of the raising the school leaving age?

A We are spending £7.4 billion this year on education and training for 16-19 year olds, giving young people the opportunity to continue their studies and go on to skilled employment or higher education. We are also raising the age of compulsory participation in education to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. As the participation age increases, we are providing funding to ensure schools and colleges can offer places in education or training to all young people who want them.Work on the next Spending Review Period is ongoing and no decisions have been taken.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3288818 2013-05-16T18:49:26-04:00 2013-05-19T13:55:06-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
The mutilated bears' suffering shocked her, 'It's a torture chamber..a hell hole for animals' she wrote at the time. Moved to the core by one hurting bear who from inside his cage, reached his hand out to touch her, Jill knew she could not turn away and Animal Asia was born; a tireless force with a mission to end the barbaric practice of bear bile farming.

In celebration of the organisation's twentieth anniversary, I speak with founder and CEO Jill Robinson about humans' treatment of animals, altering Asians' attitude towards our fellow creatures, her stunningly beautiful children's book and a heart melting, forgiving bear called Jasper.

Q Powerful voices including David Attenborough, Desmond Morris, Richard Dawkins, Brian May, Ofir Drori and Peta strongly believe that humans have taken their 'superiority' as a given for too long, leading to gross mistreatment of animals

A I completely agree.
Too often we see animals as "things" to be exploited and abused at our whim, without comprehending that they are living, sentient beings with desires and emotions as profound and important to them as they are to us. As more awareness now comes to the fore that our actions are responsible for the health of the environment, so it must be recognised that our treatment of animals is also connected with the fragile state of this earth.

Now is the time for change. For example, we know that no Arctic explorer has worn fur for decades to keep warm, and yet we continue to slaughter millions and millions of animals each year for our vanity. Fur production also pollutes the environment and is egregiously cruel. 

Some people may also laugh at the concept of questioning snakeskin shoes, boots and bags, but if they could see how cruelly these reptiles are treated and slaughtered too, again simply for us to "look good", surely our conscience must tell us these practices are wrong. We farm billions of animals each year - pumping them with growth hormones to make them accelerate in size, and feeding them with antibiotics to keep them alive (because they are so sick as a result of intensive farming practices), using land for their feed which could be used to grow food for the starving, all to make meat that is being consumed in massive amounts and clearly doing us harm.We breed and cruelly "farm" dogs and cats to our "taste" - disabling and disfiguring them to conform to the colour, size and even style that we like.  So many pedigrees, especially, suffer from multiple deformities, facial disfigurements and problems of their joints and bones. In the US there are more tigers alive under captive conditions than there are anywhere in the wild and many of them suffering in inadequate conditions, light years away from how they would be enjoying life in their natural habitats. This is simply a result of humans' desire for exotic pets and "entertaining" animal performances.Animal performances everywhere see audiences looking at animals made to perform cruel and degrading tricks - and learning nothing about them except their size, colour and shape.And of course the exploitation of noble majestic species such as bears, cruelly farmed for their bile, which is used in products so utterly unnecessary today.

Q What is bear bile and why is it in demand?

A Bear farming began in China in the early 1980's when the Government endorsed a practice which they believed would save wild bears from being killed for their whole gall bladders (literally bags of "liquid gold"). That well-intentioned initiative was deeply flawed after bear farming boomed - and saw farmers continuing to take bears from the wild to replenish their stock. It also saw consumers who preferred the "real thing" persist in their demand for the wild caught bile of poached bears. In China there are officially 7,000 endangered moon bears legally farmed (but we believe that the actual figures are closer to 10,000 bears). In Vietnam, despite bear farming being an illegal trade, some 2,400 moon bears (and some sun bears) remain caged on farms across the country, while their bile is extracted and sold on the black market to dedicated consumers within the country, as well as from China and South Korea.

Battling against this practice, in a campaign to end bear farming in both China and Vietnam, Animals Asia team members and I have been working in China since the early 1990's and now have 285 bears rescued into our sanctuary in Chengdu, and 115 bears now flourishing in our sanctuary in Tam Dao National park, near Hanoi in Vietnam. Such is the extent of the damage from the crude surgery and techniques of bile extraction, that every formerly farmed bear requires the removal of their chronically inflamed and infected gall bladder.

In China the bears are often deliberately abused by having their teeth cut back to gum level (exposing pulp and nerves) and their paw tips hacked away to stop the claws from growing - thus painfully rendering them less dangerous during the excruciating process of milking their bile.

Many of the bears grow into the bars of cages which hold them immobile for anything up to 30 years (the approximately life span of bears in the wild). They suffer psychologically too and have open wounds and scars on heads from where they have smashed their foreheads against the bars of the cage, engaging in miserable, self-mutilating, stereotypic behavior (stereotypic behaviour is seen in bears and other animals that have spent a long time in captivity, without enrichment and in stressful situations, and manifests itself in repetitive movements and actions). The bears will also often chew on the bars of the cage, breaking their own teeth in the process and suffer for years as another agonising impact of bear farming is endured.
Yet bear farming continues - even while eminent doctors of Traditional Medicine object to the promotion of bear bile and emphasize that the mental and physical harm towards these endangered species cannot be in harmony with nature, as Chinese medicine dictates.

Q Do you feel things are progressing in the right direction?

A Bear bile farming is now a major issue - especially in China.  Even though legal there, the public are becoming more aware of this hideous practice, and understanding that it is not only caging and killing the bears in huge numbers, but potentially harmful to people too.  The bile these sick and diseased animals produce is ghastly and oozing with contaminants - which sees over 30% of the bears eventually dying of liver cancer.  Shameful when one acknowledges that herbs and synthetics are cheap and easy alternatives to replace bear bile.  Over the years, we have worked intensively with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Associations and practitioners who show much support in promoting these alternatives in the belief that using bear bile today goes against the core principle of Chinese medicine, which is to be in harmony with nature. Our Healing without Harm campaign has many projects under its umbrella including engaging with thousands of doctors and pharmacists in China who are ridding their shelves of bear bile and promising only to prescribe the herbal alternatives. 

Our press conferences with doctors state that the alternatives are just as effective, and call on the industry to end.In addition we continue working to influence the Chinese government to pass and enforce laws to end bear farming through lobbying and continued development of relationships at central and provincial levels. This includes our increasing engagement each year with national legislators (National People's Congress) and government officials within state and provincial forestry departments, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, health and drug authorities, the traditional Chinese medicine industry and commercial administrations. As the components of our strategic plan come together, and the country of China becomes more outraged with the practice, this coming year is especially critical in the ongoing push for bear farming to end.
 
Q What can people outside China and Vietnam do to help?

A Anyone can help the bears by signing up to participate in our "Sponsor a bear" or "Befriend a bear" programs.
 
Through our "Sponsor a bear" program, supporters can sponsor one of our rescued bears. A small monthly donation provides a rescued bear with all the basic care they need to recover and lead healthy and happy lives of freedom at one of our sanctuaries. Our special care bears, with long term or mental damage, are a little more costly to care for and can also be sponsored.
 
Our "Befriend a bear" program offers supporters the opportunity to provide the bears with special treats to keep them happy and occupied - treats like fruit ice blocks, rubber kongs, and tofu-filled bamboo shoots. These enrichment items help keep their intelligent minds busy and provide extra nourishment along the way. Without constant stimulation for their minds and bodies, rescued bears would soon get bored or depressed. Participation in the "Befriend a bear" program helps keep this from happening.
 
Q What gives you strength to fight, with such continued stamina and conviction?

A Because I can finally see the tide turning.  In 2012 the issue of bear farming was officially one of the top ten discussion points of China.  It is an issue, a talking point and something that is growing in debate each year.  In truth, animal welfare itself is becoming something that is debated more intensely as the country develops, particularly now that there are over 100 animal welfare groups here compared to when I first began working in China in 1985, when there was one!   Today we are seeing support at all levels of media, government, celebrities, lawyers, doctors, etc. 
Even students -  thousands and thousands of them - have been engaging in public exhibitions and even squeezing themselves into cages in public places, emulating the suffering of the bears. 
The harrowing 45 minute undercover documentary, "Moon Bear", shot by an independent film crew that has been viewed over 1.4 million times, and is shocking people to the core. Now being described as the "Chinese Cove," it shows bears suffering and dying in tragic circumstances, in both legal and illegal farms, bringing about unprecedented support from the public against bear farming. The response to the film, so clearly exemplifying Chinese opposition to bear farming, is a source of encouragement.The explosion of newspaper, TV, radio and Internet stories in China about bear bile farming has seen a massive online outcry demanding justice for the bears..and of course our victory in Vietnam, where we finally won against the threat of eviction that had been hanging over our heads following a so-called entertainment company seeking to construct a commercial property on our sanctuary land.  It was a hard won "David and Goliath" campaign that saw people in Vietnam, and tens of thousands more around the world, rise to our defence with a final decision from the Prime Minister himself announcing that we could stay.
 
Q What do you perceive as the greatest obstacle in your mission at the moment?

A Persuading those in power to listen to the real concerns of bear farming from welfare, conservation and human health points of view. For some time we have been particularly concerned with the high percentage of this endangered species of bears (moon bears) dying from liver cancer - whether newly rescued, or those that have been living at our sanctuary for a number of years. The mortality rate is now too high to be mere coincidence.
In addition to the high incidence of liver cancer, the gall bladders we remove from the bears are compromised in one or more of the following ways: cholelithiasis (gall stones), foreign objects in the lumen of the gall bladder, polyp formation on the mucosa (inner lining of the gall bladder), strictures in the gall bladder wall, and obstruction of the cystic duct and partial herniation of the gall bladder wall.

Thus, with all of the evidence pointing to the clear fact that bile farm bears are severely malnourished, with chronically diseased livers, inflamed and infected gall bladders, and higher than normal incidences of liver cancer, the question must continue to be raised as to the human health impact of consuming such contaminated bile taken from such sick and diseased bears.
 
 
Q will farmers' livelihood suffer with farm closures?

A One of the long term aspects of our campaign in China has been closing the farms while compensating the farmers too. No farmer's livelihood has suffered as a result of our work.  In return for the compensation, we insist on having the license to farm bears confiscated (China has not issued new licenses since 1994), and closing the entire farm with all of the bears confiscated into our care. These farmers can then never legally farm bears again. In Vietnam we do not pay compensation considering that the industry there is illegal.
 
Q Your new book Jasper's Story is getting wonderful reviews, what inspired you to write it?

A The children's book is about a bear called Jasper.
He arrived with us at our China Bear Rescue Centre in October 2000.  His cage was a disgrace, with unrelenting bars squashing him flat to the bottom. Called a crush cage, it prevents the bears from moving - immobilising them in order that their bile can be extracted without hurting the farmers. Jasper had spent over fifteen years in this cage.

He was clearly in pain too, with a metal catheter protruding from his abdomen, and a wound that was infected and extremely sore. Bile fluid was pouring from his abdomen, but through his pain and trauma I believe he recognised compassion and good care, and responded eagerly and gently to our offers of food and kindness.

Jasper simply represents the truth of the bear farming industry in all its horrible glory - and he is now in a large bear house and grassy enclosure, and loving his days in the sun.Today, I always say that as much as we rescue the bears, bears like Jasper rescue us. When we have a bad day they are there lifting us, making us laugh with their antics out on the grass. They have the most astonishing capacity to forgive and forget the past - determined to enjoy all the new things they can now experience with being a bear. Jasper welcomes new arrivals with the friendliness of an old patriarch, and still finds time to rough and tumble with the juveniles in what we affectionately term a "bear bundle."

For a bear crushed flat to the bottom of his cage for 15 years, I find his charisma and kindness breathtaking.For all these reasons and a million times more, Jasper was the inspiration for this book. I can anticipate that some readers may be worried that Jasper's story is too sad or gory for young readers but nothing can be farther from the truth.
It is written in a way that sensitively and gently describes the practice of bear farming, the happy recovery of a forgiving bear, and how every single individual has it in them to make a difference in the world.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3207830 2013-05-03T08:51:31-04:00 2013-05-04T13:58:54-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
A quietly powerful force within the music industry, Klein has played on and produced some of the music world's greatest ever sounds, from Herbie Hancock and Joni Mitchell to Tracy Chapman and Melody Gardot among a long list of others.

He is the man who in 2000 brilliantly fused Vince Mendosa's angelic string arrangements with Joni Mitchell's voice (Both Sides Now), the producer of Hancock's Grammy award winning Imagine project and one of the first to recognise Peyroux's truly unique, one off talent.
'The Blue Room is my fourth album with Madeleine' the Grammy award winner tells me, speaking of 'a great shared syntax' with the soulful singer.

Describing Madeleine as 'fascinating, bright and completely intuitive in everything she does..' Klein speaks of creatively fruitful studio sessions with a the 'boundry challenging' artist. 'She is still a street singer in a lot of ways..' he says affectionately, 'my job is to spot and amplify the magic'

The universally praised Blue Room came about when Klein acted upon a life long fascination with Ray Charles's classic 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, undoubtedly one of the greatest recordings ever released.

'Ray Charles's album has been a record I loved since I can remember, it was always a part of me..when I realised that no one has ever reexamined this 'cultural landmark', the thought of a fresh musical exploration started to simmer in my head and I wondered about presenting the project to Madeline. Country songs often seem kind of cheerful on the surface but there is a dark undertone to them' reflects Klein, 'it occurred to me that Madeleine can get to something melancholy in a none literal way.'

After bouncing the songs back and forth, Klein and Peyroux decided to branch out to other songs and 'take the project out from being strictly Ray Charles'

I ask Larry about the art of interpretation, a craft for which Madeleine has a name for with some truly remarkable recordings, including Leonard Cohen's timeless Dance Me to the End of Love.
'Interpretations can be challenging' he replies, 'you don't want to just recreate the original, I want nostalgia in the sub text but want to create something completely new and Madeleine understands that..there are times when it takes some time to get at the magic of interpreting a song but I know it does come, so like a snake charmer you nudge and say something that will direct the singer until it connects'

I congratulate Klein on his part in the young singer's success; Madeleine now has an admirably loyal fan base as well as the often vocal genuine appreciation of her peers, many of whom consider her 'a born classic'. Her new rendition of Changing All Those Changes (The Blue Room) has made it into BBC Radio 2's main playlist and her sold out performance at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival is broadcast live on the popular station.

I tell Klein that his intelligent encouragement of Peyroux's sense of musical exploration is bearing fruit, noting the inspired addition of Vince Mendoza's strings to the new album as an example. Mendoza's hauntingly beautiful arrangements have turned Joni Michelle's Both Sides Now into an iconic classic and Klein has called upon his talent for other projects over the years.
'Vince understands that interpretation is dangerous in some way' says Klein as he reflects on Mendoza's sensitive string arrangement for Cohen's Bird on the wire'. Madeleine's engaging new rendition of the song marks a return to Leonard Cohen poetry for the two, a fascinating link that has its roots in 2004's Dance Me To The End Of Love (Careless Love).

The Blue Room carries Madeleine's trade mark charmingly engaging, soulful spirit. Hearing her rendition of Changing All The Changes played on Jamie Cullum's BBC2 show next to Jazz's all time greats is a testimony to her impressive achievement.
Cullum's praise of her interpretation which came with a warm recommendation to see her live speaks volumes. Thumbs up to the BBC for the live broadcast of Madeleine's Cheltenham festival set and for including the song on the popular station's playlist. Besides showing great musical taste, the BBC is helping spread the word of simply awesome music and for that we should be thankful.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3157058 2013-04-25T15:19:57-04:00 2013-04-26T07:59:32-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
Just a few weeks on and voters' hope is shaping into concrete political action. The religious parties, who successfully set a hard line through successive governments, have lost their place in the governing coalition to a brave, blatantly transparent and secular Yair Lapid. With great conviction and 19 astounding mandates, the popular former broadcaster has formed a powerful alliance with Benjamin Netanyahu to become Israel's new finance minister.

In a swift and clear move, Lapid has just announced a 340 million shekels cut in the religious parties budget forcing yeshivas (study houses) to look elsewhere for future funding. The religious young are also expected to join all 18 year old Israelis and serve in the army, a duty they have so far been freed from on the grounds of their faith.

Most significant in my mind though is outspoken supporters of a peaceful solution with the palestinians entering the ruling coalition. There is genuine desire for negotiations to resume, amid tiredness of the settlements and the conflict they impose. Israelis are not doubting Jews' right to live in this beloved land but resent some settlers' overbearing tactics.
Peace Now has just announced a historic legal victory where the settlers who had illegally inhabited the Palestinian shops in Al-Hisba Market in Hebron (AKA the Ezra House case) are finally leaving the property.

(In 2001, during the second intifada, as part of a general military closure of Hebron, Palestinian shop keepers were not permitted to enter their shops and the settlers moved into them)

In January 2007, Peace Now filed a complaint to the police and Civil Administration and by June that year the settlers received eviction orders. The settlers appealed in the military court, the appeal was rejected but the authorities failed to enforce the orders and the settlers continued to live in the shops. In 2010 Peace Now returned to the Supreme Court demanding the implementation of the eviction order and in December 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the shops should be evicted by the 24th of April 2013 deadline.

It is important to point out that the shops were originally owned by the Jewish Ezra family before 1948. During Jordanian control, the government leased the space to Palestinian shopkeepers for their use under the status of protected tenants. In 1967 when Israeli control began in Hebron, the Israeli army continued the rent to the Palestinian shop keepers who are still considered protected tenants.

According to Peace Now '..the settlers requested the state cancel the protected status of the shop-keepers since they are "anyways" restricted from entering the property. This request however, presented a legal and political predicament for the state. If the state cancelled the protected status, it would insinuate that the military closure is not a temporary measure, but a permanent one.  In addition, had the State accepted the right of the Jewish owners to return to their property in Hebron, it would mean that the Israeli government de-facto accepts the right of return, and would make it very hard to explain why the right of Palestinian owners to their pre-1948 properties inside Israel should be denied..'  

Abd Al-Jawad Al-Awiwi, one of the shop-keepers has said he wants to return to his shop and does acknowledge the fact it was owned by Jews before 1948. 'If they have the right to their property' he adds, 'I should also be allowed to return to the 300 dunams owned by my family near Beit Guvrin inside Israel'.

The court left the decision about whether to stop the rent to Palestinians and allocate the shops to the settlers in the hands of the Israeli government.

This decision marks a victory in the struggle to prevent settlement expansion and sends a clear positive signal to the Palestinians. Here's to Peace Now fighting a calm and dignified battle, here's to a just Israeli legal system doing the right thing, here's to the Palestinian shopkeepers proudly resuming their trade.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3074716 2013-04-15T19:00:00-04:00 2013-06-15T05:12:02-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/ "I think there should be an option for old people like myself to go to Dignitas and put an end to this... " she tells me. Taken aback by my shocked expression she kindly reassures me that "it is not as dramatic as it sounds... I am not terminally ill or anything like that, I am just tired of life... I pray I don't go on to 103".

"What would you say is the main reason for feeling this way?" I ask her.

"There is no enjoyment in life anymore", she replies, "my husband died years ago and I live alone... my friends are gone or on death's door and I am tired of doing nothing... just surviving from day to day."

Joyce tells me how much she resents depending on others "for everything" and becoming a burden to her daughter who needs to do her shopping, take her to the surgery, hospital appointments, collect her medication, lose sleep over her having yet another fall - "it is not fair on her... it depresses me", she says.

I reassure her that despite the undeniable strain, her daughter supports her willingly but Joyce interrupts me to insist that I am missing the point, "it's not her, its me" she says decisively as her intelligent eyes look straight into mine, "I don't want this... honestly Hannah, I don't see the point of living like this... if it were up to me I would end this tomorrow".

George too finds life to be void of any joy or pleasure and resents living "just to survive from one day to the next.. with no enjoyment in life". This charming former head teacher who copes admirably well with the strain of caring for his dementia stricken wife, cannot deny his depression, telling of a downward spiral that started at the age of 73 when he, as well as friends around him started falling ill.

George and Joyce are not alone. Their quietly sad existence is shared by many elderly who feel they are 'sentenced' to a long life. Many now live well into their 90's (babies born today are expected to live to 150!)

We cannot stop science and medicine advancing but we must consider the quality of life in these thirty, forty post retirement years.

We are social beings and interacting with others is crucial to our functioning and mental health. The loss of active family connections and any sense of community, inevitably lead to depression so the question is how do we bring socializing back into these people's lives and can a sense of community actually be established?

As I ponder this I am struck by the clear difference between those elderly who belong to a church and those who do not. Those who have over the years built a relationship with fellow church goers, seem to have a second family of 'brothers and sisters'. They feel part of a community and enjoy a strong sense of belonging.

One of the most heart warming experiences I witnessed was when an 83 year old lady fell ill and missed her regular Sunday church service. Her fellow church members arrived at her house with food and laughter. During the week that followed they did her shopping, visited and kept her company. When it was clear she would not be able to attend church by herself any longer they arranged to collect her from home and take her back so she does not miss her cherished weekly service.

I witnessed this kind of community spirit and support within other churches and I came to wonder what the secular equivalent to this caring community spirit is (any thoughts Richard Dawkins?)

Many of elderly people I talked to have indeed made friends at various clubs and activities but do not regard others as 'brothers and sisters', they certainly do not feel part of a community there.

I am an atheist myself and cannot stress enough that this is not a case of a religious vs secular lifestyle but simply my reflection on an observation made over a long period of time.

I also noticed a significant difference between those living in sheltered accommodation and those living alone. Residents of sheltered accommodation housing form relationships over many weeks, months and years and a sense of community does build up.

Some of the sheltered accommodation set ups I visited actively nurture daily get togethers where conversation, games and fun interaction take place. I have seen the faces of residents light up as the grand children of a fellow resident entered the gathering hall and lifted everyone's spirit. One resident, on her way to residents' coffee morning, aided by her walking frame has told me that if she didn't make the effort the "others will be calling to see where I am".

Sheltered accommodation is costly but within these housing set ups, it is just the one (paid) individual who overlooks the daily get togethers, which in turn make the difference between isolation and a true sense of belonging. I wonder if through AgeUK and other relevant bodies, we can promote affordable 'joint living' housing for post retirement years and perhaps arrange for volunteers to organize daily/weekly get togethers. This will not resolve all old age issues but will tackle isolation induced depression head on. Anti-depressants may ease some of the symptoms but are not the solution.

I strongly feel that the elderly's understandable, often stubborn refusal to leave their family home works against them. What good is the comfort of your loved home when you are simmering in boredom and bitter solitude? I have talked to several 'former refusers' who lived to tell me that the move to a more social housing has improved their lives no end. "I actually talk to people now", one 76 year old tells me, "when I lived alone there were times when I wouldnt talk to another human being for days".

We need to urgently rethink post retirement. By not taking action we are allowing thoroughly unhappy, depressed individuals live life with a wounded spirit; many of the people I talked to chose the word 'worthless' to describe how they feel.

We owe our elders a sense of belonging. If we choose not to act, we should not be surprised when many see no point in living and express a wish to end a joyless existence.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2985937 2013-03-30T18:27:04-04:00 2013-05-30T05:12:01-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
"Not understanding the way Autistic people interpret things is a cause of learning problems and can lead to some awkward situations", explains mother of high functioning Autistic student Michael Barton, "the important thing is to be very clear and see the humour in these situations".  

"Idioms and every day expressions were beyond Michael's comprehension as a child", she explains, he got in the habit of drawing his own interpretation of these and adding a brief explanation of "what the idiom really means". The funny drawings put a smile of people's faces and the book Its Raining Cats And Dogs - An Autism Spectrum Guide to the Confusing World of Idioms, Metaphors and Everyday Expressions was born. 

Now studying physics at the University of Surrey, Michael takes time to share his life experiences as a high functioning Autistic with others. On 2 April, marking the sixth World Autism Awareness Day, the young student will be speaking at a special event in Cambridge Waterstones. He will be introduced to the audience by renowned academic Simon Baron Cohen, one of the world's leading figures in the field of Autism.

Professor of Developmental Psychopathology in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Cambridge, Baron Cohen is the author of The Essential Difference: Men, Women and the Extreme Male Brain, Zero Degrees of Empathy and Prenatal Testosterone in Mind among many other noted publications and the free Waterstones event presents a not to be missed glimpse into this intellectual's brilliant mind.

Michael, currently on his work placement year at the Brunel Innovation Centre in Cambridge will take the opportunity to speak of how he has over the years used his strengths to overcome challenges posed by his condition. He will also present his book It's Raining Cats and Dogs where his childlike illustrations provide a hilariously funny insight into literal thinking and the Autistic mind. 

I meet Michael for a chat about the book and what life with high functioning Autism is really like.

Q How did the book Its Raining Cats and Dogs come about?

A I started drawing pictures like the ones you see in my book from the age of seven so that I could understand and remember what idioms meant. I was first told the idiom, then I drew a picture of it, then I wrote the explanation below. When I was older I started writing an article for the Bromley Autistic Trust newsletter. This proved very popular and many people suggested that I put all of the pictures together in a book

 Q How do you find university life ?

A I'm at the University of Surrey studying Physics. As I'm taking part in a 'sandwich' course I'm currently working for the Brunel Innovation Centre (BIC) in Cambridge for a year. I'm doing what I'm good at (computer programming and analyzing data sets) and I'm making new friends up here.

Q  Looking back at your school days, how would you describe the school experience? Did you feel like an outsider?

A My school days weren't easy. I did really well when it came to Maths and Science lessons, however I really struggled with English and also found it hard to make friends. However as I got older my social skills improved and I made more friends. I wouldn't say that I felt like an outsider because I was quite happy to only have a couple of friends.

Q How do uninformed teachers cope with a literal thinker such as yourself?

Teachers may have found it more difficult due to my literal thinking. For example if they asked me to 'pull my socks up', I would have literally done just that, without meaning to be cheeky or insolent. However if the teacher wasn't aware that I was merely obeying instructions they would have told me off instead of re-phrasing their original statement.

Q How does literal thinking manifest itself in every day life? your mum mentioned a funny incident on the tube?

A I was about to go on an escalator when I spotted a sign saying that dogs must be carried up the escalator. I was worried as I did not have a dog to carry. There was also a time when while standing on a platform waiting for a train, an announcement instructed passengers to stay behind the yellow line. I just coudn't figure out how I am meant to get on the train with the yellow line still there.

Tuesday 2nd April 6pm. Waterstones, 22 Sidney Street, Cambridge. 01223 351688.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2983364 2013-03-30T04:58:47-04:00 2013-05-29T05:12:01-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
The latest figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) point to one in 88 children in the U.S having an Autism spectrum disorder, marking a clear increase from 2006 when the rate was one in 110. Is this condition spreading or are we simply getting better at diagnosing it? 

As the autistic community marks the sixth annual World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April, I speak with the UK's National Autistic Society about their tireless campaign for the rights of those affected, current research and some Rainman-inspired myths in need of urgent dispelling.  

Founded in 1962 by a group of parents frustrated at the lack of understanding and help available for them and their autistic children, the NAS now has over 19,000 members and over 100 branches supporting 100,000 people each year.

Q In the aftermath of the Connecticut school shooting, it was suggested by some that the autistic killer's tragic actions were linked to his much reported inability to connect with others.

A Suggesting that people with autism are predisposed to committing violent crimes is unjustly serving to fuel discrimination and anger against people with the condition. It is important to highlight that the vast majority of individuals with the condition are law abiding. Indeed, in many cases, individuals with autism are unusually concerned to keep to the letter of the law, due to the nature of the disability.

People with autism may also be more vulnerable to criminal acts against them because of their social difficulties. In fact, one third of adults with autism who responded to a recent NAS survey said they have been a victim of crime previously. 

Q It is a common misconception that people with autism are incapable of feeling emotions of love and do not even connect with their parents on an emotional level, is there any truth in it? 

A This is simply not true... people with autism generally face difficulty in social communication, social interaction and social imagination (the triad of impairments)... they often have difficulty recognizing or understanding other people's emotions and expressing their own, which can make it more difficult for them to fit in socially and form friendships. It has incorrectly been perceived as them not caring... those with the condition can and do care deeply about others

Q Like so many others I am curious to learn about the much reported rise in the number of autisic/Asperger syndrome children and the reasons for it.

A A recent study conducted by the NHS and the University of Leicester showed that the prevalence of autism is roughly the same for adults as it is for children, at around 1% of the population. This shows that autism has been with us for a long time, and that a large group of adults have been consistently overlooked by services and society... some people have lived with autism for their entire life without ever getting a formal diagnosis. Often this is simply because autism wasn't widely known or understood when they were growing up

Q Early diagnosis seems to be crucial in helping children with the condition, how important is this to the children and their families? 

A getting a diagnosis is a critical milestone for people with autism and their families, providing an explanation for years of feeling 'different' or helping a parent to understand their child better. Diagnosis can also offer a gateway to identifying appropriate support and without it people may find it difficult to access the help they need.

An early diagnosis for autism can mean that the right support is put in place to meet a child's needs from an early age and help parents understand what their child needs. Services like the NAS' Early Bird programme help parents learn about the condition, find ways they can develop their child's interaction and communication as well as how to understand their behaviors and how to use structure, so they can pre-empt and cope with problem behaviors. With the right support from an early age, children with autism can reach their full potential.

Q There is very little understanding of the wide spectrum of the condition; not all autistic people behave like Rainman.
 
Some people with autism are able to live relatively independent lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of specialist support. Some people have low-functioning autism while others are high-functioning and others are diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. 

Asperger syndrome is part of the spectrum. Like people with high or low functioning autism, those with Asperger syndrome experience difficulty in social communication, interaction and imagination... they are likely to be of average or above average intelligence, much like those with high-functioning autism. The main difference between high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome is thought to be in language development: people with Asperger syndrome, typically, will not have had delayed language development when younger.

Q How does your work touch the lives of those affected by the condition?

We are the UK's leading charity for people affected by autism (including Asperger syndrome)... over 500,000 people in the UK have autism and If you include their families, autism touches the lives of over two million people every day. Despite this, autism is still relatively unknown and misunderstood, meaning many people do not receive the level of help, support and understanding they need. The NAS is working to improve understanding of autism to ensure everyone living with the condition gets the support they need. 

The NAS has seven autism specific schools which support over 500 children and young people across the UK between the ages of four and 25. The charity also provides 24 hour residential care to meet individual support needs as well as day, outreach and supported living services to give others the confidence and skills to live successfully in their own homes and enjoy activities that others take for granted.  

The NAS also provides a wide range of information and advice for families, carers, relatives and professionals working in the autism field including: an online community forum, an online directory of autism services across the UK (Autism Services Directory), a telephone support service for parents (Parent to Parent) and the Autism Helpline. We also have specialist services to support families and individuals to access their rights and entitlements across education, welfare rights and community care.

Q What myths surrounding autism would you most like to dispel?

One of the most misleading myths about autism is that it is caused by poor parenting or parenting behavior, a misconception that can be very distressing for parents who dedicate their lives, sacrificing everything to support their loved ones.

Another common myth is that people with autism don't have the skills to hold down a job and don't want to work. People with autism want to work and with the right support and understanding can make excellent employees, often demonstrating above average levels of concentration, reliability and accuracy. However, they are often disadvantaged when it comes to getting and keeping a job because of difficulties with social skills and a lack of understanding about the condition among the public. As a result, only 15% of people with the condition are currently in employment. 

This links with another common assumption, that all people with autism have a special ability or talent, a misconception propagated by the film Rainman. Current thinking holds that at most one or to in 200 individuals with autism might have an extraordinary talent - these people are known as autistic savants. 

A final and very unhelpful misconception surrounding autism is that it's a condition that only affects children. In fact, it is a lifelong developmental condition: children with Aatism become adults with autism. 

Q. If you were to meet the prime minister tomorrow, what would your message to him be? 
We would encourage him to make his fellow politicians more aware of autism and the challenges faced by people with the condition... In particular, it is vital that MPs continue the momentum started by the Autism Act 2009, a milestone for people with autism in England, and ensure the promises they made in passing the Act are fulfilled. 

Q. Are children diagnosed today with these conditions likely to be better prepared for adult life than children diagnosed fifty years ago?

When the NAS was formed 51 years ago, there was little understanding and help available for people with autism and their families. Although people with autism still face enormous challenges and many misconceptions about the condition persist, there have been real and significant changes in the lives of people with autism and their families over the past 50 years. The NAS is proud of the difference that we and the wider autism community have made to the lives of people affected by the condition... We continue to work for the rights of people with autism and are currently looking into the specific needs of older people with the condition, a sector that has often been ignored in the past.

People with autism still face significant and diverse barriers... many struggle with isolation... The pressures on many families are immense and all too often the huge potential of people with autism goes to waste... and yet, the developments over the past 50 years give us much hope for the future.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2817822 2013-03-10T19:00:00-04:00 2013-05-10T05:12:01-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
For over forty years, the singer songwriter has fused a burning urge for originality with a once in a lifetime writing mastery, creating songs that take you on a spellbinding journey.

Poetic insights into personal feelings, observations and muse; glimpses that are somehow both intimate and openly inviting at the same time. 

From Both Sides Now to Big Yellow Taxi, River to Coyote, Blue to Sex Kills, lyrical impressions which longtime Mitchell producer and ex-husband Larry Klein calls "mysterious and charged amulets that never lose their power".

"As a songwriter and poet", Klein explains, "Joni works at a level that very few writers have accessed... her songs were the soundtrack to a big part of my life".

Reflecting on Joni's 1982 Chinese Cafe Klein notes that "some art stays with you for your whole life, every time you see the movie, look at the painting, or hear the song, it has the same evocative power that it did the first time that you were introduced to it. Chinese Cafe/ Unchained Melody has it too".

As Gathered Light, a collection of Joni Mitchell's poetry is about to hit the book shelves, I speak with writers Lisa and John Sornberger about their long time kinship with the songwriter's work and compiling the Joni endorsed collection. 

This is an unusual poetry book where besides the striking Joni lyrics are insights from fifty six contributors talking about the Mitchell songs that have affected them. These include David Geffen on Free Man in Paris, Sharon Bell Veer of Song For Sharon, Trina Robbins (one of the Ladies of the Canyon), Kim Addonizio, Cornelius Eady, Bessy Reyna, Patricia Smith, Susan Deer Cloud, Wally Lamb, Sean Murphy, Paul Lisicky, Fred Wah and Larry Klein among others. 

"Each contributor was asked to writes about his/her favorite poem," says Lisa, "but only if it had been selected by no more than one other contributor. An exception was made for Cherokee Louise which was reflected upon by three different writers with very different perspectives".

Q What was Joni's reaction to the idea of a compilation?
 
A It clicked with her right from the get go, the idea of our project was refreshing to her because it is about her work as a poet, not about her personal life and she liked our list of contributors too. Some of her dear friends felt it too, that this was a worthy project and shared their feelings about it with her. 
 
Q Tell us about the poems selected for the book?
 
A These are poems from different periods of Joni's work, from Song To A Seagull through Shine. Some of the pieces that were written about are Free Man In Paris by David Geffen, Song For Sharon by Joni's childhood friend Sharon Bell Veer, Ladies of the Canyon by Trina Robbins, The Last Time I Saw Richard by Kim Addonizio, The Magdalene Laundries by Wally Lamb and also by Brooke Axtell and God Must Be A Boogie Man by Fred Wah, Poet Laureate of Canada.

Q Larry Klein has told me that Chinese Cafe, his selected Joni song for the book, "has always been in my blood, ever since she wrote it on a trip that she took to Saskatoon".

A Larry wrote a beautiful piece for the book. This song was also chosen by writer Jill McAllister. We love the instances where two writers chose the same song. That juxtaposition of voices and viewpoints.

Q The honesty beaming through these lyrics is captivating.
 
A Authentic, and poignant, whether she's writing from a persona or personal experience. She tells it true and is a master of her craft, that's why it resonates with so many of us.

Q How did the format of the book shape up? 

A The idea arrived that way, format and all. I (Lisa) bounced it off writer friends most of whom are fellow members of a writers group called Thread City Poets - Willa Correnti, Kathleen McElroy and Patricia Wilson, my husband John, Edmond Chibeau and Elena Schreiber, Joni's friends Sharon Bell Veer, Betsy Asher, Pam Runkle and Sue 'Sioux' Wurzel have helped at various stages..Les Irvin who manages Joni's website has been great as were our publishers at sumach Press (an imprint of Three O'Clock Press) who had the vision to recognize a gem in the making and dared take it on..truthfully, there may need to be a second volume, because there are people we would've invited had we known their connection to Joni and of their wish to be included. There are some very prominent poets who wanted to participate too...

Q What would you say is the most expressed sentiment towards Joni's work by contributors to the book?
 
A You will read this over and over in the contributions how Joni has enriched people's lives and art and gave voice to their feelings.

This is true as well for non contributors and people who don't define themselves as artists. Joni's genuine voice helped us each find our own. Her clarity, intelligence and emotion, combined with exquisite craft meter, rhythm, rhyme, metaphor, sound and meaning, word pictures, her creativity sparks creativity, we are not talking about copycatting but about the way a spark can set a wildfire!

Gathered Light The Poetry of Joni Mitchell's Songs published by Three O'Clock Press. Available from Amazon]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2597446 2013-02-01T07:31:11-05:00 2013-04-03T05:12:01-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
I listen attentively to her breaking voice as she recalls last night's distressing events when just before 11pm, while in her bathroom, Jessie lost her balance and fell down. 

'My legs were too weak to move and I just couldn't pull myself up' she says.

'Cold and utterly miserable' she called out for help but none of the neighbors could hear her faint cries. 

'I was on the floor for six and a half hours..' she tells me with great sadness, 'I couldn't reach the emergency cord or a towel to cover myself with..it was just awful..lucky the carer came in the morning..'

Jessie lives alone and often forgets to wear her emergency necklace. I wonder what can be done to increase her overall safety and ensure she gets immediate assistance should she fall again. I turn to O2 Health's Jake Griffiths for insight into how different types of assistive care, such as mobile technology could help people with long term conditions.

'Unfortunately' says Griffiths, 'there are many other people in the UK who owing to long-term health conditions and old age, lose their independence.. currently there are around 15 million people over 60 in the UK with one or more long-term conditions which is set to increase by 23% over the next 25 years'.
 
'While it is clear that the elderly rightly need and deserve one-to-one personal care' he explains, 'mobile care support can allow people to have more independence and freedom in their day-to-day lives.. fall down detectors and support buttons which can link to 24 hour support centers are a good example..they can ensure peace of mind for the people that use them whilst putting their families and carers at ease.'
 
'Loss of independence is tough' I remark, 'many find constantly depending on others for support very hard, at times impossible to adjust to..' 

'These new technologies can help' replies Griffiths, 'they can make people feel more confident to carry out simple daily tasks independently, giving them reassurance that someone is on hand to help at the touch of a button should anything go wrong..those able to step out of their home, would benefit from mobile care with location services which mean individuals can contact a support centre at any time. Importantly, with GPS technology vulnerable individuals can be easily located..'. There is even a possibility for families to define safe zones so if the individual moves out of this zone, the receiving centre is alerted and staff can take the appropriate action.

Technology is a liberator. We need to encourage older people to open up to new technology for their immediate physical safety but also to improve their wellbeing. A fall down detector would have spared Jessie an agonizing night on her bathroom floor, with location services families can encourage elderly relatives to step outside the home safe in the knowledge they can be traced if they get disoriented and lose their way.

Countess immobile elderly people miss going to church, shops, the supermarket and the library. Eighty six year old Margaret tells me how her deteriorating eye sight meant she had to give up driving and 'my freedom' several years ago, 'I still haven't come to terms with it' she adds. 

'I cannot bring the church to you' I tell her 'but you do realize you can order your food online and they will deliver to your door..' She looks unconvinced and I use my iPhone for a quick demonstration of how she can access the library web site to renew her books and make enquires. I run a brief video chat with a friend of mine and see Margaret's eyes light up, 'can you do this with Australia?' she asks..the possibility of video chatting with her darling granddaughter abroad fills her with excitement. 

I think of Molly whose story of acute social isolation I told here (Long life is not a blessing) and I imagine the Internet's positive impact on her sad existence. It is not human company but the Internet can significantly lighten the heavy burden of boredom and helplessness; with considerable text size adjustment to compensate for her poor eye sight (and plenty of guidance) she could go on Wikipedia to quench her thirst for general knowledge, she could chat with fellow cat lovers, good food appreciators and wine connoisseurs. Instead of waiting for others to gather leaflets about a new TV seat she has been wanting, she could search Google for mobility shops in her area and email them questions relating to her specific needs..indeed the possibilities are endless.

Jake Griffith's insight demonstrates technology's power to improve and transform lives. We must encourage carers to be aware of new offerings and hope the NHS recognizes its long term benefits. It is the difference between a 93 year old spending six and a half hours on a cold bathroom floor and getting instant support, it is the difference between relatives constantly worrying over a confused loved one getting lost and them knowing he/she can always be traced, it gives isolated and depressed individuals the freedom to ditch those vitamin D tablets and let daylight provide the daily dose as they step outside with confidence; to these individuals popping to the local shop and chatting with others marks the difference between a dull existence and life worth living.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.2522687 2013-01-21T18:50:14-05:00 2013-03-23T05:12:01-04:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
A visit to Pakistan as a teenager, brought the young man face to face with the 'glorification of radical terror groups' and he drifted towards radical Islamism. By the time he reached British university, 'a hub of anti-Israel activity... where my anti-Israel activism was given oxygen and thrived', Hafeez was already deeply committed to the 'Israel and the Jews are evil' idea'.

'I'll admit it', he says ashamedly, 'I was anti-semitic, but no one wants to admit that, so you use the term Anti-Zionist as it is somehow acceptable'.

Hafeez admits adopting the anti Israeli propaganda without question.'I have never, even as a university student, actually had a conversation with a Jewish or Israeli person' he explains, 'still, I was out there handing out leaflets calling Israel a Nazi state, calling Israelis racists, even attending central London rallies supporting terror groups such as Hizbollah..the narrative in my mind was clear; there was once an Arab Muslim Palestine, the Jews flooded in from Europe, stole the land and displaced the Arabs..'  

That conviction deepened over time until one day, Hafeez came across the book by renowned Harvard scholar Alan Dershowitz, The Case for Israel.

'This was the first time I'd read anything positive about Israel and it caused considerable doubt within me' explains Hafeez. 'Some of the arguments Dershowitz put across were completely contradictory to what I believed and as I sought to disprove them, historical fact seemed to shatter many of my beliefs..I continued researching, looking at pro and anti Israel arguments, eventually deciding that I needed closure on this..it was having an impact on my life and a distance emerged between me and my friends..I was now hesitant to condemn Israel so quickly and they didn't approve of me reading 'Zionist propaganda'..

Realizing that 'a belief I was ready to die for', was based on lies was shattering and proved too difficult to deal with. The understandably shaken young man decided that 'the only way I'll know the truth is to go to Israel and see it for myself'.

The illuminating visit to Israel has transformed Hafeez's life. 'The idea of an apartheid state was dispelled within half an hour of arriving in Jerusalem' he says, '..I saw Arabs, Jews and Blacks going about their everyday business in malls, coffee shops and all over..calling Israel an apartheid state is nonsense and is actually offensive to those who suffered under apartheid in South Africa..I spoke to Israeli Arabs who loved being Israeli and were proud they had family in the IDF! We are constantly 'fed' that Israel is this anti-Muslim nation, yet many Israeli Muslims serve in the IDF and are part of every facet of Israeli society..Israeli Arabs are in fact the best educated, freest and most prosperous Arab population in the Middle East.. '

The thoroughly democratic nature of Israeli society has amazed Hafeez who 'even met some Jews who are hostile to Israel and actually make excuses for Hamas..it is interesting and confusing at times..'

'Such a life transforming realization can't be easy to digest..' I say and Hafeez agrees, going on to describe dealing with a wide range of emotions. 'First you fight against fact..its not easy to admit I was wrong and what I've dedicated my life to fighting for..and was ready to die for, was a pack of lies..you feel lied to and deceived..these lies make you hate Israel, hate Jews..and hatred is not healthy'.

The enlightened Hafeez who once described British media as 'inherently anti semitic' is 'free of that hatred'. Instead of 'propagating for a one state idea that sees the end of the Israeli state', he now sincerely wants Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace. 'Hatred free life is a lot happier' he says, 'even with the threats I receive..I really do feel sorry those who send me hate mail or stare at me full of hatred when I speak..'

I mention Born On The 4th of July hero Ron Kovik whose greatest post Vietnam lesson was to question everything he was told and I ask Hafeez what his biggest lesson would be.

'I've learnt a few life lessons' he replies, 'I think it is vital to question what you are told.. look at this scenario for many people like myself, we're told something that isn't true and it makes us hate..that's the problem, there are so many misconceptions about Israel, so many lies and we don't question them, the BBC said it, so it must be true right?']]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2276292 2012-12-11T08:00:22-05:00 2013-02-10T05:12:02-05:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
Being this gentle woman's carer for nearly a year, I have come to love her dearly. I like her sharp mind and endearing old school English humility. 

I arrived just after 7 this morning and a heavy stench hit me as I entered her flat. Winnie had diarrhea and has spent two futile hours trying to clean herself up.  
'I'm afraid I had diarrhea' she tells me ashamedly, like a potty training child who just had an accident.  'Don't worry', I say as I comfort her.. 'we'll soon clean you up'.

I open up a few windows to air the place, I quickly let my next client know I am running late, fetch her walking frame and slowly lead her to the bathroom. She cannot step into the bath and considering the two hours that have passed since her accident, I can tell  today's strip wash is not going to be easy.

With cotton wool and running warm water, I gently clean her near skeletal body. The frail woman's pride is bruised and all throughout the long washing process she apologizes for 'the mess she's made'

'This is what I'm here for' I tell her, searching for ways to take her mind off the distressing situation. Stories of my little boy announcing this morning that he has cancelled Christmas put a faint smile on her face and I get specially nice clothes from the wardrobe for her. I scrub the carpet but phone the building warden to say an industrial clean might be needed.

I change her bed sheets and rush to get her breakfast ready. I tidy up, leave snacks out by her tv chair, a glass of water and a reminder to drink water and take her morning medicine.

As I leave she tells me she had a milder diarrhea episode over the weekend and that 'the foreign weekend carer couldn't understand her'.

Nearly half an hour late for my next client and with a heavy heart I leave Winnie by her breakfast table, walking frame nearby. My promise to pop in on the way back from school with my little ones cheers her up no end. Winnie never had children and whenever she plays with mine I can't help thinking what a smashing mum she would have made.

I enter Erik's flat and a friendly 'good morning' greets me as I open the door. The homebound 88 year old is awake, sitting in bed. 

'Good morning Erik' I say with a smile, 'have you been up long?'
'I woke up 6am and couldn't go back to sleep' he tells me, politely asking me to put the kettle on.

As he drinks his tea I start getting him dressed. The worst part is the painstaking task of putting the tight surgical stockings on his swollen feet. 'Two logs' he calls his legs, half jokingly as he can hardly feel them and moves around in his wheel chair. 

I help him wash and as with all my elderly clients, engage in light conversation, keeping a cheerful tone throughout. 

I prepare his 'double helping' of porridge and while he eats, I tidy up and clean the flat. By the time I get him dressed, cook his breakfast, sort out his laundry, see to his morning medicine, fill his recycling bins and leave them out ready for the weekly refuse collection my time is up. 
I help him to the toilet before I go and leave him sitting comfortably on his tv chair as I rush to Enid's house.

The 92-year-old can just about walk using a walking frame but due to poor eyesight, needs help with even the simplest of tasks. She enjoys her daily strip wash and as I gently dry her up she asks me to rub her back. 'Ooohh that feels nice' she says with pleasure. As she cannot use the sink, I place a towel and a big plastic bowl over her lap. I hand her a tooth brush and stand by with a glass of water. She brushes her very few teeth and rinses her mouth, spitting into the bowl. I get her dressed, genuinely complementing her exquisite fashion sense and insist she walk with her frame to the sitting room however long it takes. 'I know its not easy but this light exercise is good for you' I say encouragingly as she staggers to her chair.

While she eats her breakfast I clean up the bathroom, dispose of a bag full of dirty sanitary pads and take her domestic rubbish out. I leave a few snacks for her by the TV chair where she spends her day. 

Enid resents her enforced solitude and always 'finds things' for you to do as you leave. I was rightly told by the agency to keep a closer eye on the clock as I tend to leave late but I must admit that the sight of her solitary, painfully thin self sat by the breakfast table, breaks my heart. 

My next visit is to Paul who suffers from dizzy spells and needs help taking a shower. He holds on to the safety rail as I wash him. By the time we get him dressed my half hour is gone. He asks me to check his hearing aid and I end up changing the batteries.
 
This is a short day and my last visit is to a lady I don't often see. Her tiny body reminds me of the 'shrinking mother character' in Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. I get her lunch ready and start cleaning up when I notice that her bed is wet, her pad must have slipped during the night. It takes me forever to find out where her clean sheets are. I give the dirty sheets a thorough rinse and leave a note for the lunchtime carer to say there is a load waiting to go in the washing machine.

I collect little ones from school and we stop by Winnie's house on the way, as promised. Her face lights up when she sees the children. My boy bakes her imaginary cakes and draws a picture of 'Winnie when she was a little girl'..she loves it.

Like nurses, carers' work is physically and emotionally demanding. Days are full of trying situations and it is easy to fall behind. Genuine compassion is a wonderful quality for a nurse or carer but is a bonus, not the reason for performing your duties well. A less compassionate carer might not check on a patient out of hours or stay overtime without expecting extra pay but with clear guidelines and ongoing supervision, he/she will leave a client clean, fed and reassured.
What nurses/carers need are clear guidelines and constructive supervision. My job is clearly defined by specific tasks which must be completed before I leave a patient and yes, respecting the client's dignity is one of them. 

A nurse not checking on a patient for hours on end is not doing her/his job properly, not offering patient's worried relatives a cup of tea, hours after they arrive in the hospital is bad manners and a carer who cannot speak English should consider a different line of work.
Encouraging compassion is a positive step but it employers need to make sure workers are doing what they are paid to do and that they, as well as people higher up are held accountable for their actions. 

(All names have been changed)]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2234667 2012-12-03T19:18:39-05:00 2013-02-02T05:12:01-05:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
Besides securing the company's unwavering position as the clear market leader, the meticulous attention to detail and advanced technology, have actually helped narrow the gap between digital creativity and the traditional domain.

We ask Wacom's President and CEO, Martin Boit to shed light on the company's undiminishing quest for excellence and the key to its strong hold over the pen/graphics tablet market.

Q To what do you/Wacom attribute the company's ongoing prominence in the market?

A We feel that our drive to innovate and develop has led us to be the market leader and the global pioneer in pen technology. The pen input is Wacom's heritage and we develop our products with our talented team as well as with help from our customers.

Our market research and close customer relationships are vital in helping us develop our new products as well as conquer new business segments. Wacom will continue looking for opportunities to develop any type of product, which could make computers or digital devices more intuitive and natural. Besides focusing on our core markets and being the industry leader in graphics tablets and interactive pen displays, we have also successfully positioned the Bamboo Stylus range as the input device for all touchscreens recently.

Q With faster, more powerful computers, greater processing power and the latest technology seen in the Cintiq 24HD touch, are artists getting closer to recreating the none digital creative process?

A We have invested heavily in replicating traditional design methods digitally as this is what our customers want. Wacom has developed products and software that work directly on screen, in the same way as paper. Through innovation the pens now feel as natural and intuitive as the real thing, providing precision for the user. The touch also provides intuitive navigation including zoom, scroll and switch.

Q Does Wacom still hold a close relationship with software providers such as Adobe and Corel (Painter)?

A Wacom has a very close relationship with a lot of software providers such as Adobe, Corel, Autodesk and Daussault to name just a few. The partnership has been built up over the years and we work really closely together. In order to provide the best solutions for users it is imperative that the professional software and hardware mutually enrich each other. This relationship works both ways, we develop to suit the software and vice versa. For example the Artist Airbrushes in Photoshop CS were developed for Wacom tablets, recognising the characteristics such as rotation or tilt of the tools such as the Airbrush pen. It is of course crucial that the high end Wacom products benefit from all functions included in professional software.

Q Bamboo Manga is very interesting. As is the case with Painter, you have combined your hardware with dedicated software. It is still very new on the market but from what you have seen so far, how was this received?

A We have just launched the special edition Bamboo Manga, however the initial reaction has been very positive, both from the channel and users. Manga has already become an inspiring and generally accepted art form. Drawing Manga is now more and more popular amongst professionals and young people that are fascinated by Japanese pop culture. We've identified the Manga market as a very creative field with an enthusiastic community, perfect for Wacom to get involved with. We already participate in several Manga conventions, we also hosted a very successful Manga Facebook Challenge that we had an overwhelming response to. We knew that there would be a good market for a special edition tablet and we definitely can expect the new tablet to be a huge success.

Q Wacom tablets are used to create the cream of design, movies, image retouching and music videos.. where can people see a showcases of work produced using Wacom tablets?

A Many people have expressed interest in seeing more examples of what you can do with our products. The current Pioneers of Now campaign (www.wacom.eu/pioneersofnow), showing the work of five outstanding artists designed with the Cintiq, is just a first step. But we are already intensively working on a concept where these fantastic artworks made with the help of Wacom tools can be presented.

Q Can you tell us more about Multi Touch as in the the Cintiq 24HD touch?

A We first used Multi Touch functionality in our second generation of Bamboo pen tablet, offering intuitive navigation. Following the success of this we adopted it to other products such as the new Intuos5 range and Cintiq24 HD Touch.

Multi Touch is becoming more and more important, due to current interfaces such as IOS and Android devices as well as Windows 8 on the desktop. Additionally more and more professional software such as Sketchbook Pro 6 or Painter 12.2 support Multi Touch (videos can be found here: http://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?pid=7017&spid=1&lang=en)

So it comes without saying that we as the market leader in the graphic field include Multi Touch functionality as well. By combining touch and pen input we deliver the best solution possible to our users.

Q A graphics tablet remains an object of desire for many. Are we likely to see more affordable professional tablet?(particularly Cintiq technology) in future?

A Wacom stands for high quality products and innovations and this is the direction we will continue in. Users can expect to see a lot of new and innovating products in the near future, entering new markets. A key market for Wacom in 2013 will be the high-end professional sector as well as the consumer sector where we look to make products that have a wider appeal. Especially in the consumer sector you can expect some interesting new offerings.

Q What is your personal opinion of the vast changes affecting the industry at the moment? from trade magazines shutting down to none pros competing with professionals for work..

A We don't view these changes negatively as consumers now digest news digitally so it makes sense for content to move online.

On the one hand, it means that our target group is growing rapidly as more people are interested in digital arts and imaging. However, we think of them more as enthusiasts than none pros, as although they don't do it for a living, they still deliver work to a very professional standard and are of course asking for tools to support them. That also means that we need to develop products to fit the needs of non-professionals even better..on the other hand this also affects our channel and communication strategy, the online world becomes more and more important to us, hence we increase and refocus our presence and visibility there.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2177159 2012-11-23T09:10:19-05:00 2013-01-23T05:12:01-05:00

Hannah Gal http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-gal/
I meet an exceptionally dedicated man whose remarkable achievements are a loud and clear testimony to the individual's power to make a change in the world.

Ofir Drori is a revolutionary whose criticism of 'traditional' conservation's failure has brought to light the grim reality of foreign aid wasted. A man who dared tell the well meaning western world that corrupt African officers are benefitting from foreign aid and not the innocent, desperate animals.

Originally moved by Jane Goodall's ominous warning of gorillas and chimps disappearing in less than 20 years unless bushmeat trade stops, Drori found himself in Cameroon. It took very little time for the cruel reality to hit him. While recognising 'how human like chimps and gorillas are', Drori painfully witnessed 'meat sold openly, the authorities collecting bribes and taking part in the trade..shockingly, for a decade there was not a single prosecution of a wildlife criminal in almost all Central and West Africa..searching for the light at the end of the tunnel, I found a far bigger problem - a conservation world of waste and ineffectiveness focused on workshops and per-diems rather than hitting the major obstacle to the application of law, as well as all other conservation work - corruption'

Drori movingly tells how 'In a remote small town with extensive ape trade, I was led to an infant survivor of the bushmeat trade - a baby chimp, tied up abused and sick, in a dirty room. His eyes were like those of human babies..when the local authorities refused to act, I bluffed the poachers into handing over the captive chimp. I untied him from his ropes and hugged him. In seconds he was transformed to a baby and he clung to my chest like it was an island of safety..'

'Why don't we get this kind of action from big conservation charities?' I ask, 'is the environmental movement failing?'

'I think that the environmental movement has brought a lot of the current crisis on itself' he replies. 'Conservation, in striving to become more of a profession, lost its moral basis. From a movement based on values we were reduced into a utilitarian argument..we were taught to love nature for its intrinsic value, it was connected to loving the country.. no a days environmental education is reduced to a utilitarian value of what is to be preserved - an equation of how eradicating all frogs will lead to mosquito bites of the individual, how a polluted river will end up in a water glass of the individual..'

After congratulating Drori on his much deserved Duke of Edinburgh conservation medal, I am curious to know what his message to leaders David Cameron or president Obama would be.

'It will be about corruption in Africa..how foreign aid has done so little for the African people due to corruption..how most of what we try to solve in Africa ends up to have corruption as its root cause..I will tell them that governments around the world do not need to give more money for conservation or for development but make their aid more effective and protect it from corruption..'

'Your work is a testimony to the power of the individual' I tell Drori, 'what can individuals moved by your actions do to help?'

I am not surprised when this humble man does not ask for donations. 'Raise awareness and ask NGOs for more' he says passionately. 'Ask them what they have done to get wildlife traffickers jailed..hold your governments to account.. while it will be very hard to find a European that is FOR ivory trade, European governments still vote against elephants and FOR ivory trade to continue in UN conventions. it only happens because citizens are not involved and allow their representatives to go astray..the number of wildlife traffickers jailed in the whole of europe in the past decade can be counted on one hand, it is outrageous that Europe is the weakest enforcer of wildlife law worldwide and having the weakest legislation..if citizens ask their MPs about this, Europe will be forced to enact an appropriate legislation and maybe even get a trafficker or to in prison for a change..'

Considering Drori's reluctance to ask supporters for money, I wonder where his funding comes from.

'In the beginning' he explains, 'I got into big debts starting LAGA and getting the first ever wildlife conviction for almost all of central and west africa.. from that time things have slowly improved.. our donors include - US Government Fish&Wildlife Service, The Born Free Foundation, The Arcus Foundation, ProWildlife, and many more smaller donors.. last year we rejected more donations than we accepted. We reject donations from an industry connected to the nature of the problem we try to solve as we believe conservation NGOs taking such money are in conflict of interests, we reject a donation where the donor takes a "commission" on our grant and does not report this "overcharge".. there are many ill practices in the donors world and we have constantly rejected funds on ethical grounds. last year we refused 75,000 USD from zoos that refused to disclose information about their donation to the public..
'we are very critical of the big conservation organizations for a reason..we accused them of being gloated and ineffective and sometimes even corrupt..we keep on pushing them to change - clean themselves from corruption and start working with measurable standards of success or failure..charities are not transparent and accountable enough..'

I wonder what his actions would be if he were to become the head of WWF

Drori's reply is swift and typically direct. 'I would shift anti-poaching efforts to a strategy hitting big traffickers and ensuring convictions, I would inject activism into conservation, become transparent and introduce measures to reduce corruption within my institution and put efforts into fighting corruption to make conservation work..'

After reading the words of Richard Dawkins about man's self assumed superiority over the animal world and after speaking with zoologist Desmond Morris, animal rights activists Gary Yourofsky and Brian May among others, I realise that we humans, are finally developing a genuine understanding of our fellow creatures. Like Drori aptly says 'beyond preserving a species, each individual animal is a world by itself'.
Speaking of Future, the baby chimp he rescued ten years ago he adds movingly '..being so inquisitive and expressive, it was difficult to ignore the value of his thoughts and feelings..'

'Our enemy' he concludes,  'is our lack of action.. our indifference..we need to demand more from ourselves as a society and as individuals..'

Throughly inspired, I could not agree more..


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