World Down Syndrome Day on March 21

March 21st, 2012

Down Syndrome girl at Hold the Future, Hanoi

Wednesday March 21 2012 marks World Down Syndrome Day. And it made me remember my year in Hanoi, Vietnam working at Hold the Future as a VSO volunteer. We had many Down Syndrome young people living and working at the Center. They were the most loving and wonderful people and provided me with many fond memories.

Hold the Future offers vocational training and handicraft production work. Most of the time there are between 30 to 50 young people working there. It’s not great pay because the products are sold quite cheaply to remain competitive with other handicraft producers.

But the Center provides accommodation, all meals and a chance for young people to work for their own livelihood. The young people often work right through the week, including week-ends. There is the odd public holiday and two weeks off over the oriental New Year. But on the whole they work long hours.

The training is also over a long period. At least 6 months of repetitive learning processes might stop most people from enjoying this kind of work. For the young people at Hold the Future it’s something they love doing. Being able to support themselves is a dream come true.

In particular the rolled paper decorated greeting cards and rolled paper small jewellery containers were the favourite products to make. Of course rolling paper very tightly into small balls isn’t everybody’s idea of great fun. But for the Down Syndrome members at the Center they loved it. They were good at it and enjoyed their work.

And friendly and smiling faces most of the time. Of course they weren’t immune to unhappiness. But the Down Syndrome people were much readier to let go and smile again than most people I’ve come across. I loved visiting with them and sitting next to them at meal time or chatting to them via an interpreter. Never did get my head around Vietnamese. Fond memories indeed.

Thinking of many lovely Down Syndrome people today on their special celebratory day.



Sometimes it’s not the sexy designs that do it

March 19th, 2012

The Mophie

The winner for modern technology gadgets can be anything else but another cool designer gadget. It can be something that makes life easier, rather than funkier. Something that extends the battery life of your favourite gadget such as your smart phone for instance.

The wondrous problem of the iPhone or equivalent is that it can do so much that its battery dies very quickly. So the sexiest design thingie will be a battery extender/charger. Thinking of that is true genius. Because rather than rushing after the technology innovation train, here is something that makes perfect sense.

It’s a revolution. Quietly. Significantly. It’s a bit like the disposable nappy. Or instant coffee. The microwave oven.  The light bulb. The take away pizza. Nothing sexy with any of these. But they revolutionised our lives in a significant way. I know. I had kids during the time of linen nappies. Boy do I know about it.

So I hear about a company who does just that. The Mophie. And they supply the mophie juice pack air amongst other products. Never mind the cutsie name. It’s a thing you attach to your iPhone and it extends your battery life by adding more battery. How ingenious. Here are some bright spark engineers who know exactly what the issue is. Power!

Because at the end of the day, your lovely gadgets are useless without power. No more showing off, no more twittering up a storm to tell all other cool people what cooler stuff you are doing. No more Facebooking, or instagraming your photos. In fact no more photos.

All the tools that allow you to show off, announce what an awesome person your are, what amazing things you get up to, how unbelievably popular you are and so much more. None of the above are worth anything if you don’t have battery power.

Sad isn’t it. When our main way of communicating with peeps (hey you don’t know that means people, where have you been..) is reduced to 140 characters… And what’s more, you end up doing more twitter stuff than actual talking to each other. Imagine sitting in a group of ‘with it people’. And all they are doing is thumbing their iPhones so they can tell people who are not with them what a fabulous time they are having with people they are with but with whom they don’t have time to talk because they are thumbing on Twitter to their followers.

Does that make sense? Whatever. There’s Mophie who will allow you to do this endlessly. Hallelujah.



Apple pushes all the buttons again

March 8th, 2012

New iPad

The new iPad got launched today. And it has some mighty nice bells and whistles. But that’s not what I want to mention here. There is something much more surprising happening in the back rooms of business. It’s called trashing the PC, those beige desktops, and hello to the iPad.

Some time ago I wrote an article about the demise of the PC as we know it. I didn’t really have any idea what would replace that cumbersome bit of box with umbilical cables monstrosity. I just felt that its time was nigh. And something had to be developed to get rid of it. I got a lot of flack for that article. Even some ranters. Which is truly stupid because everything will be different. It just takes time. Sometimes a bit longer, others not so long.

I mean who would have thought the horse and buggy would be put into the museum? Not the people driving them, that’s for sure. And the car took a while to take over as people fought against them. But progress will happen regardless of the nay sayers. And this principle applies to the PC as well.

Sure, I’m not talking about the film industry, or the designers who need those big super charged machines to do their design work. That’s a specialised job and the very quick PC or Apple computer will do the job. I’m talking about the ordinary everyday machine that does our tasks for us. Like me typing on my MacBook Air right now writing this blog. That kind of work. The ones with spreadsheets, word processing power, powerpoint (keynote obviously for me) and mail /browser facilities.

So here’s the snipped of news I want to share with you. Apple pushed its 25 billionth app this weekend. (beginning of March 2012). Nothing surprising here. Mostly games and novelty apps for the iPhone. But here’s the kicker that should make Dell, HP and Microsoft amongst others tremble in their boots.

The number one app of all time for the iPad was Pages. Apple’s word processing app. And Numbers and Keynote were on the list as well. QuickOffice Pro HD, Notability and Splashtop Remote Desktop. Almost 25% of the list was comprised of productivity apps.

What does that mean? It means that business folk have taken to the iPad in droves. Of course it could have been noticeable to the observant who might have seen the uptake of iPad’s at the local branch of a coffee shop chain where the iCrowd congregates. What has surprised the fundis though is the speed with which this uptake has happened.

But why should they be surprised. Wouldn’t you rather take a tablet around in your handbag instead of a 4kg laptop in your massively padded backpack? Even I am investing in a bigger sling bag for my Air rather than the monster thing I shlepped around my MacBook pro with.

And for those of you still wondering about this? The new iPad comes with a dictating feature. Don’t like to type on the touch screen? Talk to the hand. Err. Talk to the machine. How fabulous is that?  For the full article check it out here.



Celebrating International Women’s Day

March 6th, 2012

Video of Join Me on the Bridge movement. Watch. Link in the blog post.

Thursday March 8, 2012 marks International Women’s Day. It’s not something I’ve celebrated in the past. In fact I was seriously surprised when I received flowers working as a volunteer in Vietnam. Although of course it was Vietnam’s women’s day later in the year. Still. It’s well celebrated there.

But today I got a link to a video which showcased the “Join Me on the Bridge” global event. And it really touched me, this video. And it probably will you as well. So watch it here.

This particular event demonstrates the presence of women in their communities and the role they play as architects of a better future. And it reminds me again that it’s the countries with the least development, most poverty and hardship that seem to keep women undereducated and behind closed doors.

You might say that the Arabic countries keep their women locked up but are wealthy. Sure. But that’s only because they have the windfall of oil to sustain their existence. Look at Africa still lagging behind the world. In many African countries women are not allowed to own property are sexually mutilated, denied education and raped as a weapon of war. How can you expect these folk to contribute meaningfully to anything.

This was so in South Africa, surely the most developed nation of the continent, until quite recently where according to traditional law Black women were not allowed to inherit the property of their deceased husbands. In fact I don’t even know if this has been lifted. After all Zuma, the current president, has multiple wives. I can assure you they have to share the few rights they have.

But it’s the countries where women can get access to education, have equal property rights, are allowed to vote and are protected by law against abuse that the economies bloom. If only more of them were allowed to reach the top management positions, the leadership of countries and take over the armies we might just find a more equal world.

Give women rights. Allow them to contribute to their communities. Offer them property ownership. Encourage them to develop careers in areas normally restricted to men such as government leadership and business. You would be absolutely amazed at the boom that would unfold. Less hunger, less poverty, more justice and more peace.

Celebrating International Women’s Day. Will you join me?



What would you change about yourself?

March 3rd, 2012

A blog I follow mentioned this link to a documentary. The question asked to intellectually disabled people was whether they would change anything about themselves. The answers were surprising.

What do you think somebody would say asked this question? Somebody with Down’s Syndrome for instance who has struggled all his life to be recognised as a person rather than some freak of nature. What would you think this person would want to change about themselves?

Get more intellectual capacity? Be clever?

Many of the people who got the chance to answer this question wished themselves to be nicer people! Sitting in a wheelchair would you think that ‘being nicer to people’ would be something you would want to change?

Shouldn’t that get us thinking about disability? Isn’t our reaction one of pity towards people with disabilities? We feel sorry for folk in wheelchairs. We think they have something major missing in their lives if they can’t walk like we do.

We disregard people who speak slowly and appear to us to have primitive thinking processes. We look down on people who couldn’t cope with the school system. Or people who can’t look after themselves without help.

Perhaps, people with disabilities don’t want to be pitied. Maybe they are happy with what they got given in life. It’s our attitude that needs changing.

Every life has value. Every person can enrich another person’s life. In whatever way. There are no prescriptions, no rules that determine how we should enjoy this life. It’s up to us.

So what would you change about yourself? And what do you think about disabled people? Do you pity and cross the road to try and avoid them or do you see them as people who could enrich your own life experience?



How about Rebooting Valentine’s Day to Generosity Day?

February 5th, 2012

This is such a great idea started by Sacha Dichter who works for the Acumen Fund. It started when he decided to try being more generous himself. After all he was asking other people to give money to the charity he works for.

Some self-reflection made him realise that he wasn’t that generous himself. So how could he expect it of others? His enterprising next step was to start a movement to make Valentine’s Day become Generosity Day. Just one day in your life practice Generosity is the theme.

I tried this same exercise in Brighton, UK over Christmas. There were a fair number of homeless people sleeping on pavements in sub zero temperature. I couldn’t even imagine how cold they were. Hadn’t seen homeless people in Vietnam for two years! I tried to give them some money every time I could. In fact I stocked my coat pocket with change so that I had no excuse.

And boy oh boy. I discovered it wasn’t easy. I felt really uncomfortable giving people money. How was that possible? I struggled to make eye contact. I wanted to hit and run. Throw the money into their hat or plastic container. And dash off.

It took some self talk and practice to make the giving more comfortable. Weird isn’t it. Try it yourself some time.

Don’t think of the fact that the people might use the money to feed a drug habit or buy beers. Just imagine that they really need help. And that it’s a good thing you are doing no matter what they use the money for.

But besides that, try your hand at Generosity Day. Why not join our small band of early adopters and join the Generosity Day movement. Just for one day of the year show your love towards humanity. After all Valentine’s Day is all about giving love to a loved one. Instead of making florists and chocolate makers smile on this day, send your love in the form of a gift to a worthy cause.

If you haven’t got a cause you normally support why not join mine. Check out my Fundraising for Education site or like my cause on Facebook at Fundraising For Education and join in the discussion. I support kids in Hue, Central Vietnam who don’t have access to a good education. What about you?

View Sacha Dichter’s video where he talks about his journey and how he came to think of Generosity Day.



Courage in the line of fire

February 2nd, 2012

Oscar Pistorius - the Blade Runner. Click on pic to enlarge.

Isn’t that what they used to say in the olden days? It refers back to standing your ground when you were being shot at by enemy troops. Or your own ones I suppose nowadays… It always involved amazing amounts of courage and determination in the face of huge odds.

It’s what disabled people have to live with on a daily basis. The world is not designed as yet for people with disabilities. It will change. It’s all a matter of quantity. A few people won’t make a difference but many will. And the numbers of disabled people are growing. Wars are maiming soldiers and land mines are damaging limbs and minds of ordinary people.

And then there is the rubbish we put into our bodies. I’m sure that makes a difference to our babies. The excessive hormones in chicken and beef. The insecticides on veg, the affluent in our water, the garbage we pump into our air and the nuclear fall-out amongst many things all add to the numbers of disabled people coming into our world. Or becoming disabled during their life times.

Then there are the growing numbers of old people who can’t hear, see or walk that well and who often need wheels to get them around.

Eventually our world will have to take note and make provision for all people whether disabled or not and treat everybody the same by offering an accessible space as a matter of course.

Still, now in the year 2012, disabled people have to have courage in the line of fire to cope with the hurdles our society puts in their way.

So this picture, somebody emailed me, has led me to write this praise to courage. Apologies for the copyright infringement. I’m bound to be guilty as I have no idea whom to give credit to for the pic. It’s probably sponsored by BT though… Being the cynic as ever.

Never mind the BT sponsorship. The guy in the photo is somebody I admire in any case. Oscar Pistorius, South Africa’s hope for a medal in both the able athlete Olympics in London as well as the Paralympics. 400m sprint. The blade runner.

And he is teaching this cutey of a little tike how to use blades to be able to run. The determination on her face speaks volumes. And the pleasure and happiness on his face of being able to pass on the thrill of mobility to another ‘different’ able person is clear for all to see.

Courage in the line of fire. A perfect picture to represent the essence of this saying. Brings tears to my eyes, it does.



Religion and women’s rights

January 15th, 2012

Just as I was putting the blame on mother’s for keeping their daughters in the kitchen and out of the boardroom this article appears in the NY Times. And it’s about Israel and what the Orthodox Jewish faith does to women’s rights. Well, actually there are not that many rights it seems.

I had some ideas about the Jewish religion and the more orthodox thinking. It was something that concerned me when my younger daughter was dating an orthodox Jew. Lovely boy, but was a bit concerned about the sitting upstairs in the Shul part. Indicative, I felt at the time, of how the women are treated in general.

And here is an article in the NY Times that discusses exactly the same issue. A professor In Israel was awarded a prize for a book on hereditary diseases common to Jews. But as a woman she had to sit separate from the men and was not allowed to receive the prize personally. A man had to collect it from the stage on her behalf.

It seems strange to have this kind of orthodoxy in a progressive country such as Israel. But it seems that it’s a growing minority. And it makes one look a little more closely at the rest of the region and what is happening there in regards to women’s rights.

And it’s not looking too good. Because what will most definitely happen in this Arabic world is the rising of Muslim controlled government. As the Arabic world licks its wounds after the 2011 uprising against entrenched dictatorships, the void is being filled by Muslim controlled political parties or religious groups.

In itself this is not that worrisome as the Islamic faith is not per se wrong or bad, except if one looks at the fanatics. And in a way they are very alike the people adhering to the Jewish orthodox faith. Restrictions on human rights, ancient laws of retribution inflicted by religious leaders on a population who have no recourse in a court of law to protect themselves and absolutely no rights to women to determine their own lives.

Doesn’t look too promising for women. Maybe it’s those mothers again who buy into the whole religion thing and who promote it to their daughters? See my previous post on that issue!



What did your mother teach you?

January 14th, 2012

In the ‘good’ old days sons learned their work skills from their fathers and daughters learned housekeeping and baby care from their mothers. Kids also learned from their mothers that boys need never do housework and that girls should find a husband to obey and clean up after. Or else.

So why are we surprised that girls don’t make it into the boardroom, senior positions at Universities, top of the heap in government and other civil services? It’s generations of mothers who have instilled into their girls’ psyche that they should bow before their lord and master. Even movies still carry on teaching us this weird power play.

You might shrug your shoulders and say that those mothers are a generation ago. No, even two generations ago and that modern moms are teaching their girls that the world is their oyster and that they do not have to bow down to boys anymore.

That could be possible. But it’s not this generation of moms of teenagers and young adults. Regrettably. There are many households of young couples where the male partner does no housework at all and wants the woman to cook, wash and iron for him. Raise your hand if you know of any…. Raise your hand if you think this is normal.

It’s going to take a whole lot more than girls being top of end of school examination results. The number of girls graduating from University isn’t going to change the status quo either. This is definitely the case in the UK. And the girls are graduating in Science, Engineering, Architecture, Rocket Science and more. All those previously in the male domain.

But then you see something on Ted and that makes your hopes come alive again that the girls are going to show what they are made of. Three girls that swept the top prizes of the first Google Science Fair speak of their achievements. Watch it and be impressed.

I’m just hoping that their moms are the modern ones. The ones that have told their girls that they need not stand back because they happen to be girls. They can do anything they want. And they are equal citizens. Not slaves in the household. Not second fiddle in the work environment. They can do it! As well as anybody else. Go girls. I have high hopes for you.



Disability is about different abilities

January 11th, 2012

There’s a blog I follow written by a disabled person. And every now and then I want to unsubscribe because his posts are more often than not tirades at the able bodied world and why it’s not taking more notice and making more allowances to the disabled.

Then I don’t unsubscribe because I have to remind myself that I have no idea how it must be to move around in this world in a wheelchair. And furthermore I have no idea what it must be like to be physically disabled but not intellectually and yet be treated as a moron just because you are in a wheelchair.

And it constantly surprises me over and over again how people are unable to see differences as a good thing rather than as an indictment. Something to feel sorry for, disdain, dislike and even be scared of seems to be the reaction. Fear of the unknown and rubbish like that is thrown about when trying to find excuses for bad behaviour towards disabled people.

So it always brings tears to my eyes when I come across somebody most definitely disabled but who has taken an ability they have and made a glorious something out of it. Never mind that he as a physically disabled person has the courage to stand on stage. In the olden times somebody like this would have surely been on stage too. But in circuses or freak shows.

Yet Thomas Quasthoff has taken the concept of different abilities to a new level. He became a concert soloist developing his voice into an instrument to make everybody forget his disability. And what a beautiful voice he has. I came across his name because he has decided to retire from performances. Singing placed too much strain on his body, his publicist says. I’m not surprised. Concert singing is equivalent to marathon running I should imagine in terms of the energy that has to go into the delivery.

So treat yourself to a rendition of Moon River sung by this remarkable man with different abilities.

Or watch it here.



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