Tisme's Page

Last week, I wrote a column for this newspaper about the Government’s assessment for incapacity benefit, a brutal questionnaire administered by a firm called Atos.

With drug use among the unemployed at levels double their full-time employed peers (17% versus 8%), and marijuana use on a solid uptrend, national drug policy and macroeconomic priorities appear to be on different – and ...

The Sun
£520M-a-day cost of benefits Britain
The Sun
BRITAIN forked out almost £520million A DAY on benefits last month — as debts soared to a new high. Despite talk of austerity, the UK is now £1.11trillion in the red, alarming figures showed.

Stephen Twigg wants to bring in “work discovery” schemes consisting of factory and office visits and talks from employers

A Treasury minister has warned the Conservative Party not to divide the British people into “shirkers and strivers” as it defends the Government’s squeeze on the welfare budget.

Excerpt: "Structural studies from Michael Casanova and colleagues showed that the brains of dyslexic and autistic subjects had opposite findings. Microcolumns are repeating groups of neurons that share a common dendritic bundle. The microcolumnar hypothesis is the idea that the microcolumn is the basic unit in the cortex, not individual neurons.

 

"Dyslexia and autism are on opposite tails of the normal distribution of the width of minicolumns...Autistic individuals have increased number of smaller minicolumns and dyslexic children have decreased number of larger minicolumns..." When the depth of gyral depths were measured of dyslexics compared to controls, "mean gyral white matter depth was 3.05 mm (SD ± 0.30 mm) in dyslexic subjects and 1.63 mm (SD ± 0.15 mm) in the controls." Researchers speculated that longer connectivity in the brains of dyslexics could account for "a greater capacity for abstract, 'visionary' thinking", but also slower development (late blooming?) including a slower development of reading. Its information like this that should reinforce the idea that dyslexic children should have a differentiated educational program (fewer inappropriate demands at early ages) - and recognition of high creative potential and capacity for abstraction...."

 

Read more. 

Via Drs Fernette and Brock Eide at DyslexicAdvantage.com, Collection of First

LGA media release 14 January 2013

More than 3.5 million UK households have been given the chance to club together and use their joint purchasing power to negotiate the best deals with their energy suppliers over the last six months, with millions more expected to be given the same opportunity by their local council over the coming year. 

Via SilverSurfer

More local authorities are ignoring Eric Pickles' appeal for a further freeze on council tax.

Via SilverSurfer

PRIMARY DYSLEXIA

There are three main types. "Primary Dyslexia" is a genetic form. It is the most common form of Dyslexia. Dyslexics in this group typically experience problems with letter and number identification, spelling, reading, arithmetic, measurement, time, instructions and other skill sets that are normally performed by the left hemisphere. These Dyslexics are right brain dominant thinkers.

The majority of the world's population processes information primarily from the left which is linear and sequential by nature. They learn best with a step-by-step approach.

Right brain thinkers however respond well to learning with the "big picture" or overview of everything, whole images of words rather than phonics and relating all learning to real things or concepts. They see the "forest before the trees". In other words, they have to see the conclusion of anything before they can see the parts, sequences or meaning of a subject. The problem for these Dyslexics is that general teaching methods in many schools worldwide are organized primarily for the left brain student.

SECONDARY DYSLEXIA

Developmental Dyslexia or Secondary Dyslexia is caused by problems with brain development in a fetus that causes impaired neurological abilities in word recognition and spelling. The difficulties and severity of this condition generally improves with age. The child may experience Dyslexic symptoms throughout childhood but can perform well in college if they receive proper instruction. These children generally respond well to phonics.

TRAUMA DYSLEXIA

"Trauma Dyslexia" is caused by a serious illness or brain injury. Dyslexic symptoms can develop due to damage to the hearing from continuous flu, cold or ear infections in young children, the child cannot hear sounds in words or "phonemes" so they have a difficult time with sounding words out, spelling and learning to read.

Older children or adults develop "Trauma Dyslexia" from a brain disease or illness that affects their ability to comprehend language. These people usually can read, spell and write prior to the trauma.

There are different types of remedial reading and spelling programs aimed at these different types of learning issues.

 

ADHD OR ADD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity).

ADHD has three subtypes:

* Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
-Most symptoms (six or more) are in the hyperactivity-impulsivity categories
-Fewer than six symptoms of inattention are present, although inattention may still be present to some degree.


* Predominantly inattentive
-The majority of symptoms (six or more) are in the inattention category and fewer than six symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity are present, although hyperactivity-impulsivity may still be present to some degree.


-Children with this subtype are less likely to act out or have difficulties getting along with other children. They may sit quietly, but they are not paying attention to what they are doing. Therefore, the child may be overlooked, and parents and teachers may not notice that he or she has ADHD.

* Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive
-Six or more symptoms of inattention and six or or more symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity are present. Most children have the combined type of ADHD.

 

Source http://www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com/tyofdy.html

Via Collection of First

The Epoch Times
Global unemployed will reach a record 200 million in 2013, UN report predicts
GlobalPost
What do you think?

Report: Suicides increase in UK because of pushy debt collectors
NBCNews.com
By Costas Pitas, Reuters.

Greenpeace's Vision for America: Unemployed, Broke, Miserable
Men's News Daily
Greenpeace's Vision for America: Unemployed, Broke, Miserable. January 22, 2013. By Donna Laframboise. Greenpeace thinks President Obama should destroy lives now.

Fiona Ferguson resigns saying controversial Voice Risk Analysis software could do enormous damage to Cornwall council

Local planning authorities (LPAs) may be challenged on their information requirements for planning applications and the requirement for LPAs to state reasons for granting planning permission may be removed under new Government proposals. 

Via SilverSurfer

A museum which kept ancient artefacts on display believing they were early gaming pieces has discovered they were actually used as a primitive form of toilet paper.

Via The QI Elves

How hard a person works is not and never has been proportional to a person’s salary.

Via Gail Ward

A site to share information on Welfare cuts, illness, disability and general, current, political thought. ... be told that they're lazy, unfeeling or cruel at all.

Via Gail Ward

The spotted salamander is the first backboned animal known to harness sunlight to make food – with the help of photosynthetic algae

Via The QI Elves

The government’s programme of austerity and the transformation of the welfare state, which defines their response, is to become a harsh reality in April 2013 when a range of different reforms come into force.