Αυτά τα κόκκινα σημάδια στους τοίχους μπορεί να είναι κι από αίμα.
Αυτά τα κόκκινα σημάδια στους δρόμους μπορεί να είναι από αίμα.
Αυτά τα κόκκινα σημάδια στα τραπέζια που τρώμε ήσυχοι,
στα καθαρά χέρια μας,
στα μάγουλα των παιδιών μας,
μπορεί να είναι από αίμα.
Όλο το κόκκινο στις μέρες μας είναι αίμα.
Και μη γελιέστε.
Δεν είναι κανένα λιόγερμα που χτυπάει τον απέναντι τοίχο.
Internet is changing some aspects of the world we live in. Faster and easier verbal communication between individuals with more dialogues appearing intentionally in the public domain. In separate conversations, I engaged today with Richard Ashcroft, Professor of Bioethics in the Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London and with Anne Marie Cunningham, General Practicioner and Clinical Lecturer in Cardiff University, Wales, UK, neither of whom have I met in person. My “good friend and colleague” also blogged over the use of words in misuse of power, in reply to last night’s tweet from Mexico City! The conversations follow below and can be independently accessed via our respective twitter accounts; I have assumed twitter users don’t mind the reproduction.
Reposting published items on John’s dismissal written by others.
“Now they have got around to sacking John as well, on what has all the appearance of being a trumped-up charge (failing to obey an order from the Head of School)… If you appoint independent thinkers (as surely any university worthy of the name must do), you should not be surprised when they think independently.”
Ο Αβραάμ, Ισραηλινός στρατιώτης, σημαδεύει τα παιδάκια την ώρα που παίζουν στην παραλία της Παλαιστίνης. Πέτυχε ένα. Τόσο γρήγορα ξεψύχησε που δεν μπόρεσε να μη σκεφτεί: “πιο γρήγορα κι από το ψάρι, εκείνο τουλάχιστον για λίγα λεπτά σπαρταρεί”. Με δύο φίλους κι ένα τόπι παίζανε. Ο ένας έφυγε, μάλλον να ειδοποίησει ή για να καλυφθεί. Ο άλλος πετάει πέτρες κατά τη μεριά του καραβιού. Τι παράξενες συνήθειες… Θα καπνίσω ένα τσιγάρο. Αν συνεχίσει και μετά να πετάει πέτρες, θα πει πως είναι από τους φανατισμένους και δε θα του βγει σε καλό.
Summary – here I continue a previous comment on the same subject with a new twist to the story. Introducing 400 students to a major subject in biology during a full term is a significant task, especially if their education is to be at a higher level. It took me three years of guided preparation before I was asked to teach the full Cell Biology module single-handedly at Queen Mary University of London. I was then sacked because I opposed dubious management practice so someone else (sadly with fewer qualifications) was recruited and asked to perform this teaching instead. The student body protested in their evaluation forms and the newly recruited lecturer didn’t get her contract renewed. Here I summarise what followed her departure.
The historical King’s College London is in trouble, or at least this is what Sir Robin Murray, FRS and Professor of Psychiatric Research (Mass Redundancies at King’s College London are destroying morale), David Colquhoun, FRS and Professor of Pharmacology (Bad financial management at Kings College London means VC Rick Trainor is firing 120 scientists) and Dorothy Bishop, Professor of Developmental Neuropsychology (No logic in King’s College job cuts) suggest, and they are not alone.
Κοίταξα τριγύρω.
Δύο είδη αδικίας βλέπω.
Στο ξυπόλητο παιδί των φαναριών,
Στην αξυρισιά του άστεγου που του κόλλησαν τα γένια,
Στον πνιγμό του κηνυγημένου που του λήστεψαν τη χώρα,
Στη γυναίκα που τη λύγισαν πριν χειραφετηθεί,
Υπάρχει το πρόσωπο, η στόχευση, το συμφέρον του καπιταλιστή.
Υπάρχει όμως και το στρίψιμο της ματιάς του γείτονα με το σκυμμένο κεφάλι.
Η γνώση, πανάκριβη και μοναχή, όταν δεν τη βάζουμε στων παιδιών τα θρανία και στων γονιών τα βιβλία.
Πάμε πάλι από την αρχή. Τι θα πούμε στα παιδιά μας ότι είναι το σωστό. Και πώς το αποφασίσαμε εμείς;
When a country needs a Council for the Defence of its Universities, something has gone wrong.”What is happening in your university? Help us record the rot”, CDBU asks. Various responses are being published on the creeping Stalinisation (sic) by the cadre of managers who perceive themselves as a new kind of officer class that is strangling the proper function of UK universities.
Rick Trainor receives an annual remuneration of £321,000. He should be asked to return every single pound he has received from this institution for the damage he is inflicting upon Kings College and its students. Voltaire once wrote “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize”. Martin Parker of the University of Leicester recently found out what he meant. Thomas Docherty, Sarah Sayce, John Allen are also learning.
Summary – the story below describes the preparation required to provide a high-quality series of lectures to university students and what happens when corporate management takes over university governance. After I was dismissed someone was employed full-time to cover the teaching of cell biology. A year later this person was also dismissed.
fanismissirlis 