Stephen Ford Photography

‘Speech and Language Therapy in Practice’ Magazine closes.

Stephen Ford — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:47:01 +0000

Avril Nichol, the editor and publisher of the informative ‘Speech and Language Therapy in Practice Magazine’ has decided that her Winter 2011 edition will be the final issue. The cover image and feature essay discuss the trails and ‘beta testing’ of the newly designed ‘Makaton iPad app’ with students living and learning in the Derwen College in Oswestry.

The iPad app was an instant success with the students at the college which is specifically designed to empower young people who have learning and communication disabilities.

Zoe Peden recently set up a small company to design the software which brings learning of the traditional sign language – Makaton® - into the 21st Century. She states on her blog that her aim for the Ipad app is to: “independence for children and adults with learning or communication disabilities.” Even in the early stages of testing she tells me that: “The learning software has been an instant success with the students. Parents, Teachers and Speech and Language Therapists have also very warmly welcomed the learning tool which can be used anywhere.”

Zoe described her learning application as “A new educational iPad app to aid choice and communication for people with learning and communication difficulties. The app uses Makaton® symbols, signs and video with real sounding speech,” on her website at http://www.mychoicepad.com/.

I was privileged that Avril asked me to shoot some images for her final magazine and to work with some students in Derwen College. Avril still writes around issues concerning Speech and Language on her blog at http://speechmag.typepad.com/speechmag/.

Thailand’s King celebrates his 84th birthday.

Stephen Ford — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:46:36 +0000

Today King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand celebrated his birthday. He is 84 years old and this important birthday marks the completion of his 7th twelve-year-cycle. Rama IX, Thailand’s adored King assumed the throne in June 1946, 7 years before Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, and is the world’s longest-reigning monarch.

Tens of thousands of flag waving well-wishers lined the streets oaround the Grand Palace in Bangkok today to catch a glimpse of their King as his Royal motorcade passed them. The King was admitted to the Siriraj hospital in September 2009, leaving only for important public appearances.

A strong Police presence maintained security and crowd order. Soldiers from the Royal Guard protected the outer perimeter of the Grand Palace. The mounted Horse Guard cavelery trumpeted the King’s arrival at the entrance to his residence. The Police, for “security reasons,” would not allow photography of the King by as his vehicle drove past.

Satellite regions of Bangkok are still inundated with murky floodwater.

Stephen Ford — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:36:27 +0000

Driving around 50km from the dry flood protected areas of central Bangkok to the North West regions of the capital in the Nonthaburi province, the outlook rapidly changes from normality to disaster area. Off the main roads, in some low areas around Sai Noi, houses and factories remain under more than a metre of stagnant floodwater, and have done so for more than a month now. Access to many houses in the area is impossible without a ‘flat bottomed’ boat. The TPE switchboard factory protected it’s business with strong sandbag flood defences and is still working, even though employees must paddle makeshift metal boats along a still deeply flooded soi to get to work. Deaths from electrocution have apparently been commonplace in the floods as families return to inspect their homes and belongings, unaware of the lethal combination of electricity and water. Many residents now fear to return home and their houses sit lifeless in the green stagnating water and floating detritus. Opportunistic thieves steal saleable objects from the abandoned residences – laptops and electronic goods high on the list.

On the ‘main roads’ through the area the water is less deep. Vendors stand in ankle deep dirty water to cook and sell BBQ chicken and pork from their food stalls. Their families start to clean up their homes, removing the destroyed belongings to temporary tips which line the streets. “We hope to be back to normal by the New Year,” Ladda informs me as she serves another hungry customer, the dirty floodwater lapping around his shins as he gives her a few Baht for the nibbles.

Nat is the only stall open for business as we pass through the Tapsirin market on the route to Sai Noi. She has endured the flooded conditions in her soi and workplace now for over a month. “Enough. Tomorrow I will travel to Phuket,” she tells me. “I have found a job in a logistics company’s office and they will give me a regular salary,” she continues.

What work will you do? “I’m not sure but it will be better than standing here trying to sell chicken and conom [sweets] to people who pass the [still flooded] market.”

Ms Napaporn Aed manages the local scrap metal and glass recycling business. “I’m taking stock of what we have now that we can still use. I am expecting lots of work in the next few weeks as people bring in damaged goods that they want to get a little money for,” she informs me as she stands on the elevated makeshift path through her business premises.

Main roads have been decimated by the escaping floodwater and it is surely to be months before life in these satellite regions of Bangkok return to normality.

The Bangkok post reports today that the cost of restoring the flood damage suffered in this years flooding will be 775 billion Baht (around £16 billion) http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/268331/rehabilitation-to-cost-b755bn.

Bookshop’s rare stock ruined in Thailand’s 2011 floods.

Stephen Ford — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:11:23 +0000

Mr Aye owns a secondhand bookshop in the Sai Noi area which is North West of Bangkok. During the recent floods his store was inundated with murky floodwater which unfortunately ruined the majority of his stock. For nearly 10 years he has built up his business, buying remaindered books from the major book whole-salers in Bangkok – Asia books and B2B – as well as from deceased estates. He not only sells from his shop but also supplies books to the dealers at the famous Bangkok Chatuchuk weekend market.

“The stock I’ve lost has cost me around 300.000 Baht [£6000] but the retail selling price is much higher maybe 3million Baht [£60,000],” he tells me. “I’ve lost both old and new books and I cannot easily replenish them. The big wholesalers only sell to me 2 or 3 times a year.”

He estimates that he has lost between 1500 and 2000 books at least but he fortunately rescued the rest of his stock by sitting them on shelves above the reach of the floodwaters which reached a height of almost one metre.

“Many of the books I’ve lost are out of print so it will be totally impossible to replace them,” he continues as he throws another ruined children’s novel onto the pile of waterlogged literature in a temporary store. “The recycling man [who is Burmese] has offered me 5Baht/kilogramme for the [scrap] books but only when they are dried out so I’ve transported them here to dry for him.”

As we drive around the Sai Noi area of Nonthaburi, where his shop is located, the low lying roads, factories and houses, fashioned around the canals [Klong], dykes and wetlands of this area remain submerged. The floodwater running from the North to the South of Thailand lies dorment in this flat area, a satellite region of Bangkok, which continues for many kilometers until it meets the sea. Vast swathes of productive farmland sit around the drainage dykes, ferlile from the annual floods, but they are barely above sea level and are so vunerable to the annual monsoon flooding. Thailand’s enormous population growth over the last few years, combined with entrepernurial ‘real estate’ developement, has ensured that this area is now home to thousands of families who are now suffering from this year’s heavy and prolonged summer monsoon. The torrential downpours we saw this year may be just a cyclic and natural occurence, which will not be seen for perhaps another 50 years, or it may be a harbinger of a climate change to come.

Yes, despondant locals will agressively argue, probably with good reason, that the floodwater they are now still enduring is a direct result of government policies to protect central Bankok from devastating flood damage. The department responsible have closed sluice gates on the canals and have built sandbag walls to contain and divert the water’s natural flow. However, building homes, factories and roads on land which is liable to flood, and has been used for farming, capitalising on the ferlile – annually flooded – and mineralised fields, for hundreds of years, will always be courting danger. Does the Government have a cohesive plan for flood water management in the area? Local’s seem to think not and are getting more angry by the day as the murky water which inundates their homes, small businesses and roads recedes far too slowly.

Mr Aye tells me that each household will receive “5000 Baht compensation for the flood damage.” Maybe thats enough to replace the TV and video? I ask him are you insured for your losses? “No. We have no insurance only that which the government provides us with.”

Mr Aye has a secondhand bookshop in the Sai Noi area North West of Bangkok. During the recent floods his store was inundated with murky floodwater which ruined the majority of his stock. For 10 years he has built up his business, buying remaindered books from the major book whole-salers in Bangkok, such as Asia books and B2B, and from deceased estates. He not only sells from his shop but also supplies books to the dealers at the famous Bangkok Chatuchuk weekend market.”The stock I’ve lost cost me around 300.000 Baht [£6000] but the retail price is much higher maybe 3million Baht [£60,000],” he tells me. “I’ve lost both old and new books and I cannot easily replenish them as the big wholesalers only sell to me 2 or 3 times a year.”He estimates that he has lost between 1500 and 2000 books at least and he fortunately rescued the rest of his stock by sitting them on shelves above the reach of the floodwaters. ”Many of the books are out of print so it will be impossible to replace them,” he continues as he throws another ruined children’s novel onto the pile of waterlogged literature in a temporary store close to his shop. “The recycling man [Burmese] has offered me 5Baht/kilogramme for the [scrap] books but only when they are dried out so I’ve transported them here for him.”As we drive around the Sai Noi area of Nontaburi, where his shop and store are located, the low lying roads, factories and houses, laid around the canals [Klong], dykes and wetlands of this area remain submerged. The floodwater running from the North to the South of Thailand lies dorment in this flat area, a satellile region of Bangkok, which continues for many kilometers until it meets the sea. Vast swathes of productive farmland sit around the drainage dykes, ferlile from the annual floods, but they are barely above sea level and are so vunerable to monsoon flooding. Thailand’s enormous population growth over the last few years, combined with entrepernurial ‘real estate’ developement, has ensured that this area is now home to thousands of families who are now suffering from this year’s very prolonged summer monsoon. This years torrential downpours may be just a cyclic natural occurence, which will not be seen for another 50 years, or it may be a harbinger of climate change to come. Yes, locals will argue, probably with reason, that the floodwater they are now enduring is a result of government policies to protect central Bankok from devastating flood damage. However, building homes, factories and roads on land which is liable to flood, and has been used for farming, capitalising on the ferlile – annually flooded – and mineralised fields, for hundreds of years, will always be courting with danger.

Mr Aye tells me that each household will receive: “5000 Baht [£110] compensation for the flood damage.” Maybe thats enough to replace the TV and video? I ask him are you insured for your losses? “No. We have no insurance only the government.”

Flooding closes ‘unaffected’ schools for more than two months in Thailand.

Stephen Ford — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:58:31 +0000

A few years ago I worked in a large state comprehensive school in the UK: John Port School. In 1999, in unbelievably unseasonal and heavy autumnal rain, flooding of the major river close to the school around the Burton-on-Trent area occurred and transport around the school’s catchment area became impossible. The then headteacher – Michael Crane – decided that, for safety and operational reasons, he needed to close the school for three days. The outcry at this closure from parents, Governors and the press was critical of him, his decision making process and was abusive to the teaching profession and, in my opinion, wholly unjustified. For a few days the majority of the school’s staff and students were genuinely unable to access the site due to the flooded river, although a skeleton staff attended to maintain communications with parents.

As I walk past a large metropolitan school at 4pm today I see no children running through the school gates to awaiting tuk tuk’s and taxis to take them home. Food stalls remain full of sizzling BBQ’s uneaten by hungry mouths after a day of learning. No football matches on the hard play areas. Normally open gates barred. The Convent School, barely 100m from the swollen Chao Phraya, is totally dry and is in an area that “will not now be flooded” according to the Thai Prime Minister. Local shops and businesses are ripping down their hastily constructed flood barriers as I walk past.

Thai schools in central Bangkok are closed until at least December 6th due to the flooding of areas on the outskirt’s of the city and in other regions of the country. Some Bangkok children will have missed learning, in both state and public schools, for more than two months when the schools – flooded or not – eventually re-open. Schools which were not flooded cannot reopen: they need a formal letter from the Thai Education Ministry who are not sending out letters in flooded areas where some schools were closed until at least the 6th December 2011.

The private Harrow school, partially flooded in October, is openly advertising that it has temporarily placed around 75% of it’s fee paying students in alternative schools so their education can continue. Some private schools are advertising temporary classes for “flood victims” from November 21st until mid-December for around 25000 Baht (£500).

Outside the Convent School situated close to the financial and business districts of central Bangkok today I met two former students who were visiting their old learning environment for a simple reunion.

‘Earth’, now 27-years-old, studied here until the 9th grade and then moved onto another High School to complete her education.

“Education is so important,” she tells me. “I now have employment with the Siam Cement Factory as a salesperson. I earn good money and can pay for my living expenses and give some money to my family and also to poor people. Without my education this would not be possible and that’s why I am visiting my old school with my friend: To say thank you to the teachers for my education.”

What happens if children don’t go to school and learn I ask her? “They cannot look after themselves and get good work. They depend on other people to give them money and food,” she replies.

Her friend Kate arrived in Bangkok yesterday for their holiday reunion. Kate works in California USA. She tells me: “Without education I cannot work in the USA. At school we learned to speak and write in English as well as all learning the other important subjects. Now I work for an international insurance company.”

Both ex-students believe that free state and subsidised places in private schools provide an important route for every individual, from whatever background, to take control of their lives and future through education.

“Poorer children [who rely on the archaic and unstructured Thai state school system] may be [adversely] affected by this long school closure as they perhaps have less opportunity [resources] to learn at home,” comments Earth.

I suspect that wealthy households in these difficult times will continue to educate their kids somehow, thus increasing the academic differential between the rich and poor in Thai society.

Why are so many schools unaffected by the devastating floods still shut? Sadly of course some areas of Bangkok and surrounding provinces are still deep under murky flood water and it would be impossible for schools, some being utilised as flood victim refugee camps, to open and for their cohort to attend. Many teachers may be unable to travel to school but this is not universal. Today at the Convent School teachers were there ready to teach while children in the surrounding area were roaming the streets or working for their parents at the market.

All educators know, through professional instinct or classroom research, that children who miss school for long periods of time progress less well academically. Surely the Thai Ministries involved in education and flood relief should be ensuring that as many children as is physically possible get back into learning spaces, temporary or not, as quickly as possible to ensure that the academic achievement between the haves and have-nots is not exasperated and magnified, and becomes yet another negative national statistic due to the 2011 debilitating floods.

Students demonstrate in London.

Stephen Ford — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:12:42 +0000

Today in central London, students, retired lecturers and political activists protested against the increase in University tuition fees. The demonstrators marched from University College London to Moorgate via the central tourist and financial districts of the capital.

A strong Police presence contained the marchers – Riot Police, horses and dog teams – which ensured that the demonstration stayed on the planned route.

Minor spats with the Police blew up causing them don hard hats.

St. Paul’s ‘anti-capitalist’ protestors march to the Houses of Parliament.

Stephen Ford — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:01:39 +0000

After listening to speeches at their protest camp outside of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London yesterday, a group of demonstrators marched through the capital’s streets and onto the Houses of parliament. They were contained by the police there and allowed to leave without charge after 2 hours sitting and voicing their protests against the bankers and capitalists who they say have bled the country of money and left us all in debit.

Speeches at an ‘open mic’ gathering of the assembled protestors in front of St. Pauls were made by the gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, the veteran pacifist Bruce Kent and leader of the Green Party and MP for Brighton and Hove Caroline Lucas.

The protestors left St. Pauls around 2pm and met a number of Police road blockades on their route to the Houses of Parliament. Minor spats and confrontations ensued as the police cordons prevented the protestors: “access to our streets.” A small number of ‘arrests’ were observed on the route to Parliament although the overwhelming ethos of the marching demonstrators was to protest peacefully, to make the points that they wished to make -tax the richest, the one percent, in our society – to the world. The Police were forced to evict the protestors from their temporary demonstration under SOCPA legislation which restricts the right to demonstrate within an area of up to one kilometre from Parliament Square.

One girl was quietly arrested as the police line moved forward to clear the area. She told the demonstration beforehand that she was: “demonstrating for her unborn children and their future.”

Diwali celebrations at the Neasden Temple in North London.

Stephen Ford — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:57:01 +0000

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple was illuminated for the Diwali festival tonight.

Over ten thousand Hindu worshipers and visitors celebrated the festival of light here tonight.

The spectacular firework display was enjoyed by the crowd and thousands more who live in the surrounding area.

London. 26/10/2011.

Images from the Occupy London Protest. 15/10/2011.

Stephen Ford — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:47:15 +0000

Protestors gather outside St. Paul’s cathedral to voice their opposition to the UK government austerity cuts, the banks, bankers, the banking bailout by taxpayers and the global economic crisis.

Julian Assange, founder of the Wikileaks website, addressed the gathering and then spoke to the media regarding the immorality of the world’s financial system including Visa.

A tiny tiny minority of protestors appeared not to be content with the peaceful protest and became aggressive with the Police cordon as it moved forward into St. Paul’s square in the evening. They were detained and presumably arrested.

BFI film festival. Red carpet premier for the movie Shame.

Stephen Ford — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:12:17 +0000

The premier of the movie Shame. Director Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender (actor), Iain Canning who produced the film and the screen writer Abi Morgan attended the red carpet screening at Vue in Leicester Square London as part of the 55th BFI film festival.

Tom Ford the fashion designer for Gucci and Edith Bowman also walked the red carpet to the premier screening of Shame.