General

E-Day...What?

Heard of E-Day?  Until yesterday, neither had I.  I read about it on the BBC website a few hours after it had finished.

It had, apparently, started as a Planet Relief and was backed by the BBC.  The BBC pulled out last September after a poor response.  One of the others behind project decided to keep on going. 

So, between 1800 on Wednesday 27th February and 1800 on Thursday we were all supposed to switch off things we weren't using, including electrical items on standby.  Why?  So the National Grid can see, and show us, how much difference all those little lights make on a national basis.

What happened?  We used more electricity, albeit only slightly more, than normal.

Why?  Part of the reason could be that so few of us actually heard about it to make any difference, whilst another reason could be that as it was colder than normal, we used more for heating and lighting.

I hope they try again, but next time I hope they try two things: 1, advertise it properly (notes with the power bills over a period of a year might help) and 2, try it in the summer when we have fewer lights on anyway and are unlikely to want the heating on (though knowing British weather even that can't be guaranteed).

Further details can be obtained from the e-day website.

In the meantime what's stopping us from switching off the TV when we're not using it?  If we walk away from out PC can't we switch the monitor off?  How about turning off the lights when we leave the room?

If we did what the effect on our bills would be?  Hmmm, I wonder what the kids have left on?

Who Suffers from Aspergers?

My eldest son was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) nearly three years ago and there are many aspects of his behaviour that now make sense.

From the outside, there are two behaviours that are difficult to deal with: Need for routine and his excess energy.

Some people who suffer from AS need everything planned in minute detail.  My son, thankfully, doesn't.  As a home educated child he organises his own timetable and sticks to it.  This gives him the sense of routine he needs.  There are also other planned events such as fortnightly bowling that he knows about and the regular family trip into town on Saturday mornings for a cake and, in his case, liquorice.

When unplanned events arise there is some confusion and worry that usually results in him not getting involved.

The above can be difficult to deal with but not impossible.

His excess energy is not difficult to deal with, but can be distracting.  He expends it by pacing up and down the hallway.  Given that he's not the lightest on his feet, the constant thump of his ever so undelicate feet on the floor can drive you mad if you don't tune it out.  Why not send him outside?  That's not the routine he built as a toddler and it's proving very difficult to change, especially in the winter months.

It's not all bad though as he has the ability to focus on things that he's interested in to a far greater degree than normal.  This does make teaching him subjects, like Physics, that grab his attention far easier.

But the real question about people with AS is this: Who is suffering?  The person with AS or the people around them?  My son carries on along his own path quite happily.  The worrying and the trouble live with me and his mother as we try to cope. 

From the experience of living with my son for fourteen years, I don't think there is anything 'wrong' with him, or any other AS sufferer.  He just has a different way of doing things, ways that don't fit with the society that 'we' have created. 

AS sufferers cause problems as they do not fit in with the norm and anything that does not fit costs money.  In the long run is cost the reason that we try and make everyone fit to society instead of making society fit everyone who lives in it?

Insurgents

Insurgents crop up a lot in the news nowadays, but it occurred to me recently that I didn't know what an insurgent was. The OED defines it as 'a rebel or a revolutionary' and says that the word is derived from an 18th century French verb meaning 'arise.' I suppose therefore that one could be insurgent from one's bed.

The prevalence of modern insurgents is an example of diplomatic and military euphemism. Rebels and revolutionaries might actually have a legitimate cause or a coherent set of ideas. If they succeed, or if the observer agrees with their point of view, revolutionaries are frequently re-labeled as 'freedom fighters'. Since no-one quite knows what insurgents are it is much less likely that anyone might feel sympathy for their cause.

Still, I can't imagine anyone getting out of bed and saying to him or herself 'What this country needs is a thorough insurgency.'