Evidence-based
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Archbishop Welby: You stand on unfirm ground
On the 6 September St-Martin-in-the Field hosted a series of talks on the theme of reconciliation entitled ‘Here I stand, I can do no other’. The event was organised by Embrace the Middle East. The speakers were the Archbishop of Canterbury , Justin Welby, Daniel Munayer, CEO of Musalaha and resident of Jerusalem, and Revd Continue reading
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Just numbers?
Some numbers: 17, 15, 16, 14, 17, 17, 17, 16, 10, 16, 16, 14, 17, 16, 17, 15, 14, 14, 17, 15, 17,11, 8, 5, 17,10, 5, 16, 2. Twenty-nine numbers. Added together, they come to 401. Those numbers can be expressed as an average. Do that, and the answer is 13.8. In addition, when Continue reading
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It’s not all progress
Preamble I want in the article that follows, and the next one, to consider aspects of the resistance, current and developing, to what can be called the ‘pro-risk’ movement in respect of play and outdoor learning. In this, I’m as interested in the subjective, internalised, self-oppression experienced by at least some – I hazard to Continue reading
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Review of Adrian Voce’s book ‘Policy for Play: Responding to children’s forgotten right’
I was invited by the International Journal of Play to write a review of Adrian Voce’s ‘Policy for Play: Responding to children’s forgotten right’. This is the original manuscript of the review published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Play on 15 March 2016 available online http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21594937.2016.1146492 Policy for Play is at once Continue reading
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Reflection on court finding no negligence in injury at play claim
Attention has rightly been drawn to a recent British Columbia (Canada) Supreme Court Judgment that, whilst not serving as precedent in other jurisdictions, is both interesting and useful. You can read the judgment here. In brief, the civil law case – brought under British Columbia Occupiers Liability Act 1996 – focuses on a negligence claim Continue reading
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From values to counting: the apoliticisation of play (and much else)
One way of characterising the play sector, if indeed it constitutes a sector, is that it is apolitical and dependent, those two qualities interacting and exacerbating each other. By apolitical, I mean that it has no obvious popular or voter support, nor is much attention directed towards securing it. Rather, the ‘sector’ concentrates its efforts Continue reading
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ASTM and Surfacing Standards – back again, so organise
As you will see from Tim Gill’s blog – Playground Safety: Troubling New Move From ASTM – and the quote below, there appears to be a renewed attempt to amend ASTM surfacing standards, albeit in what looks like a surreptitious way. ‘Overall, the proposal appears to focus on how surfacing is safety-tested once it has Continue reading
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The seductions of rubbish talk
It is perhaps a particular feat of our notionally advanced society that it has contrived to obliterate the possibility of communicating in a language which actually communicates what we wish to say, as distinct from what we think we must say. Adept are we at chucking words and sentences in one direction, and meaning and Continue reading
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ASTM surfacing proposal – opposition mounting
In this brief post I can do no better than direct your attention to the joint open letter to the ASTM committee by the Chair of the UK Play Safety Forum, Robin Sutcliffe and Tim Gill. It makes cogent and informed points that underscore the reasonableness of those urging ASTM to defer passing its current Continue reading
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A real and present danger to play provision
I need to alert readers to a real and present danger. Before proceeding, however, I enter a plea. A plea that you stick with this article despite the fact that the subject may – until now – have been a turn-off. I say again: I am about to speak about a real and present danger. Continue reading
About Me
This is Bernard Spiegal’s blog.
I write mainly about Palestine/Israel and related issues; sometimes other stuff too
Bernard Spiegal 