I’m in the middle of writing one blog post after another on how science is under attack in this country, and just when I needed the mental equivalent of a palate cleanser, I hear about this: a supplier of scientific educational materials in New York gave away a ton of free stuff to local teachers.
Ward’s Natural Science gave away 70 skids of excess or discontinued supplies. Teachers lined up around the block in the freezing cold to get the materials. Good on them! It’s very cool to see a supplier giving back to the teachers, especially ones who could use some good news these days.
Tip o’ the dial-a-gram to BABloggee Lauren Cocilova.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:32 am
Are things getting better or worse you americans regarding science and scientific reasearch?
January 21st, 2009 at 9:49 am
That’s a hell of a kind gesture, sounds like really great equipment as well rather than just unwanted crap. Major tip o’ the hat to them!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:33 am
Modern medicine v. healing through prayer
Parents to be prosecuted for not taking their child to see a doctor. The most interesting quote:
“The free exercise clause of the First Amendment protects religious belief,” the judge wrote in his ruling, “but not necessarily conduct.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/us/21faith.html?_r=1&src=tp
January 21st, 2009 at 11:42 am
Good on them! We need more creative recycling of things that still have useful life — and I’m sure the teachers had a field day with the materials.
We did a similar thing a couple of years ago when we went fulldome and digital for our presentations. We had a roomful of slide projectors and an automation system that were just gathering dust — useless to us, but priceless to someone who could use them, even though the slide film we used is out of stock and the slide mounts we used are no longer being made. We were facing just having to recycle all the stuff or try to get a few bucks for it on Craig’s List.
Then, we got to talking to a planetarium director in our area and found out he needed slide projectors, etc. So, we surprised him by donating all of it to the school where his planetarium resides. He basically ended up with a theater with a new lease on life, new shows, and our thanks for being able to use equipment we really hated to just throw away. It really made us feel good about the whole thing (and no, there was NO possibility of a tax write-off so it really was a donation from the heart), so I can imagine how that company felt as the teachers gathered ’round to get supplies.
January 24th, 2009 at 7:19 am
*headdesk*
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I work there. Well I did , I quit recently. This article condones Wards Natural Science but if you were told all the workers there dont get raises and get treated like slaves or prisoners would this change your view of the place? Sure they give science supplies out thats cool and all but the air quality that the workers breath every day is sickening. There is more sick and twisted stuff that goes on there then you can imagine. They kill animals for profit and let there workers get embalming fluid all over there bodies. They could care less. So sit there and pretend like they care about the community all you want but I know in my mind, because I worked there, the only thing they care about is turning a major profit. Corporate America disgusts me……