Mark Lawton.Com

Bullying At School – See It – Stop It – Report It!

Mark Lawton — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 08:12:25 +0000

Bullying At School – See It – Stop It – Report It!

Practical Suggestions to Help Tackle Bullying at School

Bullying - See It - Stop It - Report It!

Bullying can take many forms, none of which are pleasant. After writing this article, I realise some of the reasons why I have written it, and the after-effects of doing so have all come back to me; flooding back to me in fact big time!

I therefore add this little section in retrospect, having written the bulk of the article about bullying at school and in the workplace.

I have realised that I have been a victim of bullying myself at school to quite an extent, and in my early years at work a lot too.

My bullying at work was partly as a result of my work colleagues in early days consisting of some of the same bullying people that I went to school with. So this was “unlucky” to some extent. Also the fact that my Uncle had a position of authority within the company, and people don’t like the managers usually!

A few quick tips here then thrown in before we go on which may be useful when changing schools or a job, or leaving school and starting a job, or at university etc…

Do not allow bullying to follow you through life because people who know you from earlier before in life will gossip about you and pass on the so called “bad press” about you!
Break old bully connections and leave them behind losing touch with them.
Start anew with a new group of people when you move on.
Cut off the old bullies so that new people can judge you for who you are, and not from “hear say”!
Make new friends and re-circulate.
Minimise and modify any behaviour you may think will have exacerbated the bullying
Go to a different school, college, university, workplace and avoid the bullys.
Go to different places for your entertainment, and avoid the bullys.

There will be more tips later to minimise bullying, and they will relate to the above and overlap maybe.

In a nutshell, I was different, and also maybe a “bit of a boffin” at school; as well as having “relatives in the company” when I started work. So none of this helped! Would you believe I also used to talk “posh” (plumb in mouth?) what happened to that? All of this added to the bullying “arsenal” available to my classmates!

Maybe I was an “open goal” to bullying?

The point is whatever I was as regards to bullying, it wasn’t fair, ethical, or right!

It has likely or probably damaged my inner self-confidence, affected my behaviour, and damaged my abilities and my career!

Until now! (I’ll explain at the end of the article, so hold on to your seat!), so back to the article…

Yes you may wonder how, or why so…

As a very analytical person myself, with a high set of realisations in life; I have been fortunate to analyse some of the reasons why I was bullied, the after-effects, and how I came full circle and didn’t let it bother me anymore. In fact it has enabled me to write this article, and to really embrace the subject, as well as vow to never ever be a bully myself, no matter how much a person is bullied by others; I vow to help them if indeed I can!

I’ll even accept that once I had a joke with a colleague at work; and that this went too far and offended them due to repeating it a few times too often; so this proves that not all bullying is deliberate or even intentional. Sometimes the roles do reverse!

We are not all the same, and not everyone can take a joke or some “fun” in quite the same way. If I have ever offended anyone in the past; I take this moment to apologise, and to say that I very much understand your position, or maybe your position in the past! Hopefully this will explain it a little, and provide help to you, and even a way out, or forward.

Types of bullying can take the following forms, which may not be a complete list by any means…

Physical attacks actually on the person being bullied by one other person, or by a gang
Verbal abuse directed to the person being bullied swearing or derogatory comments, slanderous etc.
Racism against their race, colour, etc.
Sexism against their sex, or sexuality, gay, straight, celibate, virgin etc.
Ageism, against their age, old or young
Religious bullying, can be about their faith, or lack of it
Cyber bullying, on the computer, mobile phone, email, network, or on the Internet (social networks i.e. Facebook, Bebo, MySpace etc.)
Gossip spread around to lower a persons appeal or opinion of them to others, influencing what people will think, even if true or untrue
Bullying about peoples looks, or their opinion of their looks
Bullying about peoples weight, overweight, or thin (in their opinion)
Bullying people about their illnesses, taking the fun out of them
Bullying because you don’t fit in, you may be clever, not so clever, different, eccentric, or unusual, maybe “a boffin” type
Bullying because you are not very sporty
Bulling because you are a quiet inoffensive person
Bullying because you get on at work, get promoted, get on with your work etc.
Bullying because of jealousy
Bullying from siblings, relatives, or even parents!
Bullying or being bullied because you don’t actually understand what bullying is, or if you are doing it! (yes it does happen)
Lack of education leading to bullying
A bad background or upbringing causing a person to be a bully, venting anger in other ways

Bullying At School

School and work can be dreadful places to be bullied, you are trapped in one place, nowhere to go, and looking for a way out of it. You have a “captive audience”, and there may appear no way out.

Quoting below…

“The U.S. National Center for Education Statistics notes that while there has been some decline in reported school violence in that country, “students ages 12-18 were victims of about 2 million nonfatal crimes of violence or theft at school in 2001.” There has also been an increase in reports of school bullying.”

After Effects Of Bullying

Another quote…

“A recent survey in Britain indicated that when children are subjected to severe bullying, they are nearly seven times as likely to attempt suicide. The emotional pain that these children suffer is real. A 13-year-old boy who hanged himself left behind a note naming five people who had tormented him and had even extorted money from him. “Please save other children,” he wrote.”

This is a disgrace, I cried when I read this one here! I am showing and quoting the Daily Mirror article below, to show you all how bad it can get.

This needs to be shown to raise awareness of this subject in my opinion…

Isn’t this a disgusting and a disgraceful part of modern life, and an abuse of modern technology?

Extreme Bullying Bethany James Disgraceful Horriffic Injuries

Quoting from the Daily Mail newspaper below…

“The pupil bloodied and battered beyond recognition by teenage girls“

“Her face bloodied and battered, this is Bethany James, the latest victim of the pupil-on-pupil violence blighting Britain’s schools.

The appalling injuries inflicted on the 15-year-old are shocking enough. But what is more horrifying is that they were the work of two teenage girls.

This photo of Bethany was taken in hospital by her mother, Tracey James”

“Bethany had been tormented by bullies at her school in Bradford, West Yorkshire, for four years ? including being subjected to a torrent of insults and abusive text and Internet messages.

But it was as she was leaving a video shop near her home in Undercliffe with friends on September 7 that she was beaten up.

She was kicked and punched to the ground by the girls, whom she recognised from school. They pulled her hair and stamped on her head as she lay helpless on the pavement.

One friend called her mother, who arrived in time to pull one of the girls away from Bethany and drive the injured girl to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Mrs James, a 46-year-old hairdresser, and her husband Anthony rushed to the hospital.”

“Mr James, 47, a telecoms engineer, said: ‘It was horrific as a parent to see one of your children in a hospital bed covered in blood. I couldn’t believe it. It was only when I got to the hospital that I realised the full extent of the attack.’

Mrs James added: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. One of the doctors said she looked like she’d been in a car crash.

‘Her nose was split open, her mouth had been kicked and her braces caused lacerations, her lips were badly swollen, she was covered in blood, it was all over her clothes, and lumps of her hair were missing.’

Mrs James claimed teachers had failed to put a stop to the repeated bullying endured by her daughter at Immanuel CE Community College in Thackley.

She said: ‘I’ve been to the school on at least six occasions to tell them Bethany was being bullied, but it has continued.

‘Since the attack she has been going to school for only two hours a day in the isolation unit, while these girls carry on as normal. The school wants her back in class as soon as possible, but who wants to go back to these animals?’

Two weeks on, Bethany is still in pain. She said: ‘My nose is still bruised and hurts at the top. I’m too embarrassed to go out.’

Police said two girls have been questioned as witnesses but no arrests have been made.

Chris Robinson, deputy head at Immanuel College, said: ‘Any bullying that the college becomes aware of is dealt with in a robust manner supported by the additional care we show for each other through our strong Christian ethos.’”

Someone always seems to be singled out for being bullied at school; I know this, because I saw it, and I was a victim of it at times myself. I’ll even admit to being bullied, actually made me want to bully back at others, (yes it does!). (End of Quote.)

Now do you want your young son or daughter, pre-teen, or teenager to go through this?

Of course you don’t if you are a caring, and loving parent or guardian, or have some sense of humnity!

What can we do to help stop bullying? Some practical tips may help below…

Firstly this will help… See It – Stop It – Report It!

At schoolthere are a few things you can do. There is also Childline… http://www.childline.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

While we are on the subject of Childline… they have kindly asked me to add this in, which I of course was glad to do below…

(Just a note that the competition finished in Nov. 2010, and I have left this link up to show the winners and that the campaign is still valid for the positive message that it gives out)

Bullying /ChildLine is in search of young artists or writers

Stand Up Speak Out competition

ChildLine and Sugar are offering teens the opportunity to design ChildLine’s next anti-bullying poster.

Stand Up Speak Out is an anti-bullying competition for young people aged 11-18. Now in its 6^th year, the competition offers teens the opportunity to design an anti-bullying poster, a t-shirt or write a piece.

Winners in each category will receive £100 Topshop vouchers, their entries will be printed in Sugar magazine and the poster will be distributed to schools nationwide during anti-bullying week (15-19 November 2010).

Deadline for entries is Friday 30 July 2010, for more information visit www.sugarscape.com/suso2010“

Don’t forget to follow the links!

Thank You

(This is now finished, but left in place to show the winner, and to use a positive message!)

Still contact Childline for help if you need to…

http://www.childline.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

Quoting below from the BBC news…

“The Ceop film warns children not to take erotic pictures and how to seek help about online activity.

Children and young people are being warned about sending sexually explicit images of themselves to others.

A 10-minute film showing the problems of “sexting” has been created by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop).

In Exposed, a teenage girl becomes distressed after images she sent to her boyfriend appear on the Internet.

Ceop says senders can also find they become victims of bullying or harassment.

Meanwhile, a survey by the Beatbullying charity suggested one in five 11 to 17-year-olds has received a sexually explicit or distressing text or e-mail.” (end of quote)

Another useful resource here… http://www.ceop.police.uk/safer_internet_day_2011/Resources/

This warns about the dangers you can get into online if you are not careful!

Below there now follows some useful ideas from me too, that I offer as suggestions to help you I sincerely hope…

: School Bullying Psychological Effects And Very Upsetting

Do not promote yourself online and seek to much attention; one example is “sexting”, texting or emailing explicit images of yourself or others, which can fall into the wrong hands… warning here on this link below from the BBC… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12385159
Speak to your teacher and communicate properly and respectfully the problem, but discreetly, so you won’t appear a “grass”, “snitch” or “weak”.
Speak to your parents calmly about it if you can or Childline
If the bullying is serious, or involves weapons or bodily harm, report it to your teacher and headmaster, and even the police may be involved
In between lessons, swiftly move from class to class, avoiding the bullies
Do not loiter in corridors, toilets, refectories, canteens or other restaurant facilities
Go home for lunch or get away at lunchtimes safely, possibly via different exits
Arrive at school “just in time”, and leave promptly
Use different buses if practical
Get a lift from a parent, guardian, or someone who you can trust and respect
Do not give out your mobile number or email. If you have change them now!
Keep away from social networks on the web, or block the people concerned if you know who they are, and how to do so.
Stick to your friends if you have enough of them to help
Have good associations, avoid the bad! Phase them out slowly if required.
Do not aggravate the bully, or give them extra cause to bully you. If you can identify what is causing it, then modify what you do, but as long as it does not stifle your personality, or learning experience at school
Do not boast excessively at school, or make yourself a target
Change schools – sounds drastic, but it can work. When you change, keep a low profile, and be natural
Try to go to classes that are well supervised, and the other students are not allowed to “mess around”
Do not dwell on the past, look past the issue, as often bullying will move from you to elsewhere, or stop
Use reliable prefect pupils at school, and get help from them
Form a group of people with common problems, and work as one against it and bolster each other up
Do not give in to depression, or suicidal tendencies!
Above all – See It – Stop It – Report It!

Cyber-Bully-Cyber-Bullying

Bullying is very stressful to be on the receiving end of; and it can lead to post-traumatic stress, and a whole host of problems if left unchecked.

This may be useful… http://stopcyberbullying.org/

FLASHBACK!

What is this, flashback? Well bullying can cause flashbacks, and I have had my share of them!

I never had confidence to perform in front of an audience – and I found out why recently!…

Once I was bullied at school for a while about how I speak, “day-in-day-out”, relentlessly by one person, and while rehearsing for a play later on I was being ripped about this speech thing all the time so much that I was put off doing the play.

The play was over two nights, and when I was taking part I went on the first night, but not on the second, as my confidence had folded!

The next week I was in “trouble” all week with the teachers and kids for not turning up on the second night!

I realised many years later why I didn’t turn up for this play, and why my confidence was diminished, as I had a flashback in a dream about the same situation, but more up to date, but nonetheless based on this “schoolboy experience”.

This goes to show the far-reaching effect of bullying! You don’t always know of begin to understand the psychological damaged caused to an individual by bullying, which undermines their confidence and abilities!

I can say that thanks to this flashback, I am beginning to understand how the human mind reacts to a situation, and the subliminal effects of life’s experiences, and how they affect human behaviour.

I had forgotten about the experience a long time ago, but something recently triggered it, maybe seeing someone I knew from school who wasn’t actually involved in the bullying, but it did trigger the thoughts I had, even after many years, but however, it did benefit me a lot having the flashback, in that I understood it.

Having this flashback also enabled me to deal with the real problem, so in effect I have “repaired myself” from this problem, as it has come full circle, and I realise the cause of it, and how to bypass this problem in the future!

May you do the same, as you re-discover and reinvent yourself later on in life – life can be wonderful, but life is precious and short, so may this article help you to make the most of it!

Bullying Consequences And Where It Occurs

If you are a bully reading this; Think! What are you doing to this individual? Are you ruining their lives and future? What if it was you on the receiving and of the bullying?

Think about it! We are all human beings; are you really more important than the next person? Is putting this person down really making you feel that good?

Don’t you really have some other problems that need addressing; now do you! Now be brutally honest with yourself for once!

Now don’t you have feelings of alienation, and guilt after bullying someone?

Just think about what you are doing and why; don’t give in to peer pressure!

Peer pressure can be a leading factor in a bullying situation and build up to it.

Do not let yourself be influenced by your peers to engage in damaging and bullying behaviour.
Remember bullies that are divided, often fall, so don’t join up with them
Take the lead in the good, and downplay attempts from peers to rope you in to wrongdoing!
Also bad association with the wrong people can lead to bullying
Lack of parental guidance, and a poor upbringing lacking education can lead to bullying, and bad association

: Bullying Shock And Upset

We have discussed bullying at school, how about the workplace?

That is another article here…

http://mark-lawton.com/bullying-workplace/

Above All Else … See It – Stop It – Report It!

I hope I have helped at least someone who has read this article!

I would like to thank you for reading this article.

Please stay and look at my “lighter hearted” articles if you would like, and “visit my sponsors” as they say!

Mark Lawton

http://mark-lawton.com

Webmasters Earn Money Here!

Lichtenberg Figures

Mark Lawton — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:23:06 +0000

Lichtenberg Figures

lichtenberg figure

Lichtenberg Figures, what are Lichtenberg Figures exactly?

Lichtenberg Figures in a nutshell are now purchasable ornaments that are set in acrylic plastic.

The manufacturer first irradiates the acrylic blocks with electrons, creating a thin layer of super charge within the acrylic of more than a million volts. In effect the acrylic blocks are acting like a condenser!

Upon leaving the area, the acrylic block is spiked with an electrode pressed into the edge penetrating the acrylic slightly before the charge leaks away naturally.

The result is a loud bang! as the charge leaves the acrylic block in a fraction of a second, and upon exiting the block, the electrical discharge within the acrylic block creates electrical pathways permanently etched into it, just like miniature lightening streaks. This is where the discharge has vaporised the acrylic inside the block, and the exit pathways are clearly visible!

A nice conversation piece and a great looking ornament!

The best way to display them is like I have on an LED illuminated base, and then the true glory of the Lichtenberg Figure really comes out all on its own!

Quoting below from Wikipedia

“Lichtenberg figures(Lichtenberg-Figuren, or “Lichtenberg Dust Figures”) are branching electric discharges that sometimes appear on the surface or the interior of insulating materials. They are named after the German physicist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, who originally discovered and studied them. When they were first discovered, it was thought that their characteristic shapes might help to reveal the nature of positive and negative electric “fluids”. In 1777, Lichtenberg built a large electrophorus to generate high voltage static electricity through induction. After discharging a high voltage point to the surface of an insulator, he recorded the resulting radial patterns in fixed dust. By then pressing blank sheets of paper onto these patterns, Lichtenberg was able to transfer and record these images, thereby discovering the basic principle of modern Xerography. This discovery was also the forerunner of modern day plasma physics. Although Lichtenberg only studied 2-dimensional (2D) figures, modern high voltage researchers study 2D and 3D figures (electrical trees) on, and within, insulating materials. Lichtenberg figures are now known to be examples of fractals”

This video goes quite slowly through the process, showing you in depth how they are made, and lasts for approx 8 minutes… there is no speech, just on-screen comments; and music, which I quite like! Enjoy it!

I will say more about these later, but for now, enjoy the pictures of my own Lichtenberg figure!

Mark Lawton

http://mark-lawton.com

Webmasters Earn Money Here!

Cathy Glass Foster Carer – Book Review – Fostering & Raising Children Successfully

Mark Lawton — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 21:08:31 +0000

Cathy Glass – Book Review – Parenting – Fostering – Rearing Children Successfully

Cathy Glass - I Miss Mummy

Cathy Glass Foster Carer – Book Review – Fostering & Raising Children Successfully – makes excellent reading and inspiration

Book Titles Available so far are – “Damaged”, “Hidden”, “Cut”, “Saddest Girl In The World”, “The Girl In The Mirror”, “My Dad’s A Policeman”, “Happy Kids”, “Mummy Told Me Not To Tell”, “Run Mummy, Run!”

Feature on the “Cathy Glass” website of “Happy Adults” coming soon, and possibly a book soon; as a happy adult helps to make a happy child! This will no doubt help adults in their family relationship(s), and in finding more and better contentment in life.
Cathy Glass – Damaged(Note – All names have been changed to protect their identities)

“Cathy Glass” you may say “what a strange name”, “what is she all about?”…

I said the same when I spotted this book during my studies…

A lot of people will say “why read “angst” for goodness sake; life is bad enough as it is; read something uplifting and humorous instead for goodness sake! Well this is uplifting when looked at in the right way! Life sometimes is about “making a difference”, and being selfless sometimes, as well has having to drive and determination to shine through against all odds!

“Cathy” could have quite easily have chosen not to do anything positive herself, and take the path of least resistance and enjoy and take the “easy life”; but no; she chose the better portion, and to make a difference for the better!

Cathy took it on board to not only make a big difference in what she did; but to candidly and honestly document her experience to help to show people what it was like to be a foster carer and parent, and maybe to paint the picture as it really was, to help other people who are doing the same, and to give people inspiration who may that way inclined to also “make a difference”, as they say!

No doubt she has now turned the corner financially since she has become recognised as a popular book author and publisher; but I’m sure that Cathy has improved as a person, and as a carer greatly because of it. She has no doubt been able to plough some of her new resources back into what she does best – fostering, and looking after children who need “opening up”, and putting back onto the “normal path of life” that so many of us take for granted!

While reading the books, I do sense that Cathy may not have had all of the help and financial means to achieve all that she wanted at the start. I also see that her personal life may have had some turns, with her husband who appears to leave her; and having to rear two children of her own; one adopted child, as well as the foster care children.

The foster care that Cathy did apparently started just after the time that she fell pregnant with her first child; initially she did it because she responded to an advert desperate to recruit foster parents, and wanted to have a go at it, and no doubt wanted children of her own too. This lead on to greater things, as she became more fully immersed in what she was doing!

After reading this, my wife and I are thankful that we do have very good parents who love us lots; and that we love them all very much too. We both help them very often when we need to, or we can do so. It is easy to take for granted a normal and healthy upbringing, when so many others are suffering all around us, let alone in other countries

Cathy Glass isn’t her real name, her name has been changed; she is a foster carer who has many years of experience looking after neglected children from deprived and abusive backgrounds, and having quite a measure of success and a sense of achievement from doing so.

I have read all of her main books so far, and I do rate the content as “five star – first class”, of a very absorbing quality and moral value, as well as appreciating what the the author herself did, who has made a big difference by fostering more than 50 children so far.

Cathy Glass has had a great measure of success, and I am sure a genuinely unselfish sense of achievement, starting out maybe young, nervously and shakily, but very quickly getting into fostering, and doing a really good job after not too long. I get the impression that Cathy was and is always learning, and building upon each experience, really making a difference, having a real unselfish interest in what she is doing.

I have to admire her and hand it to her for her self-sacrificing spirit, and endless patience in trying different methods to bring the children in her care around to a more “normal” condition, and enriching their lives no end.

Having an interest in “doing something beneficial” for people, as well as counselling and “social work”, I have read quite a few books about counselling, social work, social care, as well as psychology. I also have a qualification in human biology, besides having an interest in general medicine, and some experience as a volunteer in the past in a few various settings.

I read Cathy’s first book “Damaged”; about a young girl “Jodie”, who eventually revealed her terrible background to Cathy as her trust in Cathy grew. Cathy shows how although some carers had not been successful, she seemed to find a way to reach her heart, and at that time Cathy did feel a failure she says; but the end result was positive after all!

Quoting briefly from the Daily Mail…

“Essentially, Jodie – who Cathy writes about in her bestselling book Damaged – had been at the heart of a paedophile ring. ‘Jodie would have died if she hadn’t been brought into the care system,’ says Cathy. ‘And when it comes to her parents, I do feel anger. It was evil, what they allowed to happen to her. Jodie’s case was exceptionally sad.’

Would-be foster carers should not be put off by cases like Jodie’s, believes Cathy. ‘Obviously you never quite know what baggage a child will come with, but where it’s known to be bad, social workers place children with more experienced carers.’”

…End of quote.

Cathy has not only made a success of her fostering career; but she has been able to capture the events in words and put them to paper in a way that inspires people to do great things!

I found out about Cathy Glass while I was doing my Social Work research; and I bought a copy of “Damaged”, which I read through in just a few sittings for an hour or so each night.

After I had read the book, I handed it over to my wife, Teresa to read. Teresa then passed it on to other members of the family to read. Teresa was experiencing a lot of varied emotions, as was I too when reading the book, as the child portrayed in the book went through a roller-coaster of emotions, trials and tribulations while mending mentally, and growing through her anger, and other emotions, as well as her old disturbed family memories flooding back and disturbing her later on during her recovery.

In “Damaged” Cathy does feel a failure at the end; however she learns later on that she wasn’t – and far from it!

All the way through you are rooting for Cathy to pull each child through successfully, and to be able to get them to move on in life and put most, if not all of their bad early childhood behind them!

No-one who started this book could put it down until it had been fully read from cover to cover within a week!

I asked my wife Teresa to look out for some later releases that Cathy had published; and I have purchased and read some of them already.

The books do vary in approach somewhat, as both Cathy’s experience, and each different child’s problems differ, and she has to employ different tactics.

Some great titles are mentioned below…

“Damaged”
“Hidden”
“Cut”
“Saddest Girl In The World”
“The Girl In The Mirror”
“My Dad’s A Policeman”
“Happy Kids”
“Mummy Told Me Not To Tell”
“Run Mummy, Run!”
The Night The Angels Came
A Baby’s Cry
Happy Adults
A good general guide to fostering, and not a “true life story” as such is “Happy kids”, which offers an everyday practical guide to fostering and parenting skills!

I recommend this book, as it offers some good practical guidance, and may help you to speed up your parenting learning curve, and to avoid many of the common pitfalls that many well-intended parents can fall into

I will read more as they come out, and as I order them..

Certainly Cathy is a well-intended lady, who deserves some accolade, and her books are well worth a read…

Highly recommended in my opinion, and a five star first class read for people who have even a slight interest in fostering, and advanced child rearing techniques!

Although nobody is perfect; you could certainly do a lot worse than to embrace some of the parenting skills that Cathy demonstrates, and shows you in her gripping true-to-life books.

For more information, visit the British Association for Adoption & Fostering website at baaf.org.uk.

She also has her own website… http://www.cathyglass.co.uk/ – well worth a visit!

Thank you for reading this article; if I have helped just one parent or child, then it has been worth it!

Mark Lawton

http://mark-lawton.com

Webmasters Earn Money Here!BLOG SITEMAP:
Pages (5)
   1.  About Mark Lawton.Com
   2.  The Generalist’s Repository – Mark-Lawton.Com
   3.  Basic Guide For Blogging
   4.  The Keyword Academy
   5.  Privacy Policy
Posts (33)
   1.  Bullying At School – See It – Stop It – Report It! (0)
   2.  Lichtenberg Figures (0)
   3.  Cathy Glass Foster Carer – Book Review – Fostering & Raising Children Successfully (0)
   4.  Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries – Low self-discharge NiMH battery (2)
   5.  Chelsea Flower Show 2007 & 2009 Highlights (0)
   6.  Blind Cord & Drowning Danger Awareness For Parents & Children (0)
   7.  Cherished Personalised Number Plates (1)
   8.  Insulating And Lagging Your House Tips and Hints (7)
   9.  Bullying In The Workplace – See It – Stop It – Report It! (17)
   10.  Comedy Funny Pictures – Some Of The Best Fail Pictures (2)
   11.  Carton Pourers – Kitchen Ideas – Less Mess – Less Hassle (0)
   12.  Finding And Replacing Faulty Capacitors – Switch-Mode Power Supply Repair Hints (3)
   13.  Don’t Spike My Drink – Date Rape Danger – GHB – Rohypnol (0)
   14.  Battery Charging And Maintenance – Desulphators/Desulfators (1)
   15.  The Generalist’s Repository (0)
   16.  Capacitor ESR Meter DIY Project (0)
   17.  Michael Schenker Himself Rocks! (2)
   18.  Matthew Upson & Ellie Darby (0)
   19.  Beekeeping – Royal Jelly And Basic Beekeeping (3)
   20.  Chilli Beer – A Different Beer (0)
   21.  Lawton Hall – The Realm Of Lawton (2)
   22.  Cherry Blossom-Ornamental Cherry Blossom-Prunus (0)
   23.  How To Set Up A Website Or Blog – And Get The Traffic! (0)
   24.  Baby Gift Bags – Ideal Gift Ideas For Babies (0)
   25.  How To Bleed Your Radiators And Improve Central Heating Efficiency (2)
   26.  One of The Worlds Largest Sinkholes (4)
   27.  Using Central Heating Thermostats Effectively (0)
   28.  Growing Magnolias Successfully – Growing Magnolias from seed (0)
   29.  Horstmann Newbridge Mechanical Time Switch – Automatic Gas controller (3)
   30.  Hit The Ground Running – Planning Self Employment Start-ups (0)
   31.  Fitting A DIY LPG Conversion Kit To A Vehicle (2)
   32.  Japanese Sushi All You Can Eat in Birmingham UK (0)
   33.  DIY LPG Conversion Kit Fitted To A Skoda (1)

Page 1

Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries – Low self-discharge NiMH battery

Mark Lawton — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:13:53 +0000

Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries – Low Self-Discharge NiMH Batteries

Kodak Pre-Charged Digital Camera Batteries. They keep their charge for much longer when standing!

Kodak Pre-Charged Digital Camera Batteries

What are these batteries I say?It looks like you can buy batteries that are rechargeable, but they actually come charged from the word go!

Great stuff for digital cameras, and electronic devices that need a fast turnaround battery solution.

“The idea is that people don’t purchase rechargeable batteries because they need to use them right away. In the past you couldn’t pre-charge Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries because they would lose their charge while sitting on the shelf. The new pre-charged batteries seem to overcome this problem which also means you can charge up the batteries and not use it for awhile without losing power.

I’m still testing them out to write up a better review of their performance. Duracell seems light on stats for the batteries with most of their efforts going into marketing based on humor, however the product seems good and will probably convert me back to using rechargeable batteries after a long hiatus due to the short comings of Ni-Cad technology.”

Now that’s what has done me in the past with rechargeable batteries…

You buy the batteries and they are flat!

OK, you charge them up, and store them for a month or two, you are then thinking OK; I’ll slam these batteries into my camera, and bingo! Away you go to a photoshoot!

Nahhhh!… no such luck!

They are as flat as pancakes! The motor or whatever turns half a turn, and then stops! DOH!

The solution at last is here!

Great for gifts too I just thought! Yes they’ll be usable; but you need to remind the receiver of the gift(s) that they need to be recharged once they have run down!

Maybe a battery charger should be included with the gift!

Duracell Pre-Chared Batteries With Charger

More about them below, quoting from Wikipedia…

The low self-discharge nickel-metal hydride battery (LSD NiMH) was introduced in November 2005. These batteries were developed by Sanyo, who called them “Eneloop”. Subsequently other manufacturers also offer LSD NiMH.

This kind of battery reduces self-discharge and, therefore, lengthens shelf life compared to normal NiMH batteries. By using improved separator and improved positive electrode, manufacturers claim the batteries retain 70 to 85% of their capacity after one year when stored at 20 °C (68 °F), while standard NiMH batteries may lose half their charge in this time period. Low self-discharge cells are marketed as “ready-to-use” or “pre-charged” rechargeable batteries.

Low self-discharge NiMH batteries are good for photography and other high energy requirement applications. Due to the low self-discharge, they are also suitable for long-term intermittent or low-current uses; they might last a year or longer between charges, much better than ordinary NiMH batteries. They can therefore also be used for electrical clocks, remote controls, etc.

Aside from their longer shelf life, and moderately higher prices, they are otherwise similar to normal NiMH batteries of equivalent capacity and can be charged with normal NiMH chargers. However they are generally available at lower capacities than the highest capacity of normal NiMH batteries, being rated at 2000 to 2200 mAh compared to up to 2800 mAh for normal NiMH. In 2009 LSD-NiMH batteries rated at 2300 to 2500 mAh, actually reaching a capacity of 2300 mAh, were introduced by Varta, Ansmann and Rayovac. Besides, in many devices, run-times for LSD NiMH batteries are as good or better than normal cells that have higher rated capacity, because of slightly higher operating voltage not tripping under-voltage shut off circuits in devices like digital cameras. Some LSD NiMH brands also claim over 1000 charge cycles compared to 500 for normal cells.

Eneloop Pre-Charged NI-MH Rechargeable Battery

Don’t those batteries above look inviting to buy and use? Well I think so anyway!

Brand names for LSD NiMH batteries include:

Prolife from Fujicell
Ready2Use Accu from Varta
AccuEvolution from AccuPower
Hybrid from Rayovac
eneloop from Sanyo
eniTime from Yuasa
Infinium from Panasonic
ReCyko from Gold Peak
Instant from Vapex
Hybrio from Uniross
Cycle Energy from Sony
MaxE and MaxE Plus from Ansmann
EnergyOn from NexCell
ActiveCharge/StayCharged/Pre-Charged/Accu from Duracell
Pre-Charged from Kodak
nx-ready from ENIX energies

Encore Pre-Charged NI-MH Rechargeable Battery Size AAA

Most manufacturers produce only size AAA and AA batteries and the vast majority of low self discharge batteries are sold in these sizes. Several manufacturers also offer 9v (PP3) LSD NiMH batteries (Varta, Accupower, Gold Peak, Vapex, Uniross, Ansmann, NexCell and ENIX energies), rated between 150mAh and 250mAh.However, many battery companies also market “low capacity” C- and D-size battery by inserting an AA battery into a larger case.

Re-wrapped Cs typically have a capacity of just 2 to 2.2 Ah. Re-wrapped Ds typically have a capacity of just 2 to 2.2 Ah when constructed of one AA, or 4 to 4.4 Ah when constructed of two AAs. Although re-wraps offer very limited storage capacity, they are typically priced the same as full capacity C and D batteries.

In late 2008, Sanyo announced full capacity (not re-wrapped) C and D cells in Japan, but at that time said they had no plans to bring them to the U.S., whereas other manufacturers (Ansmann, NexCell, AccuPower) do offer full capacity C (rated at 4.5 Ah) and D-size LSD-NiMH-cells (rated from 8-10 Ah) in the U.S. Unlike Sanyo’s C and D cells, these cells, however, do not contain a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) device to protect them against overheating.

Their capacity, on the other hand, is superior to Sanyo’s cells, since Sanyo’s C size LSD-NiMH-batteries are rated at 3 Ah and Sanyo’s D size LSD-NiMH batteries are rated at 5.7 Ah.

Full capacity low self discharge batteries are noticeably heavy. However, one should always read the specifications when shopping for low self discharge batteries. Because re-wrapping and repackaging is a problem in the battery business, one may also wish to avoid low self discharge batteries that do not have the specifications clearly printed on the actual battery.

Other benefits

Low self-discharge NiMH batteries typically have a significantly lower internal resistance than traditional NiMH batteries. This has a number of desirable effects especially for high-drain applications:

Voltage is more stable (less load- and capacity-dependent). This can have a beneficial effect on run-time in electronic devices, which typically have a cut-off voltage per battery that is not much lower than NiMH’s nominal voltage. (However, this can also cause some devices with battery status indicators to overestimate the remaining capacity of a nearly drained cell.)
Reduced heat buildup when the battery is quickly charged or discharged
Higher efficiency
Higher instantaneous current discharge capability

Developments in 2009

Whereas Varta (USA: Rayovac) and Ansmann increased their LSD-NiMH batteries’ capacity to roughly 2300 mAh, Sanyo introduced a new version of their Eneloop batteries with improved durability. Sanyo claims that the new Eneloops retain 75% of their charge after 3 years and can be recharged up to 1500 times. Having looked at this, I’ll have to say that I rate these batteries; if they keep their charge for a few months ate least, then they can be cycled a lot more, and it also extends their usage to appliances that you don’t use quite so often.

Flat Battery Reading On Meter

So hopefully not too much of this in the future before a photo shoot!…… Flat batteries!

Mark Lawton

http://mark-lawton.com

Webmasters Earn Money Here!

BLOG SITEMAP:
Pages (5)
   1.  About Mark Lawton.Com
   2.  The Generalist’s Repository – Mark-Lawton.Com
   3.  Basic Guide For Blogging
   4.  The Keyword Academy
   5.  Privacy Policy
Posts (33)
   1.  Bullying At School – See It – Stop It – Report It! (0)
   2.  Lichtenberg Figures (0)
   3.  Cathy Glass Foster Carer – Book Review – Fostering & Raising Children Successfully (0)
   4.  Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries – Low self-discharge NiMH battery (2)
   5.  Chelsea Flower Show 2007 & 2009 Highlights (0)
   6.  Blind Cord & Drowning Danger Awareness For Parents & Children (0)
   7.  Cherished Personalised Number Plates (1)
   8.  Insulating And Lagging Your House Tips and Hints (7)
   9.  Bullying In The Workplace – See It – Stop It – Report It! (17)
   10.  Comedy Funny Pictures – Some Of The Best Fail Pictures (2)
   11.  Carton Pourers – Kitchen Ideas – Less Mess – Less Hassle (0)
   12.  Finding And Replacing Faulty Capacitors – Switch-Mode Power Supply Repair Hints (3)
   13.  Don’t Spike My Drink – Date Rape Danger – GHB – Rohypnol (0)
   14.  Battery Charging And Maintenance – Desulphators/Desulfators (1)
   15.  The Generalist’s Repository (0)
   16.  Capacitor ESR Meter DIY Project (0)
   17.  Michael Schenker Himself Rocks! (2)
   18.  Matthew Upson & Ellie Darby (0)
   19.  Beekeeping – Royal Jelly And Basic Beekeeping (3)
   20.  Chilli Beer – A Different Beer (0)
   21.  Lawton Hall – The Realm Of Lawton (2)
   22.  Cherry Blossom-Ornamental Cherry Blossom-Prunus (0)
   23.  How To Set Up A Website Or Blog – And Get The Traffic! (0)
   24.  Baby Gift Bags – Ideal Gift Ideas For Babies (0)
   25.  How To Bleed Your Radiators And Improve Central Heating Efficiency (2)
   26.  One of The Worlds Largest Sinkholes (4)
   27.  Using Central Heating Thermostats Effectively (0)
   28.  Growing Magnolias Successfully – Growing Magnolias from seed (0)
   29.  Horstmann Newbridge Mechanical Time Switch – Automatic Gas controller (3)
   30.  Hit The Ground Running – Planning Self Employment Start-ups (0)
   31.  Fitting A DIY LPG Conversion Kit To A Vehicle (2)
   32.  Japanese Sushi All You Can Eat in Birmingham UK (0)
   33.  DIY LPG Conversion Kit Fitted To A Skoda (1)

Page 1