Wouter Servaas (yorkiebrony)
User profile
- Photo
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- Nickname
- yorkiebrony
- Full name
- Wouter Servaas
- Location
- Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, Great Britain
- Note
- A couple of years ago I moved to Britain to do a PhD in Childhood Sociology. Almost done with it, and hoping to get into Equine Assisted Therapy (if you want to know how/why, ask me). So, here I am, 34 years old, and totally bitten by the MLP-FiM bug. I play cello, love the books and horse riding too.
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The more I study people, the less I understand them and the more I want to be with my favourite pony. Indeed, pony. Not somepony. This is for her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFF1wJN75Z0
about a month ago from web -
Well, after 3 months I lost my job already. Back on unemployment would mean a huge (financial) setback, and in Yarmouth I don't have as many friends - on 2 legs and on 4 legs - as in Yorkshire. So, while planning to return to the Yorkshire hills and vales I got invited to try-out another equine job. In Yorkshire... It's good to be home again :-)
about 3 months ago from web -
Oh, and before I hit the hay here a song I haven't heard in a long time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdcnfJamqtk
about 5 months ago from web -
And of course (I derpied with hitting the Enter too soon....) happy Hearts Warming Eve to everypony here. :)
about 5 months ago from web -
So, last week I bought a car, and I already had to get the rear windscreen replaced: after a 2 hour drive it just snapped just as I got back at my place (which I still don't consider home). Then sorting out car insurance in the UK..... I never expected having a PhD would not be sufficient to understand the logics and reasonings behind getting an insurance sorted. Anyway, it only took a week and a masive phone bill to have it sorted. And the day before yesterday I went to the Netherlands to visit family and friends for the holidays. By the time I went through reservations at the port of Dover Chris Rea was singing his Driving Home for Christmas...
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Got a job relocated, and after a week I'm back online. Job is great, but I miss my friends (manely those on 4 hooves :P ) in Sheffield a lot. Good thing: many new potential (four-hooved) friends at work :)
about 5 months ago from web -
!eastangliaponies Hello all. Soon I'll be moving from Yorkshire to Norfolk, so I decided to join the group here. I hope you all are doing well :-)
about 6 months ago from web -
!yorkshirebronies Hello all, it has been way too long I posted something here. And well, some things happened here: after 3 years of job applications I finally got a job, in Norfolk. So soon I'll have to leave these rolling hills and my friends (both those on four hooves and those on two feet) to start a new life. I never like to say goodbye, so I won't. After all, I can always come back oop north to visit. And knowing that I am going to work with ponies, horses, and donkeys is something to look forward to.
about 6 months ago from web -
@abigpony Tedious? That wasn't my intention. What I wanted to point out is that all interviewed children broadly categorised animals as either pets, farm animals, or wild animals. Each category has its own moral realm. However, the boundaries between those categories are blurred, and animals can move from category to another, with equines being a prime example: these days we don't use horses anymore to work the land, nor do ponies pull the coal carts in the mines. Thus, where we position animals will influence our moral concerns towards them, and it's even possible to stretch these changing moral attitudes towards changes in what society will accept from e.g. farming practices
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Last 'summer' I went to the ISAZ (International Society for Anthrozoology) Conference in Cambridge to do a presentation on child-animal relations and interactions. The organisation uploaded most presentations to youtube, and here is mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9FNjExLqMuw I hope you like the shirt :p
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Had a good look in the mirror today, and I've come to the conclusion I've to change my mane colour from chestnut to roan: there are some white hairs appearing. Whereas for some that might be a reason for distress I'm fine with it. Nothing is better than growing old with my very favourite somepony <3
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Yesterday I received my voting ballot for the Dutch general elections, so it must be that time of year again... Filled in my vote and it's now in the dedicated hands of HM Royal Mail. I still find it strange though: so I can vote for a parliament that has dole-all to decide about me and my future, but I'm not allowed to vote for the parliament that actually makes decisions (and U-turns......) that influence my life and future. Ah well, those are the blessing of being an expat so it seems. Can't wait until I get a new passport (read: nationality of the country I'm living in).
about 9 months ago from web -
@elscire In my humble opinion it's a combi of both my style and their forum rules. I carry my heart on my tongue, and because UKoE wants to be PG-13, I did adjust my style accordingly, but apparently not enough; to take into account any kind of interpretation people might get of my words is a mission impossible for me. So, instead of risking a ban I chose to pull the plug myself. Perhaps I do take it personal, although knowing it isn't. When I signed up there I obviously accepted the forum rules. Based on my experiences with other forums I didn't expect any issues. However, issues arose. I tried to figure out where the rules set the limits, but imho I didn't get a clear answer. I cannot follow guidelines when these are not clearly specified. Thus, I cannot accept their forum rules, meaning I shouldn't post there. That's all, and no hard feelings towards UKoE. I know meets are shown here to. Whether I have the will to attend.... enthusiasm is a bit dented at the moment... :-(
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!yorkshirebronies After 2 months I decided to leave UK of Equestria forum, for which I subscribed to get info on meets. (This is also why I mention my departure from UKoE here). The reason? A while ago an image I posted there (my desktop) got deleted because of it's content. I didn't mind it got deleted, but I felt I was unable of obtaining better or more detailed guidelines on which images are considered ok to post. Earlier this week one of my posts was deleted because people might interpret the content in an inappropriate way. I have been advised to bear in mind how people might interpret my writing. Unfortunately, I cannot take into consideration all interpretations and associations people might get from my posts. These two incidents made me realise my style doesn't fit in with UKoE, and it made me feel not welcome. It hurts to say goodbye to UKoE, but I simply don't dare to post anything anymore. Whenever there are meets, I guess I have to check it out here instead.
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@purplephish20 Congrats to them! Well done!
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It's 1st of August now. Counting the days to the 9th when I'll be in London, watching the Dressage Final. Whether 'we' win any medal is not my top concern. I'll be there to watch the horses, riders, and the teams horses and riders make.
about 10 months ago from web -
Well, back after a birthday weekend. Baked my own apple pies, but decided to keep the candles away from it: 34 candles will create a lunar landscape between the apple slices.... Meanwhile I'm abroad for a while, visiting relatives in the Netherlands. On August 7 the airplane will touch down at Manechester Airport, so I'll miss the big meet in Leeds. So, have fun there! And me? Ah well.... me and people do not always go well together. Forget the PhD in my name, I want to work with ponies and horses.
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@purplephish20 Maybe it's me being cynical, but yet I wonder: do these bronies (who are they anyway? How do they assume they represent the entire brony community/communities? Who is paying for the commercial?) want to commission a commercial to genuinely thank The Hub, or do they do so in order to get their names on the telly? Hopefully somepony can prove my cynicism being wrong, but over the years I've seen many occurences of people getting on tv or radio just for getting there, regardless of whether they genuinely have something to say.
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@hakupony Well, I already have a MSc and almost a PhD. Theory I have enough, but practical experience... Also, getting funding for yet another Masters... Besides, not everybody with a PhD ends up in academia. It is through the PhD that I discovered my love for (working with) horses and ponies. I looked into the possibility of doing an Anthrozoology MA in Exeter. However, I fear adding another degree to my list would be a handicap. You would be surprised to see how many highly-qualified anthrozoologists there are. Just do a search for the Anthrozoös Journal. Anyway, there is a 2nd reason why I leave academia: I don't like to live a life doing job applications every 1 or 2 years. The more I work with people the more I long to be in the stables. Despite being a sociologist I have huge difficulties interpreting human body language, but no problem with horses. This is also why I am more and more convinced my future is somewhere with the horses, and hopefully with Equine Assisted Therapy.
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@hakupony Rankings are not my cup of tea either. It's because of the Ofsted (education ranking) here that British pupils hardly learn foreign languages. And apologies if I scare you with what is happening here. It doesn't mean it like this everywhere. Maybe I just turned into a misanthrope sociologist. Another important reason I don't see a future for me in academics is because I'm a lot more at ease when I'm around the horses and ponies (I'm volunteering here with riding lessons for autistic children and children from disadvantaged backgrounds). Research projects that would have caught my eye 5 years ago aren't that appealing to me anymore. But it has been a reality check for me: academia isn't a cosy world. It's interesting, with many nice colleagues, but at the same time it's just like any other business: you also have competitors who don't like you for treading on their turf.
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@hakupony I would love to continue in anthrozoology, but also there's no funding there for research projects. If money wasn't an issue I would do the MA in anthrozoology, but in the end I need to pay the rent too. It makes me feel rather annoyed with people, society and politics...
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@aeniug2 I used qualitative research methods like focus group interviews and classroom discussions. I also used visual methods (maps and drawings). So for me visual contact with my research participants is vital for correct interpretations of the data.
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@hakupony My university just has been elected Times Education University of the year. My Department has been awarded the highest ranking ('excellent') in all of its main disciplines in the most recent HEFCE Teaching Quality Assessements. We have a close link with ICOSS (http://sheffield.ac.uk/icoss) and we have our own research centre for childhood studies (http://www.cscy.group.shef.ac.uk). And even with this kind of reputation there's no funding available.
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@aeniug2 During my viva my examiners asked me why I didn't arrange 1-on-1 interviews with the children. I replied I would - being a guy - never be able to get that through the ethics committee of university. The same people who cry wolf about the lack of male role models in early childhood and middle childhood are the first to point the finger at you and to slander you because they find it suspicious you (being a guy) likes to do research with children.
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@hakupony I've used some of Derrida Bourdieu, bricolage, the works of Panelli, Punch, Owain Jones, Gill Valentine.... I'm not attaching myself to one particular philosophical direction. Instead, I browse around to see what is relevant for me and what isn't.
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@hakupony The state funds research via research councils, such as the ESRC (http://www.esrc.ac.uk). Yet, with budget cuts everywhere, those councils get less funding. Moreover, social sciences are intangible: e.g. as engineer I could construct a bridge to improve traffic flow. People see the bridge being built and then see the surplus value of funding engineering research. But social sciences are like medical sciences: you work to prevent something and it's intangible. People understand that of medica but not of sociologists. I cannot prove that e.g. my research on social cohesion prevents the London riots from happening again. The only thing people see is that money is spent on something 'vague', and the government that provided tax money for such projects will be voted out. So even when researchers are paid by the state you still depend on the political will to invest in your research topics.
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@mrconventrix My research focused on children's perceptions and experiences of rural areas, and thus also their ways of creating rural identities. Being in sociology I'm not really part of the educational and paedogogical aspect of the social sciences. I've done some of it (e.g. Freire's educational methods), but as sociologist I'm not allowed to say I'm a child psychologist, therapist, or social worker.
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@hakupony The system here is independent too: if you have an interesting topic you want to pursue for your PhD, your supervising professor supports you. The only hurdle to take is the university's research ethics committee. This committee only checks whether your research proposal doesn't conflict with the university's ethics guidelines; it has nothing to say about the content of your study. No, the problem I encounter here now is that nobody is willing to fund any postgraduate research careers. Even my supervising professor (who has 30+ years experience in childhood sociology, and who is one of the pioneers in that field here) cannot secure any research funding, regardless of how interesting her research is. If she cannot, than I (as starter) certainly cannot get funding. And worse, because established researchers don't get funding, there are no research assistantships available. This has nothing to do with independence of the system, but with society not willing to support academics.
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@purplephish20 Job hunting (*grumble mutters *censor BEEPS*)..... Don't know about you but it's still without success here... Either underexperienced or overqualified is not a nice position to be in. Ah well, if they need me they can find me in the stables, working on my horse handling skills for equine assisted therapy. Good luck with job hunting and the like!
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@purplephish20 Hay, indeed, I washed up ashore here. How are you?
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