AMLinington

I find it futile and frustrating that the government thinks that the answer to the illiteracy issues in our nation are to force kids to study the subjects longer. How much did they pay that quango to decide that when a couple of days worth of consultation with almost anyone would have reached a different conclusion? The answer is money - it is cheaper to force kids to study a subject for 2 more years than to actually spend the resources on working out why the kids are barely able to read in the first place. When I was a child my parents read to me and I devoured books (still do) - I was once called a liar by a teacher because I was bored with the childish books on the bookshelf in our classroom and wanted something harder. Her words to me when I selected a book for children 2 or 3 years older than me were 'You won't be able to read that' - I promptly stood there and read her the first page. The problem STARTS in the home - MANY (and not all) children do not get read to - either because their own parents can't read (or struggle with dyslexia and so choose not to) so by the time they get into the classroom at age 4 they are already at a disadvantage. When I started school I could already read and my primary school teacher had the temerity to admonish my mother telling her that it was the schools job (she was a bit of a female-dog if you want the truth). So they are in overcrowded classrooms where one-to-one support opportunities are limited and so they don't progress as quickly as they should at that age. As they move up the school their disadvantage is amplified as there are expectations of minimum skill level and many children hide their failures lest they end up in the 'remedial' class, which can lead to behavioural issues. This is a broad generalisation of course as each child is different, but by the time that child leaves primary school their ability to absorb information is slowing and the damage has already been done. There are literacy and numeracy programmes in primary schools and parents are supposed to spend X amount of time per night with their child and log it in log books and so on but many parents don't have the time, which comes back around to money and the economy - 2 generations ago, it was the norm for mothers to stay at home to keep the house and raise families - they had the time to spend with their children - even if it was little exercises like getting the kid to read the shopping list and add up prices and stuff (my nan did this). When I was growing up, my parents struggled because my mum stayed at home but my sister and I benefited from it. Now both parents have to work to make ends meet and children are (for the most part) in some form of child care facility or other. I firmly believe this is where the problems start and we should be addressing literacy and numeracy from the ground up, not the top down. Schools are only one component part of a larger issue that begins in the home with the attitude of the parents, and this is where we should start...

LOL We received a prospectus through the door for our local (abysmal) comprehensive - I've read this years OFSTED report and the school is on the verge of being put into special measures. OFSTED pointed out that the quality of teaching was poor and pupils did not attain the expected rate of progress etc etc. Funnily enough there are some huge spelling errors on the prospectus: It is littered with OFSTED quotes from old inspections saying how good the school is and how much improvement has been made - none of it comes from this years inspection report LOL. Would it be cruel to go to the open evening on Thursday and ask them about it? ha ha haaa

No, I'm not very old and yes, I did learn how to evaluate sources in both Science and History - sources were history but the value of data and error margins and data reliability were Science. My school was one of the best in the county at one point and I came out with very good GCSEs and yes, I DID train as a teacher - I trained as a SCIENCE teacher and the inability of pupils at my placement schools (the second more so than the first surprisingly) to understand the limitations of the experimental process and their inability to identify the 'suspect' data sources was atrocious. I tried to evoke a class discussion about an experiment we had just conducted (I forget what it was) with the aim of getting the class to consider that the experiment method was 'inaccurate' by the nature of things like the vessels they used to measure the chemicals having large scales and to think about how they might improve the accuracy of the experiment. They looked at me blankly and then said things like "have someone hold the table so it doesn't wobble" or "Use a robot to mix the chemicals" after this it went downhill and I moved onto a different exercise and this is partly why I gave up teaching in the first place. There isn't any need to be mean, I am a literate and eloquent individual I just struggle with where to put semi colons - this doesn't make me a worthless SCIENCE teacher - I taught Science, not English. As a teacher I'm not interested in the grammar when the ideas are there but my point is that they aren't - kids are so used to being spoonfed the answers that they can't think for themselves. Of course you have the bright, enquiring minds but it frustrates me so much when SO MANY kids can't even apply a little bit of logic to something. I'm leaving this thread now as I no longer wish to be shot at for expressing my feelings in this debate. I've shared my thoughts and have strong feelings that a better structured vocational programme could be a really valuable asset to our education system rather than force kids to bang their heads against brick walls again and again. I stand by this. Also, it is worth pointing out that I had to pass an English literacy test before I could become a teacher and basic grammar WAS tested in this. I'm just employing self deprecating hyperbole in response to your previously implied grammar faults with my post. I'm not actually 'Rubbish' at grammar at all.

Exactly, unless in the next decade all classrooms will be outfitted with PCs or Thin clients in which case you would have the whole cohort split into X number of classrooms. It is untenable given the current infrastructure but if you consider the 'School of the future' and imagine how things COULD change, it COULD become feasible. Although considering that many schools are still using Windows XP due to budget constraints I won't hold my breath that the money will be there for upgrades like this.

So the only way it would happen is to have invigilators in each classroom and the year group would be split between the invigilated classrooms.

Not sure that's a problem with your proxy tbh - can you access the channel on 'normal' youtube? That sounds like a Youtube edu issue. Quite honestly it seems very complicated to manage and I wouldn't know where to start advising on this other than to suggest checking that the search isn't being blocked in your web filter logs.

This is for you @X-13 Updated Pony Plush Pattern by ~CaveLupa on deviantART Take a look at her Gallery of ponies I plan to enlarge the pattern and make some out of some IKEA fleece blankets I bought yesterday - cream with purple hair and purple with cream hair. You may worship me now.

I don't think tablet devices are feasible because the keyboards and typing options are not suitable for essay writing. Thin clients on the other hand...

Perhaps we need to change the environment entirely - maybe ALL classrooms should be IT suites. I'd LOVE to see the budget on that one though! LOL

This post seems to address points I raised and I think there is cognitive dissonance in what I was trying to say. My point was exactly about APPLIED knowledge. Theoretical knowledge and applied knowledge are two different things. I would MUCH rather my children learned how to properly write letters and correct forms of address than whether Puck was secretly hot for Bottom or whatever it was. Literacy is not just about writing essays but it is about use of language, grammar, sentence syntax etc. I'm the first to admit that my grammar is RUBBISH, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad engineer. It IS important to 'find x' but unless there are examples to relate it to, there is a gap between theoretical and applied that some pupils can't bridge - LeBoyfriend is terrible at theoretical maths, but he can work stuff out in his head like VAT percentages considerably faster than me! The point is that he was never tested on the applied side, so it LOOKS like he's bad at it but really he's not. Another thing that cheeses me off is the inability of kids to properly evaluate sources, discuss and understand why some data is worth more than other data - this was something I learned in Science, not English or Maths. I spent most of my time in English reading ahead during the round-robin-reading because other kids were too slow and I'd tune them out and finish the book. I'd get told off for it until I explained to my teacher that I had already READ the book. In the end my teacher gave up and skipped me as she knew I'd have already done the required reading for the exercise. I learned how to do all the really important things from the internet - I've learned more about grammar from The Oatmeal than I did in school. I learned how to format beautiful documents from looking at them on the internet and comparing them to mine. My CV looks the way it does because of an article on a job hunting website, not because I learned it in school and this is what is wrong. I'm not saying that studying Shakespeare and poetry is WRONG per se, but when kids come out of school lacking so many other English language skills, I have to question whether studying Shakespeare was time well spent?

When I saw this on the news I rolled my eyes and sighed. I agree that it is a very bad plan. Don't get me started on the value of academic subjects vs vocational and skills-based courses - I could rant for hours. A good, solid vocational programme could be really productive and worthwhile for students of lower academic ability or simply differing skillsets and to ignore this in favour of forcing pupils to take GCSEs over and over again is pointless - what will happen once a theoretical student reaches 18 and the government can no longer force them to stay in school? What if they haven't passed by then? I agree that basic literacy and numeracy skills are important, but you don't need a GCSE. When I was at school there were different levels of Maths GCSE - Foundation for the lower ability, Intermediate and Higher. I got an A in my mock and was encouraged to take the Higher but I was scared of flunking out so took intermediate and came out with a high B (B was the highest grade you could get at Intermediate). I'm numerate enough to have obtained a Degree in Geology, a PGCE and I work in networking (broadly speaking). I was having a lively debate in the car the other day first with my best friend and then with LeBoyfriend - both of whom struggle with dyslexia. LeBoyfriend went back to night school to try to get his GCSE and still couldn't get past an E having obtained a G the first time around and I KNOW that he tried really hard but struggled and became angry and disillusioned and forcing thousands of dyslexic and dyscalculic (sp?) pupils to struggle again and again with the GCSE is cruel and pointless. I think a literacy and numeracy test testing basic life skills should be mandatory but writing compare and contrast essays on Christina Rosetti poems and Shakespere plays is not productive to anyone. I also think pupils should be taught in classes that cater to their abilities rather than in year groups, but that is another topic entirely.

Yeah I saw the final - without giving too much away, I always knew the ending would be what it was - I had faith, although the death was unexpected - I agree with @happymeal that Maddys part in the final wasn't as polished as it could have been and did feel like a lot had been cut out. They could have ramped up the emotion by a factor of 10 really easily and didn't - I had the tissues ready and felt cheated when I could barely squeeze out enough tears to moisten my eyelashes. I adore Jesse and his part could have been so much more awesome than it was. Even the funeral wasn't quite emotional enough (although I loved that Barry was there lol). I loved the little quotes from the intro popping up all over the place though. It has to be said that this whole season I've found Michaels mission really oblique - this mysterious 'organisation' that are so deadly and dangerous yet make such silly mistakes. It was never clear to me even from the outset of the season what exactly the threat was - they could have done with a concrete climactic event that Michael was working to prevent - you know, the usual: thermonuclear war, bio-terrorism, fire sale, hell, even a Guy Fawkes, as it was the plot seemed to play second fiddle to the teeth gnashing and Sam stating the obvious a lot.

For a start, I'm pretty sure it's illegal for a male sibling to share with a female sibling past the age of 6. Don't quote me on that though. As she is 14 and you are 21 this is beyond unacceptable. As you are 21, there will be nothing social services will do for you (although they could help your sister) so I suggest speaking to the local housing authority/council housing department although @HarryMonkey has posted something that is arguably better, although it is private sector renting - you might find having local authority backing would be better for you. You might even qualify for housing benefit - you need to speak to them and ask. If your parents are locking the kitchen against you, they are, sadly, within their rights as you are 21 and they are no longer responsible for your wellbeing - do they still feed your sister? It is sad that you have such a poor relationship with your parents and that they have such a terrible attitude towards their children, but really, the best you can do is put some distance between yourself and them by moving out - it doesn't sound like you'll miss out on a lot tbh. In terms of money, you will need to seriously consider leaving your retail job - retail pays pittance. I suggest looking for evening and weekend work - it will be hard for the time you're doing the police courses and you'll be tired, but surely it is better than the current situation? You could work evening shifts 4 or 5 nights a week and depending on the job, you might not even have to work weekends. Edited to add: Essentially the above pretty much says that your situation constitutes overcrowding. There is the suggestion of penalties applicable to the homeowners but I don't know who would enforce that.

Why do you hate to say it? It's true... Orange customer service is a pain - they frequently just hang up on you. I've given up. Although here is a nifty trick - if you select whichever menu options relate to 'You're thinking of leaving us', you'll get through to someone REALLY fast and then tell them you came through to them because you're sick of the terrible service etc etc and want to leave - you'll get help pretty sharpish.

Please be advised that any changes to backend files will invalidate your warranty and are not considered 'update safe' and may be overwritten by updates. Rather than attempt to action something that is not a functionality in the web UI, it would be easier to do the following: Reserve IP addresses for those MAC addresses on your DHCP server then use the Smoothwall UI to block the IP addresses - this can be done using the web filter or the IP block feature which is under the Networking > Filtering menu.

I saw 3 or 4 too but that was only beween 9pm and 11pm GMT - I also took a peek out the window at about half 3 this morning and didn't see much :-(

+1 for Dariks Boot and Nuke - I've used it before and it was pretty good.

I can't see a point EVER where End User and Second Line support is not required - no system is foolproof and people will ALWAYS ask questions - mostly because no-one ever reads the manuals.

It has to be said that we're still using the AWFUL Virgin hub that we can't get rid of and even standing next to the hub, Next Doors aggressive Belkin is out performing ours signal-wise. I think it must be in some sort of aggressive suppression mode as every time I change the WiFi channel on my box, theirs changes to match it and beats the crap out of our signal. Eventually when the decorating is done I'm going to fight fire with fire and buy the most aggressive suppressive WiFi router and access points I can find and configure the hell out of it until the other 20 routers in our vicinity are beaten into submission.

I don't buy electronics off EBay although I do buy dressmaking and craft supplies and have never had an issue - my most recent favourite purchase was 10m of Olive Green Taffeta for a gown I'm making for £28!!! This is £2.80 a metre - I couldn't get it that cheap elsewhere and whilst it is Polyester, it is still good fabric and excellent to work with. I always buy my large fabric quantities on EBay. I did also buy a REALLY cheap ballgown from China and when it arrived I was really impressed by the quality - I expected to have to finish it properly but for £33 I couldn't buy the fabric for that but actually, apart from a bit of hem facing and a decent press it is perfect. Well worth the money.

My personal opinion on the Vegetarian/Non Vegetarian debate is that whatever you choose to eat or not eat is your own affair as long as you don't preach about it. You make your choices and I make mine and I don't need someone else telling me I'm wrong because blah blah blah. I don't care what others choose to eat or not eat and I don't pass judgement, therefore I expect them to do the same. There are worse foods in the world than a lab-grown burger, but I can't help but feel that the flavour of the meat is dependant on the lifestyle of the animal itself, the food it eats and the blood the meat contains - it seems to me that this lab grown burger is likely to be fairly tasteless without the addition of artificial flavourings which kinda defeats the object of the exercise. That being said, growing meat in a lab has obvious benefits beyond replacing the use of live animals - this manned mission to Mars for example - they are hardly going to be taking a herd of cattle with them are they? Yet if foodstuffs can be grown in a lab, all they will need to take is the cell stock and the lab equipment. I do think though that symbiotic relationships between animals in terms of animal husbandry and 'hunting for food' are necessary - it keeps everything in balance - without Animal A hunting Animal B for food, Animal B population gets out of control and destroys the local environment leaving Animals C, D and E homeless and foodless leading to stress on the population of Animals C, D and E and eventual extinction. IIRC Ants 'farm' aphids (Aphid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) so Humans are not the only animals on earth to exploit a symbiotic relationship, although arguably we have the greatest scope.

It is worth pointing out here that making ANY changes to system configuration files via the command line without having been instructed to do so by our Support Engineers invalidates your warranty and any issues arising from said changes will not be supported. We also cannot guarantee that these changes will be update-safe either. This is obviously not applicable to the Smoothwall Express installations.

We use Google Apps here and the labelling/organisation of emails into folders is a bit flaky it has to be said. I did try using Mozilla Thunderbird and putting rules into place there which worked okay but when I logged in on the web it was difficult to work out what went where as the folder names were a bit screwy.

If the pictures are of nature doing what nature does - animals killing other animals for food and survival, then I don't find them distressing at all - I am more distressed by images of cruelty and cruel acts perpetuated on innocent animals - I have never been able to get the image of some mutilated kittens in Thailand out of my head - I can't do a google search for Kittens without seeing it and it causes me a huge amount of distress. Those are incredible pictures of incredible animals.

It doesn't. I came across this list a long time ago and found a source on the web that had obtained one - suffice it to say it looked like it had been fished out of the compost bin. Ack. Edited to add: