Thursday, November 24, 2011
Fresh picked from the Guardian
Having had a very successful bake yesterday afternoon, a surprise since both rising operations were mistimed, lingered over the breakfast bread and butter with yesterday's Guardian. From where I recycle a selection of faits divers (see http://www.faitsdivers.org/ for a rather more gruesome selection).
First, picking up on the bestitis of yesterday, I see that someone is moaning because X% of schools have been rated satisfactory by the Royal Commission for Scoring in Schools (RCSS) for two years running. Entirely unsatisfactory that all these schools are not headed for the excellent category. (Overlooking here the logical difficulty that it is quite difficult for everybody to excel). We used to have something of the same sort when completing annual reports towards the end of my time in the civil service. It was not enough to be satisfactory there either, one always had to be developing, working on one's strengths and weaknesses. Dreary stuff.
I then read the rather depressing news that the US, Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan and united in their desire to carry on being allowed to use cluster bombs, weapons which are particularly nasty in that they often result in lots of small unexploded bombs lying around to blow up the innocent unwary for years to come. The Peoples' Princess was on the case years ago. I also learn a singularly silly abbreviation, CCW, which apparently stands for certain conventional weapons. Or perhaps that was a misprint.
Then there is the spectacle of ageing baby boomers getting into a stir about the awful state of care for the elderly. Having worried about their wealth and mortgages for forty years, they are now into worrying about the care for their elderly parents. They are even starting to worry about what care they might expect on their own account in a few years time. I know the feeling: having done something to my leg a couple of years ago, a something which meant that getting dressed was a bit of a problem for a few days or so, I suddenly glimpsed a future containing a care worker (from the former council estate down the road, naturally) putting my trousers on for me. Not a pretty sight at all. In fact, rather scary; so scary that the leg got better smartish.
The good news is that someone is making plans to end global poverty. Plans to which an entire page (including picture) is devoted. About the same as that devoted to various aspects of housing politics and finance.
For light relief I turn to the jobs page. For £80,000 or so a year I could be chief of childrens' health, care and crimimal justice services in West Dumbartonshire. Or for another £80,000 or so a year I could be Assistant Director (Changing Relationships) for something called the Health Foundation. Failing that I could do casual work with people with learning difficulties for £10 an hour. Or I could work more or less full time for Lambeth Mencap, for free. All of which looks reasonable to me; the differentials are proportionate. Nothing like those which attracted the justified ire of Jonathan Freedland (see http://www.jonathanfreedland.com/) in other sectors in the body of the same issue.
First, picking up on the bestitis of yesterday, I see that someone is moaning because X% of schools have been rated satisfactory by the Royal Commission for Scoring in Schools (RCSS) for two years running. Entirely unsatisfactory that all these schools are not headed for the excellent category. (Overlooking here the logical difficulty that it is quite difficult for everybody to excel). We used to have something of the same sort when completing annual reports towards the end of my time in the civil service. It was not enough to be satisfactory there either, one always had to be developing, working on one's strengths and weaknesses. Dreary stuff.
I then read the rather depressing news that the US, Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan and united in their desire to carry on being allowed to use cluster bombs, weapons which are particularly nasty in that they often result in lots of small unexploded bombs lying around to blow up the innocent unwary for years to come. The Peoples' Princess was on the case years ago. I also learn a singularly silly abbreviation, CCW, which apparently stands for certain conventional weapons. Or perhaps that was a misprint.
Then there is the spectacle of ageing baby boomers getting into a stir about the awful state of care for the elderly. Having worried about their wealth and mortgages for forty years, they are now into worrying about the care for their elderly parents. They are even starting to worry about what care they might expect on their own account in a few years time. I know the feeling: having done something to my leg a couple of years ago, a something which meant that getting dressed was a bit of a problem for a few days or so, I suddenly glimpsed a future containing a care worker (from the former council estate down the road, naturally) putting my trousers on for me. Not a pretty sight at all. In fact, rather scary; so scary that the leg got better smartish.
The good news is that someone is making plans to end global poverty. Plans to which an entire page (including picture) is devoted. About the same as that devoted to various aspects of housing politics and finance.
For light relief I turn to the jobs page. For £80,000 or so a year I could be chief of childrens' health, care and crimimal justice services in West Dumbartonshire. Or for another £80,000 or so a year I could be Assistant Director (Changing Relationships) for something called the Health Foundation. Failing that I could do casual work with people with learning difficulties for £10 an hour. Or I could work more or less full time for Lambeth Mencap, for free. All of which looks reasonable to me; the differentials are proportionate. Nothing like those which attracted the justified ire of Jonathan Freedland (see http://www.jonathanfreedland.com/) in other sectors in the body of the same issue.
# posted by Jim @ 1:35 AM 
