What bemused you today?

[Alfonso_Frisk]

Could be worse H
We have two morons in charge and many a toad waiting in the wings

[ABERS]

That's a little unkind about the people who run your adopted country Howard. Perhaps you should rethink about dual nationality, it would seem you would only be multiplying your dissatisfaction and frustration with both national ruling classes. The Poles have the same problem here.

According to the Sunday papers, if Hollande gets in, which he has, the French elite will decamp en masse to the UK. There might be just enough room for them, but I'm sure they will miss all those holidays they enjoy throughout the year. No 'fait le pont ici' old chum.  And don't forget here "we're all in it together", not. 

[Hinfrance]

I'm sort of upset for the French - as for us, well KERCHING! The Euro has already fallen around 3% since Hollande won, and I'm sure his announcement of a suite of price controls (remind you of anyone?) this morning will do nothing but help increase the value of my sterling pension further. 

As for the wealthy decamping to other parts, I'm sure the real estate agents in London and Zurich are licking their lips; probably the ones in Dublin and Frankfurt too.

[skellum]

At least he was democratically elected unlike our present government.

[spinner]

I think the hand held shots with the Sony turned out better that the tripod mounted Nikon. 

D200 isn't good at lowlight photography and tends to be very noisy. 

I have to agree, I decided I'd have another go, last night. Mount the Sony on the tripod etc. It was a beautiful sunny day, clear blue sky very little cloud. Until sunset that is and then it clouded over and I couldn't even see the moon let alone photograph it. 

[Mick]

I think the hand held shots with the Sony turned out better that the tripod mounted Nikon. 

D200 isn't good at lowlight photography and tends to be very noisy. 

I have to agree, I decided I'd have another go, last night. Mount the Sony on the tripod etc. It was a beautiful sunny day, clear blue sky very little cloud. Until sunset that is and then it clouded over and I couldn't even see the moon let alone photograph it. 

Spin, I took this old shot handheld with the Sigma 50-500 Had to throw several shots in the bin though, this was the best of the bunch.  Not brilliant, but you get the idea. lol..

[ABERS]

WBMT

This,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17974663

I can't imagine what is wrong with seeing if a child has grasped the fundamentals of grammar and punctuation.

Leaving it to the teachers is a bit suspect. Perhaps it's because the teachers themselves are a little lacking in this area of expertise.

[anglefire]

As someone who has a couple of kids, all I can say is that they both had to do spellings every week and there was quiet a strong ethos of teaching grammer and the like.

As a rule, the teachers are fine - its the parents that need to be sorted out, half of them don't give a toss and don't help their own children. Hate to say it, but often the deprived areas, inner cities and the like.

[Graham]

As someone who has a couple of kids, all I can say is that they both had to do spellings every week and there was quiet a strong ethos of teaching grammer and the like.

As a rule, the teachers are fine - its the parents that need to be sorted out, half of them don't give a toss and don't help their own children. Hate to say it, but often the deprived areas, inner cities and the like.

  At the school my wife teaches at (Sorry Alan...At which my wife teaches.) it's way more than half!
               Graham.

[Hinfrance]

As someone who has a couple of kids, all I can say is that they both had to do spellings every week and there was quiet a strong ethos of teaching grammer and the like.

Hmmm. I'm not quite sure what "spellings" are, and as for "grammer" there is no such word. Mrs H is also an English teacher; were I to write a sentence like that I doubt I would be allowed in the house. 

The sentiment you express, however, is quite correct. Frank Field, a universally respected politician (one of maybe a few dozen in the entire world), had twice been asked to report on how to deal with bad parenting and the educational consequences: twice he has reported thoughtfully and in depth and twice been ignored. I have formed the view that if Frank Field and Ian Duncan Smith were shut in an office together, given a decent budget and the power to make changes, they could between them make a huge dent in the widespread illiteracy and entitlement culture that pervades the UK and which results in its citizens having one of the poorest social mobility rates in the developed world.

As for teachers . . it seems to me that 95% are good or better, but that they have been undermined for decades by political correctness, an ever increasing burden of largely pointless paperwork, severe restrictions on the techniques they may use to impose discipline, almost capricious changes in curricula, declining expectations, and the inability of the system to get rid of the duff 5% of their colleagues who hold everyone else back.

My goddaughter is primary school teacher in Bristol. She says that you can easily divine two distinct groups in her school. Those where the parents are actively involved, and those where they are not. Luckily the ratio is still roughly 50:50, but she wonders how long it will be before the balance tips towards the neglected group, as even during her short career so far she has remarked upon a significant and obvious decline in the population of the literate pupils who are always to be seen with a book in their possession.

[Oldboy]

As for teachers . . it seems to me that 95% are good or better, but that they have been undermined for decades by political correctness, an ever increasing burden of largely pointless paperwork, severe restrictions on the techniques they may use to impose discipline, almost capricious changes in curricula, declining expectations, and the inability of the system to get rid of the duff 5% of their colleagues who hold everyone else back.

The biggest problem is the MP's who, once they get in power, keep changing the system and making exams easier that even the thickest can pass. Very strange, as most of them went to elitist schools! 

[Hinfrance]

A link from the Corvette forum showing that private parking is not safe either side of the pond . .

Joyride. Scroll down and watch the video.

While the cat's away, the mice will play 

[Oldboy]

A link from the Corvette forum showing that private parking is not safe either side of the pond . .

Joyride. Scroll down and watch the video.

While the cat's away, the mice will play 

The BBC's Watchdog did a piece on this a few years ago. In that case cars were damaged, driven all over the place and left in the street instead of secure parking as the owners had payed for. 

[Hinfrance]

Yes, I saw that programme too - looks like it's the same everywhere.

[donoreo]

A link from the Corvette forum showing that private parking is not safe either side of the pond . .

Joyride. Scroll down and watch the video.

While the cat's away, the mice will play 

The BBC's Watchdog did a piece on this a few years ago. In that case cars were damaged, driven all over the place and left in the street instead of secure parking as the owners had payed for. 

Ferris Beuller's Day Off.  All I have to say