Does it seem a little wrong to be celebrating a dip in achievements?
Well yes it is but we are never happy with exam results, they are either too easy or, as the complaint is now, marking is too harsh.
I read lots about people complaining that students missed out on a C by one mark and such. But there will always be students who miss out by one mark, besides the C level pass only fell by 0.6%.
Nonetheless students are, understandably, unhappy because they got a D and may have to resit, whereas teachers are grumpy because of how C to A grades reflect on the school.
Personally the way results reflect on schools should be calculated by adding all of the actual scores and finding the mean, its basic GCSE maths, to take a fairer more even scope of how well schools actually perform.
Also, so what if the boundaries went up? Last year a study showed business leaders complaining that young people entered the work place without basic English and maths skills despite the soaring GCSE results. Although school is not there to make pupils ready for the job market, it is a good indication that the GCSE system is failing to deliver a basic education.
US News
Mitt Romney has been confirmed as the Republican Presidential candidate (the way he has been celebrating for the past month and a half I wasn't even aware of the competition). He will run against Obama in November with his Vice President candidate, ultra-right, Paul Ryan.
This week super rich Romney has had to deal with Paul Rayn making a speech full of flaws; for example Rayn claimed that Obama ignored the results of the Bowles-Simpson report on how to balance the debt. While making the speech he also forgot to say he was on the committee and voted against the validity of the report allowing it to fall short of the appropriate number of votes needed to be considered worthy of note.
Mitt has also has to deal with the fallout from Todd Akin, Republican senate candidate, claims about 'legitimate rape' (if you did not catch this take a look, it is both hysterical and deeply shocking) but his wife, Ann, did make a speech about how wonderful he is and what a great 1950's dream they live.
Science and Technology
And now the Apple has turned carnivorous and potentially cannibalistic!
It would seem that Apple own the rights to any rectangular shape with curved corners, yes, seriously, you can patent anything under US patenting law. And it is this reason that Apple won its landmark case resulting in $1bn damages and a pending ban on some Samsung products in the US including the Galaxy S2 and S4G.
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, clearly has no integrity with the ongoing war with Android operating systems (the system in place on Samsung's smart phones) but he is just carrying on from Job's crazy 'thermonuclear war' rantings against Android, which you can read here (this is incredibly funny and ethically sickening).
Not only is this bad for Samsung it is also bad for the consumer, with rulings against this stretched definition of a patent being novel and non-obvious, means that innovators and designers may have to reconsider their ideas for fear of falling Apple crushing them from upon high.
Fashion
This week, 51-year-old, British designer, John Galliano, you know the one? The flamboyantly dressed one? No not the one from Eurotrash; firstly that's John Paul Gauttier, who is French and secondly; Eurotrash? seriously? The one who was fined €6,000 in September 2011 for anti-Semitic abuse in a French bar that cost his his job as creative director at Dior. Yes that one, well this week he was stripped of his membership in France's prestidious 'Legion of Honour' (sort of like the non-royal version of the honours list) by French President Francois Hollande.
But don't feel to bad for Galliano, things could be on the up. As well as the rumours of his triumphant return to fashion, (not sure how that is gonna go down considering Kate Moss wont even be seen with him any more) The Daily Telegraph are reporting a pending hearing in February 2013 which will apparently see Galliano suing Dior for €15 million in a French labour court concerning legalities in his employment contract. Every cloud...
Sport
Thought the Olympics were over? Think again. The Paralympics began this week with an opening ceremony viewed by 11million that was full of umbrellas (we get it, it rains in Britain) and were they appeared to blow up Stephen Hawking (chill out, they didn't, but the poor editing and camera work made it look like Hawking didn't escape The Big Bang).
You can read who I think will be ones to watch a the Paras here, but so far so good Team GB are currently fourth in the medal table with 3 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze (at time of writing) but that is not with out it controversies.
GB's Jody Cundy was set to defend his tittle in the 1km time trials at the Velodrome only to be disqualified for a false start. Despite him insisting it was a technical error and the crowd chanting to 'let him ride. let him ride', officals red flagged him and he was out.
Cundy was heard raging, even though he had been taken away deep inside the Velodrome, about how hard he had worked for four years and how he would never have this opportunity again.
The Commissaires were asked to review the TV footage of the gate not opening, as Cundy states, but they refused. You can help but feel heart broken for him, lets hope he repeats the success of Pendleton and Varnish, who were also disqualified in the final of the women's sprint in the Olympics but came back to break records and win gold!
RIP Neil Armstrong
"a reluctant American hero who always believed he was doing his job" said a statement form his family after the 82-year-old passed away due to complications following heart surgery. The first and one of only 12 astronauts who have ever walked on the moon, Armstrong was a true American hero and is greatly admired all over the world. He often expressed disappointment at the abandonment by NASA, of more manned missions to the moon.
A very private man he allowed NBC a rare interview three months ago, which I can not find (if you can comment it and I link it in), so for now you can watch this interview here.
This week, everyone is;
Watching Pixar's Brave. Still topping the UK box office charts with a story of a Scottish princess destined to change her fate.
Reading 'The Hairy Dieters' as it finally eclipses Fifty Shades' rule of the book chart.
Good News Everyone...
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