Here's some of what I had to study when I was approaching 16, in 2002. You'll note the opposite criticism has been made -- "the inclusion of the poems represented an "obsession with multi-culturalism"."

I had trouble writing and analysing fiction, and always received poor grades. A few months before the final exam the teacher set me some work to analyse and write something more factual -- I think it was articles from a popular science magazine. That was easy, I got As. It was a topic most English teachers didn't enjoy teaching, and avoided, but the examination board allowed it as an alternative.

Primary school teachers in the UK are paid a lot less than secondary school teachers, I assume because the job is a good bit easier.

Both my parents were secondary school teachers. They'd both manage a long break in the summer, at least 6 weeks, but made up for it by working well over the official hours in term time. I guess before they had children they might have valued the summer holiday less, and normal weekends / evenings more.

(Legal minimum holiday here is four weeks (20 days), but the actual average is 26 days. In both cases add 8 public holidays (Christmas day etc).)

Actually, yes, but probably against their wishes. (But their alternative is being made redundant, so can you blame them?) My dad started as a woodwork teacher, which was replaced by engineering drawing. He'd failed his A level at that, but his school presumably couldn't find anyone else to teach it, and asked him. Apparently it was a stressful summer learning. That was more gradually replaced by IT, meaning "using software", which I think he did quite well at -- "using software" had the flexibility to mean using art + design + CAD packages. The children he taught got As, but if he hadn't retired a few years ago he'd be one of the teachers stuck trying to teach Hello World to 12 years olds -- I'd passed his level of programming when I was 9 or 10.

He also taught geography for a couple of years, I think covering for a long-term sick colleague, and PE (sport) similarly.

Similarly, I remember seeing teachers at my school change subjects. Sometimes it's fine -- a decent chemistry teacher can teach physics, biology and maths pretty easily, especially to children under 15 or so. But the teachers teaching computer science probably aren't the maths teachers, but the general technology / business teachers who have little choice but to struggle with the new subject.

I'm critical of teachers for a lot of things, but not knowing how to teach Towers of Hanoi isn't one of them. Demanding that someone who knows how to teach Towers of Hanoi get paid the same as the social studies or health teacher IS one of them.

I'm familiar with that one! In the last few months I've run out of patience with the public sector scientific organisation I work for, so I'm looking for a developer job elsewhere. I'm aiming for around double the pay... (Although the situation isn't quite the same. I have highly technical, general, transferrable skills, the scientists have highly technical, extremely specialist, less-transferrable skills, so they're "worth" less.)

That is the issue here: it used to be knowing about software packages, the "idots" have changed it (see here and here, among others) to include some programming. FTA "It seems that switching from an approach that emphasised computer literacy to one that actually wants students to do more difficult things is the reason for the problem."

Like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

The bit of London Underground's District Line that until last year I lived next to was bolted. Possibly because it was a long, raised stretch with alternating bridges over roads and embankments between, but I don't know.

Greenwich wasn't arbitrarily picked. The only options were Paris, Berlin, London and Washington DC -- they had the necessary observatories. London was already in widest common use, and the anti-meridian falls in a convenient place (not crossing anywhere important).

British law states that, "workers have the right to 11 hours rest between working days (eg if you finish work at 8pm, they shouldn’t start work again until 7am the next day)." and "Workers have the right to: (a) an uninterrupted 24 hours without any work each week, or (b) 48 hours each fortnight". source

I set my phone to not check my work email outside working hours, and not at all while I'm on holiday. I don't think it would be a bad thing if the majority of people were normally prevented from accessing email (and other work systems) during these periods.

I already use a bicycle for my commute, and most local journeys. I intend to continue with that, especially as it keeps me fit.

Driving a car will let me transport more stuff or passengers than a motorcycle. I'll investigate the cost of owning a car for a while, mostly to get some practise after I've passed the test, but after that I'll probably just rent one as required.

I've not got around to learning to drive in the last 10 years, but it would useful when travelling, especially within my own country.

(It's not hugely useful in London -- only a couple of friends own cars -- which is why I've not made the effort since I moved here when I was 18.)

Europe and the USA are similar in size (the Baltic and North seas have to be flown over). The EU has 500M people, all Europe has 750M, but the GP is a bit out anyway.

It's more like $100, especially if we make the comparison fairer by not sticking only to Western European cities or tourist destinations. Frankfurt to Athens at the end of March is $200 return, for example.

Non-EU places can be more, e.g. Minsk to Paris is $350-ish return.

The $50 flights are for flights between some of the key global airports (e.g. London to Frankfurt) or tourist destinations (e.g. EMA in England to Venice -- $70 return).

I booked a flight to Greece and a separate return from Albania. That flight back from Albania was cancelled a few days before. I was refunded, but I had to book another flight (with a different airline) quite close to the date, so it cost me ~£150 more than the original flight.

European regulations mean that if I'd booked it as a round trip (even if it's A to B, C to A) the airline would have to get me home at no extra expense, and compensate me if there's a significant delay.

That probably affects the British recommendation -- it's permanently damp here. (amateur data in London, but the official data is only available as a download).

It's 3C outside now (17:09), with 86% humidity, changing to 0C and fog overnight.

Fahrenheit is used much less than pounds/stones or inches/feet/yards/miles, including unofficially. Many -- very possibly most -- old people use Celsius, and the BBC weather forecast (on TV) hasn't given temperatures in Fahrenheit for many years.

62F = 16.5C. Below 16C the World Health Organisation says vulnerable people are at risk of respiritory infection, they recommend at least 21C for such people.

British Government health advice is that living rooms should be heated to temperatures of 21C (70F) and the rest of the house to 18C (64F).

The World Health Organisation says "vulnerable people" are at risk of respiritory infection below 16C (61F).

My thermostat is set to 18C.