The Guardian – the rag of choice for middle-class tree-huggers and women who wear clogs and title themselves ‘Ms’, is running a piece today about a girl who, despite having just three GCSEs [I hate to think what these were in], got to go to university. Oh, and that’s one B and two Cs in case you were wondering.
My first observation would be that with GCSEs being as ‘tough’ as they are these days; this really isn’t a very good result: I mean surely, one can just turn up for the exam and get good marks these days? What did she do; spell her name wrong; turn up on the wrong day [both] – what!?
Yet, thanks to our government’s plan; to send any numpty to university, she got in [to Salford] after learning about something called The Aimhigher Scheme. A programme obviously designed with people like her in mind then. “I realised that anyone can go to university – no matter what their background. I’ve proved that anyone can go if they really want to.” Yep, you’re certainly right there – numpties included.
So, what’s she ‘studying’ [I bet you can already guess that it’s not Particle Physics]: a two-year foundation ‘degree’ in ‘Sport and Leisure Management’ that’s what … um, actually she’s ‘studying’ women’s football it seems. Brilliant, as we all know, there’s a big demand for degree-qualified women’s football specialists out there! Reminds me of a line from Clarkson’s article in yesterday’s Times: “a degree in environmental poetry from a fair-trade, organic peace-workshop in Hackney.” Give me strength.
Let’s face facts here – what’ll this ‘degree’ be worth when, and if, she finishes it? I mean it certainly won’t be worth the paper it’s written on! So, is it fair to raise someone’s expectations; which someone surely has in this case; that having a degree will somehow raise a person’s income-potential, or otherwise ‘better’ their life? And what will she feel when she finishes; and finds herself filling shelves at Tesco – albeit two years junior to her old school chums? Well, I doubt with three GCSEs and a ‘degree’ in women’s football that she will feel anything much – except wishing she wasn’t in debt.
Still, good luck to her – it’s better than most girls with one B and two Cs. From my observation their normal plan is to go on to get one A, one B and one C
A) get themselves up-the-duff, B) shack up with a plumber’s mate called ‘Dean’ [who gels his hair], and C), to: live off state benefits for the rest of their lives.
Following on from My Brain – and Harriet’s observation that Amazon’s logo ‘says’ A->Z, I wonder how many other too subtle company logos are out there! Too subtle because while – now that it’s been pointed out to me – Amazon’s logo is pretty cool, I wonder whether they get a decent return on whatever sum of money it was that they paid whomever it was that designed it? Of course, it could just be me – like, did you notice it was an A-Z [as well as a smile-thingmy]?
Having spent the New Year 2007/2008 in France – and having witnessed the French law banning smoking in public places come into force at the stroke of midnight – I was somewhat amused that, the following Wednesday; whilst I was stood outside of the Fiery Angel in Cheltenham, having a smoke (and complaining about the law in the UK); someone spoke up and said “We should do what the French did: when the law came in there, they just ignored it!”
I didn’t point out that this was incorrect [the chap obviously thought the French law came into force some years earlier], and anyway, having talked to a few waiters in France about whether or not French would honour the new law; and being told in no uncertain terms that they would – the fines for non-compliance are rather hefty apparently – well, I somehow felt that a ‘correction’ would fall on deaf ears.
I love this – which I saw in Eats Shoots and Leaves:
Peet: I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy–will you let me be yours? Jo
And again with different punctuation:
Peet: I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be? Yours, Jo
Some brief comments about Sunday then …
Up very early to watch the Japanese Grand Prix – I’m a big ‘petrol head’ you see.
It looked as though the whole race was to be run behind the pace-car – as it was pissing down. No that’s not right – to borrow a Terry Pratchett phrase, “it was the kind of rain that is merely a upright sea with slots in it”.
However, things eventually got going at around lap 20[ish]. Thank God for that, as I was beginning to think that getting up at 3.30 am was turning out to be a rather bad idea!
Lots of spins, poor ol’ Alonso crashing out [ shame 
], and Lewis Hamilton winning. “Thanks very much – that’s 10 points to me and none to you then Fernando” – chuckle.
I particularly liked the pit-to-car radio at the end,
“so, we’ll tick-off driving in the rain then shall we?”
That was Lewis’ engineer – he’d never driven an F1 car in the wet you see! Bloody hell – that boy can certainly drive!
Sunday evening’s entertainment was the Stephen Fry “50 Not Out”. Fantastic program – pity you missed it eh?
