tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74760584765185176092024-03-13T04:32:01.485+00:00Maybe it mutters....Martin's completely random muttering, musing, rants, thoughts and life on the Isle of Wight.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-13104524267807962182009-07-19T00:10:00.001+01:002009-07-19T00:12:23.352+01:00Blog movedThis blog is no longer maintained. It has been moved into the new version of our family blog. Please visit http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/category/mutterings/ for the latest mutterings. Thanks for reading.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-62107526412354958032009-07-18T20:56:00.002+01:002009-07-19T00:16:35.331+01:00Death by a thousand plans? – The Great Educational Balls up -Part 10 This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment.This is the last post in my series. I may blog more on the subject of Badman (click on the keyword to see!) but in even more random fashion. I have saved what Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-44181403991105025292009-07-16T21:04:00.002+01:002009-07-19T00:16:59.013+01:00Where’s the fire? – The Great Educational Balls up -Part 9 This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. OK, this is a biggy for democracy lovers out there. Anyone who holds to the principle “legislate at haste, repent at leisure” (he says mangling a quotation, Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-91273329762088699812009-07-13T20:32:00.002+01:002009-07-19T00:17:14.218+01:00Government Maths – The Great Educational Balls up -Part 8 (or maybe 27)This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. OK, the following was released after a Freedom of Information request. 5. Known to social care[1] 25 of the 90 LAs asked responded (28% response rate). • Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-5706904773021541402009-07-13T19:40:00.002+01:002009-07-19T00:17:28.859+01:00But there’s more support for home educators isn’t there? – The Great Educational Balls up -Part 7This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. Erm yes. Except, no. The Badman review makes some recommendations for extra support for home educators. It also dresses up some unnecessary and intrusive Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-71377697666417945732009-07-13T19:24:00.002+01:002009-07-19T00:17:41.600+01:00The Danger of Defining Education – The Great Educational Balls up – Part 6This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. The Badman review calls for a new definition of what constitutes a suitable and efficient education: “Recommendation 2 That the DCSF review the current Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-11570200125378676262009-07-13T17:47:00.002+01:002009-07-19T00:18:09.853+01:00It won’t cost any more – eh? - The Great Educational Balls up - Part 5This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. Apparently the new measures proposed aren’t going to cost anything significant, and the recommendations that would cost money (essential the only ones that might Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-48903741904907638862009-07-05T16:20:00.002+01:002009-07-19T00:18:49.615+01:00Powers to enter the family home and interview children alone - The Great Educational Balls up - Part 4This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. This is a no-brainer for some local authorities. How can we possibly ensure all children are safe if we can’t see them? How can we possibly ensure the child’s Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-20917525040456324622009-07-04T10:35:00.004+01:002009-07-19T00:19:01.288+01:00Who's the parent? - The Great Educational Balls up - Part 3This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. Alternative title: Nanny knows best I have mentioned previously that the evidence base for Badman’s recommendations is missing. So what is the driving force Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-18844711639992167822009-07-03T18:06:00.003+01:002009-07-19T00:19:15.816+01:00What’s Wrong With It? - The Great Educational Balls up - Part 2This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. The second part in my ongoing analysis of the governments initiative to rush anti home education legislation through parliament. For part one click here. Some Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-34106381038089302622009-07-01T18:58:00.007+01:002009-07-19T00:19:31.711+01:00Introdution - The Great Educational Balls up - Part 1This blog is an archive only version, the content has been moved to http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2009/07/the-great-educational-balls-up-series-overview/ Please visit the new site for the latest content and comments or to post a comment. I have been wondering how on earth to coherently blog about the Badman review and the proposed government legislation announced immediately it was accepted by Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-87478529776209198702009-07-01T18:19:00.003+01:002009-07-01T18:26:40.303+01:00Who stole all the freedom?I was once sat in a doctors surgery, rather bored, waiting for my turn to go and be poked and prodded. As I sat in the half empty room someone came in, picked up a chair and left. No-one batted an eyelid. No-one missed the chair. We were all still sitting comfortably. Then someone else came in and took a chair. Same reaction. It occured to me that they could gradually take the chairs awayMartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-53910902543853633782009-05-09T21:25:00.001+00:002009-05-09T21:34:53.555+00:00The SpeakerWe have just finished watching The Speaker on the iPlayer.  It has been a really interesting watch (it was originally the rest of the family but I got hooked too) and fascinating watching the different personalities and the changes evident in some of the young people taking part.  Duncan drove me mad at first, one dimensional, all froth and no substance, but his performances mellowed, Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-62488596515936988692009-04-21T09:30:00.003+00:002009-04-21T09:46:44.018+00:00Where next for Eco Island?"Eco Island is an ambitious change programme. It will turn the Isle of Wight into the ultimate Eco Island, with strong communities and the lowest carbon footprint in England by 2020." (Eco Island website)So, what happened to Eco Island? I know some things are happening, but after all the flash, whizz and bang of the launch conference and Big Green Picnic it has mostly gone eerily quite. What Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-83980321905833140262009-04-18T21:03:00.002+00:002009-04-18T21:07:14.977+00:00Worse than locusts........is the plague of signs on our esplanades. I think they should all be removed, there are now so many that no-one pays them any attention and they are just a blot on the landscape. If we have to have signs lets have happy friendly ones that welcome people and invite them to have fun, rather than a myriad of metal monsters telling us we can't do anything at all.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-60071494382804212862009-03-20T18:24:00.002+00:002009-03-20T18:28:21.142+00:00Correcting your mistakesSo many times I have problems with companies who compound basic mistakes by completely failing to deal with them. Not so the folks at Outdoor Action. They supplied me with a tent at an excellent price, with no premium for delivery to the Isle of Wight. Good start. Very fast delivery, but unfortunately the additional sun canopy I ordered was supplied in the wrong colour. A simple error, and Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-30417222315730631592009-02-08T21:10:00.001+00:002009-02-08T21:12:41.195+00:00British GasJust tried to log in to my online British Gas account in order to sort out the complete mess they have made of my billing (having spent half an hour on the phone to submit meter readings for a house move, which I had already submitted online). I got this message:"Access to your online bill is temporarily unavailable. If the time is between 7am - 11pm Monday to Saturday, please try again in a fewMartinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-62778485090517721662008-12-30T13:01:00.003+00:002008-12-30T16:25:15.188+00:00I just want the drugsI have pneumonia. This is causing no small measure of pain and discomfort, and now it has been diagnosed and my wife has collected by prescription antibiotics I would like to start taking them and getting better. But I can't. Being more diligent than me, Susan read the leaflet in the pack, only to discover that the capsules contain sunset yellow, a colourant which can cause an allergic Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-72847505195940061552008-11-15T22:51:00.004+00:002008-11-15T22:57:25.987+00:00New cafechurch websiteI have recently put together a new site for our Cafe Church efforts. It's at www.cafechurch.info The design is entirely WordPress based, a concept many have used before but I'm just experimenting with as a way of keeping things up to date as easily as possible, having been impressed with WordPress since ditching Blogger on the Island 2000 site. Only laziness prevents me moving this blog over Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-24512850986177492652008-11-15T22:49:00.001+00:002008-11-15T22:51:40.709+00:00My life at the officeCartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-4435307259941464202008-11-04T19:21:00.003+00:002008-11-04T19:28:39.379+00:00No Timewasters Please...No Timewasters Please. It's been used in classified ads for ages, and I am now seeing it more and more on our local Freecycle list. But what is it really going to achieve? Ah, they don't want people to waste their time, I'll carry on looking for someone who doesn't give a **** how much of their time I waste.I'm now off to put a sign in my car saying "No car thieves please".Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-69799170818052556572008-11-01T21:53:00.003+00:002008-11-01T22:05:50.301+00:00Have I got dissapointments for youI have just watched what must be the funniest episode of Have I Got News For You. Hosted by Tom Baker, who has clearly completely lost it, most of the show was spent (for me anyway) creasing up at the expressions as Paul Merton, Chris Addison and Ian Hislop tried desperately to figure out a way of tunnelling out to escape the crushing boredom of Vince Cable and the raving lunacy of Tom Baker. Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-77046877139053313082008-06-07T14:48:00.002+01:002008-06-07T15:08:13.451+01:00Isolationist tendancies and the UK housing marketSorting through some old files I discovered something I started writing when I was researching suburbs and transport at university about 7 years ago. I couldn't decide what to do with it, so thought I'd post it here. Then I'll have an empty folder....The cliché has it that "An Englishman's house is his castle" and in many ways that phrase still seems to ring true today. Research into Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-88361696248506458012008-04-23T22:01:00.004+00:002008-04-23T22:19:32.796+00:00Next day at no cost. Why should we pay more?Well, it has been a hectic few months. Not helped by being asked to do some work for Waverley Excursions about the MV Balmoral in March. While most welcome in income terms and an interesting piece of work, it was one of those that required dropping everything. Only some stuff couldn't be dropped. So we've been busy. Still, clearly leads to less time to spend grumbling.... But I'm back, I'm Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7476058476518517609.post-38268106502448153962008-01-24T15:38:00.000+00:002008-01-24T15:40:02.255+00:00Voyage of the purple KiteIn need of some cheering up, so I thought I would further spread my epic (cough) first YouTube video.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11200275617846269113noreply@blogger.com0