Named, ranked and blamed

League tables that measure teachers individually are gaining popularity in the US, but their impact can be catastrophic. One such project resulted in a practitioner taking his own life after a poor rating.
The the story of a dedicated teacher, working in a very dangerous Los Angeles neighborhood who took his life because of a public teacher league table.
We should all look back 20 centuries to Greece and reflect about what the real place of teachers in a society should be.
MP

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6323230

Gove is hailed as a raising star: but he does not deserve it.

Mr. Gove is a news editor who has shown the maximum possible disregard for evidence-based discussion, a deep ignorance of basic reading of stats and also an exceptional hubris. Why is he taking decisions about what the whole country ought to learn? Why?
MP

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/07/gove-myth-educational-standards-private-providers

More spending? The coalition may as well build a bridge to the moon | Simon Jenkins [The Guardian]

The good Simon Jenkins writes about the abyssal distance between the Tory/LibDem leadership and the real economy.
MP

David Cameron and Vince Cable are both wrong. Infrastructure isn't the answer and nor is QE – money in pockets is

Simon Jenkins
Thursday 7 March 2013
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/07/more-spending-coalition-build-bridge-moon
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From the Guardian: 12 apps to de-Apple your iPhone and make it work smarter

iPhone users are dumping Apple's clunky preloaded software and replacing it with rivals' stealthy apps. Download this dozen

Stuart Dredge
Sunday 3 March 2013
The Observer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/mar/03/iphone-non-apple-apps-switch

Teaching and the long hours

This is a nice article on TES about the longest hours of teaching, the mis-perception of the long holidays and the reason why it is the profession with the highest levels of drop off during the first 5 years.

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6318817

Short summary...

The longest hours

Average number of hours worked per week:

1. Production managers and directors of mining and energy firms 49.6

2. Teachers 48.3

3. Advertising and PR directors 42.2

4. Financial institution managers and directors 40.9

5. IT engineers 39.0

6. Chief executive officers and solicitors 38.5

7. Medical practitioners 38.4

8. HR managers and directors 38.0

9. Barristers and judges 36.0

10. Accountants 35.6

Source: TES, 2012.

Thought for the night

The fact that you need to nurture the illusion of an eternal life to appreciate the actual one you have is just stupid. But the fact that you also need a watchful god to behave is simply horrible. 
M. Pontecorvi

Defending the faith: and failing.

This is an article from Francis Spufford: 
http://newhumanist.org.uk/2858/dear-atheists
defending faith and a splendid rebuke by J. Coyne 
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2012/08/29/a-letter-to-atheists-from-a-believer/ followed by an even better one by E. McDonald 
http://choiceindying.com/2012/08/29/dear-christians-or-why-francis-spuffords-letter-to-atheists-simply-wont-do/. 

I believe that these 3 pieces alone, and related hundreds of comments, do represent very well the whole issue of faith(s) vs atheism. Great reading.

I will soon try to put the whole text in here.