A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort
Thought for the week
“Simply making exams harder does not guarantee higher standards nor mean that students will be prepared for a job… …Harking back to a bygone era by replicating O-levels, which were designed for a very narrow cohort in a completely different economic context, is certainly not the way to a world-class education service.” Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, criticising Government proposals to reform GCSEs, scrap the letter grading system, and place more emphasis on end of year exams, as oppose to course work.
Weekly high
Giff Gaff- ‘the mobile network run by you’- certainly has its work cut out convincing customers with the major providers to jump ship. As such this advert featuring roaming hordes of misunderstood, undead flesh eaters, who just want to help if someone gives them the chance, makes perfect sense. It’s also pretty funny, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04CR3NZPm_4
Weekly low
U.S. subscription TV provider DirecTV turned a tragedy into a public relations catastrophe this week when a customer was told they would have to pay $400 for a new satellite dish and two receivers, despite the fact the original equipment had been destroyed in a home fire that resulted in the loss of everything, other than the lives of those inside. Apparently this isn’t the first time requests for payment following a blaze have been made by the company, and again the public’s reaction has been understandably outraged.
Things that might happen in the next week…
The U.N. Human Rights Council concludes its 12th session on the Syrian situation, with a resolution due to be adopted by the end of today (Friday 14th June). The United States military will begin arming Syrian rebels following evidence the Assad regime has been using chemical weapons against opposition forces. And the new president of Iran will be voted in by the country’s public, with results due this weekend.
Just in case you missed it…
Barb, the official body responsible for collecting and reporting UK TV ratings, is set to make major changes to the way in which figures are collected. As of August, catch up and on demand services like BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, and 4OD will also be taken into account when measuring the overall popularity of a programme, giving a truer reading of viewing figures across televisions, tablets, PCs, laptops, and smartphones. Read more on the story here.
If there is a success story, blunder, or news event you’d like to see included email helloATsmokinggun.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!