Real change is needed in our education system. I'm not just talking about university fees which I've spoke about before and the Open University tried to make clear in a letter the sent me below

Open University explains tuition Fees!

Eric Schmidt criticised the UK education system back in August and I agree with him (and the pirate party appeared to as well). He said the UK had a strong, proud past of scientist and technological pioneers. As someone who left the school system in 2005, I will try and list what I believe is missing to create future pioneers in this country without being boring

A simple IT lesson today isn't good enough. The children know more and if they don't in many cases they adapt faster to technology then the person teaching them. Teaching a child or teen how to work with Microsoft Excel or fill entries in Microsoft Access will (mostly) set them up for a lifetime of work. In addition to this even in workplaces other software systems are being used and embraced. A wider range of IT knowledge needs to be added on the curriculum. I can't speak for the current curriculum though, but I would hope it's been updated from my recollections. I think in terms of teaching IT in UK schools there should be two separate subject matters one being the traditional information technology and the other being computer science.

Many other subjects particularly at secondary level are stagnant statics. I mean the curriculum doesn't change year after year. How can the best be provided and given when it isn't current or broad enough? This is especially true of subjects like history. The history of the Atlantic slave trade or WW2 are both very important components in their own right these are drawn out and analysed far too deeply. International history should also be on the curriculum.

Lets take a look at the very broad (IB course) approved by the UN. It doesn't just focus on academics. It teaches life skills. It teaches for real life rather then just programming people for work or jobs in a system. Life skills need to be taught that are broad. Enabling students to think about creativity. Not just another robot, so to speak.

A random secondary school

Teachers in UK schools are often focused on meeting targets and achieving grades. To which most are very misleading and confusing. The problem is the curriculum in schools it just doesn't allow students to achieve the best. Often students are put in groups in English, Maths and Science. Where they generally perform to the level of the group they are in. Allowing mixed ability students to work together would work best allowing student matching. The aim being that the weaker student can learn with how the strong student does. If lessons are tailored correctly.

We really need to improve our schools. If we don't, we will need to rely on foreign countries to supply us with brains. We already have problems producing a workforce!

It's like most of our country at the moment we really need to self sustain more and improve what we have.

I personally feel that I've learnt more in the six years out of school, then I ever learnt at school! That cannot be the way no longer. Students need to come out of school ready for the world. I've got more to say in part 2 on this series. I actually meant to post this a few months back but didn't finish it!

Kit Malthouse - Deputy Mayor of London

Instead of addressing the cause of the August riots. The deputy mayor is still focusing on what he calls "the large majority of criminals" who took part in the unrest. Can nobody see that unrest just doesn't happen? It's a issue with society.

The fact it took our own prime minister three nights to cut his holiday short in Tuscany and return home, just shows what a mess everything was.

People have felt marginalized. Whether through race (ignore what the media feeds you people do get treated differently in this country!), poverty, bailing out bankers, university fees, price increases (due to the global crisis), unemployment or a whole host of issues.

It's too easy to sit back and say what a bunch of thugs and vermin these people were and not get to the root cause of the situation. I don't condone this behavior but this is what happens when there is a mismatch in society.

The investigations into what happened do seem to be continuing here.

However, they garner little media exposure. We just hear crap about everyone who took part being hardened criminals to put the population down in their rightful place. The media can influence so many things and bend the truth. Reporters don't know much of Tottenham and yet much of the reporting was inaccurate at the time. Media can just evoke problems with the masses at sensitive times.

During the riots, We had one reporter(BBC) saying there is a Jewish community in Tottenham. The Jewish community he is referring to is in Stamford Hill a mile and a half up the road. Meaning they had come down (for some unknown reason) when the unrest took place. Inaccurate reporting such as this lead people to believe only a people of one race, or religion is causing the trouble in a particular area. The media really is a lethal thing

Pah.... I've got so much to say on this issue it'd bring my blog database down and render it unusable

However in terms of changing Libya, I don't think it will make that big a difference. Democracy has to be formed. The country has no history of democracy. Weapons have to be called in and accounted for. A insurgency could still form. This is just one step. Bringing his government down was one MAJOR step this is a MINOR step in my opinion. The country will progress however. Of course after 42 years of brutal dictatorship the Libyan people deserve to celebrate this moment... but its not over. This is merely the beginning.

I feel I have more to write on this. If I think of something I will come back to it. It's late! Red-eye!

Some articles on him from the guardian below.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/20/gaddafi-how-did-he-die

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/20/colonel-muammar-gaddafi?newsfeed=true

Carpet Right in Tottenham above the iconic store were flats.

This is a somewhat rushed post and you already know from my other posts that I'm no grammar expert!

Well, Something unbelievable has been going on in the UK this week. Full blown riots. Some may have been predictable due to the amount of cuts, racial tensions and the bleak future people face but it's still a shock for it to have actually happened.

Let me say what I saw on the streets was terrible. Looting, attacking and setting alight to things is never the answer to anything. However there is a much bigger issue that we as a country have to address and it starts at the top.

Firstly I don't agree that you can pin what happened in various cities and towns in the UK down to a single issue. Many people just say criminality or school holidays. That's a ridiculous statement. We have racial tensions (which do exist), police treatment/harassment/perception they can get away with anything. Not all police officers have a nasty side but those who do taint the met. The reason why I will talk about the Metropolitan police is because they police my city and I know the majority police well, however there is still harassment and many complaints when it comes to black people.

I know how controversial this is but this is the case. If you are mixed race or black have a job and a purpose (I.E not going to cause trouble ) and just happen to wear a Nike tracksuit or such it's likely your going to be stop searched. I know this it's happened to me before. I've been stop searched. I know how people say well if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. That's all well.. but do you know how shameful it is being stopped and searched on the side of the road? You hardly ever see a white person stopped and searched in Tottenham. To add to this there are witnesses to police brutality, and yes I say brutality in Tottenham. A family member witnessed a boy being pushed to the ground and kicked by a police office whilst the other was watching. When my family member approached the officer got very aggressive towards her. As they started walking away the boy said "don't leave me". There are numerous unconfirmed but possibly very real claims of harassment by the police that still continues 25 years after the Broadwater farm riots. Moving on...

When we say over 50% people in some areas are looking for work and 80% of black people in other areas are looking for work we can see how some people feel they've become detached from the rest of the country.

Benefit cuts, False promises, Expenses scandals and short sentences, ridiculous justice system, raise in tuition fees (which were promised to be fixed), Education Maintenance Allowance gone, police cuts, unemployment (it's near impossible to get a job now) and a general social breakdown. I mean we have mothers that are 15 and 16 now. Their children grow up in a home that feeds off benefits as their parents can't often work and when they can they seem to become lazy. No doubt due to the fact they been living on the benefits since they got pregnant perhaps? What's worse is these children may develop a whole new set of social problems. Meaning a whole other generation will be lost!

Rest in Peace Education (I've said it for over a year now!)

There will be a huge divide between those who have got and haven't got stuff. When we talk about people leaving university with £53,000 worth of debt or more this will deter the less well off. People who have planned and saved for their children will be fine, but people on the council estate who had dreams will think of how they will ever pay that off. Having come from a background where they probably struggle anyway. Lets not even mention the standard of education at university. Which really needs to improve if you are going to charge such elitist prices!

In regards to the shooting of Mark Duggan. It's strange how this has happened. First we were told he fired at officers then now we here he didn't and he just had a converted pistol and didn't fire at all. The bullet that hit the officers radio was said to have been a police bullet. I won't say any more on this situation other then it looks like the police have some explaining to do on that...

The worst thing about the riots is the racial side that's been brought up. The EDL (English Defence League) which were labelled as "local residents" acting as vigilantes and forcing rioters back. A lot of people jumped on the bandwagon of blaming black youth or flat out immigrants as the root of all the problems. If this persists this will just happen time and time again. It's flat out ignorance. When the issue of race is brought up as it is continually (its like a broken record) people feel demoralised and left out

Unless we solve the real issues going wrong in our society it will happen again and again - Watch this.

Proof the trouble had racial elements too and wasn't just blind thuggery - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL_8AjiwtyQ

Edit: A Chinese state newspaper applauds UK stance on blocking users of social networking sites here.

I didn't even have a clue to vote and still don't. I'm not sure if I'm going libertarian, pirate party, labour or liberal democrats. The only party I would hate to see in power is the conservatives. Now when have a hung parliament. It was interesting seeing what confusion the word hung brought as people tweeting from far corners of the globe thought parliament had been hung! Looks like we will now have another general election or conservatives and liberal democrats joining to form a coalition.

In the education world its good to finally see some schools abandoning the SATS papers. I always thought they were pointless for many years. The whole UK education system needs a reform and it should start by ditching SATS and replacing A-levels with the International Baccalaureate.

Will someone vote me in as PM please?

The United States constantly babbles on about tolerance and in some cases how advanced they are to the rest of the world. I am not going to say Britain is perfect but we are at least a good 10 years (maybe more) in thinking terms ahead of the United States.

Today in Britain being mixed race is actually recognized. Back in the US it appears that is not the case. It seems the norm for people to not recognize the other side of ones race or at worst dilute it and put you in the category of "Black" or "African American". Mixed race people need to fight for recognition. They are a race themselves and should not be placed into a category when they are clearly mixed with another race.

What would be nice is Barack himself changing this from within. He has the power and being mixed race himself out to seek to make life better for mixed race people. You might think what the heck are you raving on about Matt (It is 1:37am! ) but I am talking about the right to ones race. The right for ones race to be recognized.

To quote from Wiki:

In their attempt to impose segregation and restore white supremacy in the late 19th century, some southern states created laws defining a person as black if the person had any known African ancestry. This was a stricter interpretation than what had prevailed earlier. It became known as the one-drop rule, meaning that a single drop of "black blood" makes a person "black".

It seems like things haven't really changed much. America is deluding its citizens by labelling a race incorrectly and is robbing the mixed race people of their own history.

Another nitbit from Wiki:

In recent decades, the multicultural climate of the United States has continued to expand with waves of new immigration. Although the terms mixed-race, biracial, and multiracial are increasingly used, it remains common for those who possess visible traits of black heritage to identify or be identified as blacks or African Americans. People of mixed ancestry possessing any recent black heritage may self-identify demographically as African American while acknowledging their African-American and other cultural heritages socially.

For example, 55% of European Americans classify President Barack Obama as biracial when they are told that he has a white mother, while 66% of African Americans consider him black. Obama describes himself as black and African American, using both terms interchangeably,and is generally considered to be African American.

Why does Obama only recognize one side of his heritage?

In my opinion the US has a long way to go on racial issues but hey we knew that. Having a Black, African American, Mixed race president is big strides for a nation full of so much prejudice. If a person of mixed heritage can take power there it will almost certainly happen here in the near future

America you have made a great step forward but you still have a very, very long way to go

My whine is over. It's really late and I need my sleep now. I would like to wish President Obama all the best in Office and the U.S all the best in sorting out the current mess it's in.

As for the UK... we need our saviour to rise and save us from our own mess! Gordon!!

Peace to the world.

I didn't see the inorgoration ceremony and frankly I wasn't very interested in watching something as small as the swearing in of the new president. However after logging on so many people have been raving about the whole thing I feel like I need to say my piece

First the issues on race. The media constantly rabbles on about him being black (so do some citizens). As far as I know Obama is mixed race and has one black and one white parent. Therefore he is mixed race. I know the media and certain people don't class mixed race people as a "race" or even worse try to dissolve mixed race people of their race. Often saying if the mum is black that makes said person black and vice versa. The world clearly won't be changed by one president of one nation nor will it make one kicked aside race become equal as other races.

Seeing reaction from around the world just makes me wonder what the fuss is about? He obviously has a lot of power but at the end of the day it won't be impacting my nation much what happens there. Unless we decide to follow them into a needless war again. I think too much may be expected of this one person by everyone. I understand this is a big thing for a nation with such a racist past and present.

Unfortunately for the new president Ayman al-Zawahiri has been babbling. Promising of more spilt American blood and airing his racist views.

Apart from those few niggles and a few more I forgot (probably due to my lack of sleep)

I wish the president best of luck he's gotta lot to do

I suppose you can pretty much guess what happened next. Both women were begging me to swap my chain (round my neck) for some gold ring. Obviously annoyed because it's not the first time I have been confronted by these beggars. I told them to go away. Their persistence really irritated me. To the point I had to stand up as they were hovering in on me for about a minute. Eventually they walked off.

Excuse me while I rant a little

I don't mind their being people from other nations or even people begging. What I do mind is these people's persistence (always begging with their drugged up baby's ). They will throw water over your car's windscreen while you wait for the traffic lights to go green even when you asked them not to. To top it off these people seem to like thieving off the vulnerable (I wonder what it would have been luck had I been old! My friend saw them close in on someone once

Just the benefits of living in the EU. The UK is a great place for retards big and small to beg, lie, cheat and steal

In no way am I only isolating this group here. There are problems with all groups. However this particular group stand out. They don't want to find a job and work like anybody else. The polish workers have a brilliant reputation here. They work hard and are truthful (most).

Like I said I have no problems with people that want to genuinely come here and work but you can see some people really make a mockery of the UK

Yep, Well apart from that the day was standard. Got another assignment to do at college. Fun, Fun, treble fun