Sunday News

It's a Sunday and it's pouring with rain, and yet I still trudge into town to buy the paper, this course is clearly starting to affect me. I thought I'd try something a little different and do a little of the news in brief. Unfortunately I'm not topless and there's no picture anyway so you'd just have to use your imagination. To be honest, if you want to see some boobs that badly then what are you doing reading this blog? You must be on the Internet if you're reading this. Either that or you've nicked my iPad. One way or the other, go have fun.

Ok, for the few of you left who either didn't fancy it, or weren't horribly offended, congratulations! You've passed the first test.

Back on track then. The first story that caught my eye was in the New York Times. They were discussing the implications of an estimate from the UN that, by 2050, there will be about 1.5 billion people aged 65 and over. My first thought to this was that the whole world is going to start looking like Devon. My second thought was, what on earth is the girl in that picture wearing? It looks like a cross between a builder's overalls and hardhat, and bungee jumping gear. It is called Age Gain Now Empathy System. Or more simply, Agnes. It is designed to simulate old age, to help teach young(er) people the difficulties that face the old. Now, I have a problem with this. Before you all start writing angry comments (here's hoping). I don't mean I have a problem with people empathising with the elderly. But why do I never read about a suit that simulates flying, or playing a video game. Better yet, people making suits that do fly, or turn invisible, or do your homework for you. I'm just saying. That'd be cool too.

I also want to give a shout-out to the Americans, who seem to be becoming more and more tolerant by the day. Not only do they have black president, and a female presidential candidate. Fred Karger is now America's first openly gay candidate for the White House. It's still early days yet, and he is virtually unknown, even to Americans, yet he seems to accepts this quite happily. At this point, most people are asking the same question as that emblazoned on much of his campaign gear: "Fred who?"

The New York Times also had a fantastic story about the oldest of Australia's 'micronations'. The Principality of Hutt River. Formed by Leonard Casey, also known as His Majesty Prince Leonard I of Hutt, after a wheat quota dispute with the government 40 years ago, it has apparently become a tourist attraction for many backpackers, and the like. also giving citizenship to about 13,000 people, not to mention bestowing knighthoods on their loyal subjects. I think this story is brilliant for so many reasons, but mostly I just admire the man for doing it in the first place. Not to mention when he declared war...

Ok then one more and I'll let you go off and do something you enjoy. The rise in student tuition fees is still being reported on. While many older readers may think of us students as a load of sponging, work-shy, layabouts, not to mention a load of hoodlums since the demonstrations. There are a few of us that do want to leave uni with something more worthwhile than a hangover. However, the budget cuts that are forcing many universities to increase their fees, may also be having an effect on teaching levels. Research done in the Russell Group of unis has found that the average amount of hours a week that a student spends with a lecturer has gone down from 15.6 to 14.7. Admittedly, not a great deal of change, but that is only between 2009 and 2010. What could it end up being by the time the increase in fees occurs, and the full effect of the budget cuts become apparent? Among this is also a survey that has found that students rating their experience of university as excellent has dropped by half. Once more, you have to wonder where it's going to end.

In a related note, there is news that may well anger the middle class among you, those students whose parents earn less than £28,000 a year will receive help from the government, and the uni, to the tune of £6000. Leaving the student to pay the remaining £3000. That is actually an improvement to what is being payed by the majority of students at the moment (£3,290). Including me. Damn, younger poor people. They have all the luck.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/business/06aging.html?scp=1&sq=Age%20Gain%20Now%20Empathy%20System&st=cse
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/13/republicans-gay-rights-presidential-race
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/world/asia/02australia.html?pagewanted=1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/feb/13/university-students-teaching-hours-tuition-fees?INTCMP=SRCH