Learn to control money but do not allow it to control you

Firewalker

Marru wrote: »

Just a random thing as I remember you having trouble with your nails. I went today and got a French manicure. I absolutely love it. it keeps my nails natural looking but at the same time smart and well groomed. So I am going tomorrow to B00ts to get the stuff so that I can do it myself in the future.

Thanks, Maru. Good idea but regretfully have tried and it is not working. Except that for couple of days my nails look a bit more decent and then they start peeling again. But I think it is better from using almond oil for nails from Boots - good stuff.

Firewalker

Memory_Girl

This rings so true with me FW - even though the boys and I are based in Scotland (so no tuition fees at the moment) - the quality of ALL education has been continually devalued through successive Governments.

I have a boy aged ten - so looking forward to what will happen in a few years - my conclusion, DS1 needs to be positioned so that he can take advantage of "worldwide educational oportunities" - so for the next while he will have to be educated by the world, out in the world, working with passionate experts.

What an adventure

MG

Craftyscholar

Firewalker wrote: »

· During the last decade the Government introduced policies pushing universities into providing vocational training thus damaging our ‘product’. This is the whole ‘employability agenda’ talk.
· Now they are ‘allowing’ us to charge premium fees for second rate product.
half of the universities will have to close and the other half will have to make large numbers of staff redundant. And generations of our young people without the education to compete on the European labour market.

Firewalker

Memory_Girl wrote: »

This rings so true with me FW - even though the boys and I are based in Scotland (so no tuition fees at the moment) - the quality of ALL education has been continually devalued through successive Governments.
MG

I have never understood the thought behind pushing all Institutions of Higher Education to become Universities and making all Higher Education qualifications degrees.

Unless, possibly, because the decision makers are graduates (largely Oxbridge) and were reflecting their own prejudices - perish the thought

FW, you have first-hand experience of the situation across Europe. Do they have the same attitude?

savingwannabe

I am so angry about this too. I was talking to my class yesterday and i despair. They are bright and academic (economists and mathematicians) but how many will find it logical to incur over £30,000 worth of debt by going to university when they can use it to put a deposit on a house? Why are we penalising the bright ones? They are our future our inventors, our doctors, our scientists, our business potential for the future. I am soo angry. The class divide will widen, what remains of higher education will be purely for the rich, someone somewhere has a not so hidden agenda.

What is happening to our welfare state? Why are years of campaigning for the National Health Service, access to education being destroyed due to banking and financial disasters made by the private sector? Will there be a summer of discontent? or will everyone keep reading about Jordan and Cheryl Cole and be distracted by a war we should not be involved in? The media has a part to play in this I wonder where they will focus their efforts?

Firewalker

Craftyscholar wrote: »

FW, you have first-hand experience of the situation across Europe. Do they have the same attitude?

Not that much. There have been changes but generally university education is still about learning, not about teaching and specific easy to measure outcomes.

But quite a few continental universities are starting to advertise using our peril to attract students.

Firewalker

Firewalker

savingwannabe wrote: »

The class divide will widen, what remains of higher education will be purely for the rich, someone somewhere has a not so hidden agenda.

What is happening to our welfare state? Why are years of campaigning for the National Health Service, access to education being destroyed due to banking and financial disasters made by the private sector? Will there be a summer of discontent? or will everyone keep reading about Jordan and Cheryl Cole and be distracted by a war we should not be involved in? The media has a part to play in this I wonder where they will focus their efforts?

Except that in a poor, uneducated country even the rich don't have quality of life (as the example of South Africa shows) and we should always remember the Post Office as well.

As to diversions - I am sure that the wise public will find some but I so wish for people to stand up and make their position clear. Then, the Government should appoint some of the people on here for advise on debt management.

Firewalker

Firewalker

OK my friends,

I have some news. Last night when it became clear that I am not going to sleep again I wrote The First Post. Done and Posted. If anyone would like to have a look click on the 'visit ...homepage' link.

And Cheri, I had to write a new one - it just did not feel right otherwise. But will use it to develop further some of the ideas shared here. Generally the blog probably will be more specialised.

Firewalker

MrsMoo2U

I so want to join in this conversation but I cannot even begin to start to express myself as eloquently as most of you. My point of view may turn into a rant so I had better step back. All I would like to say is that we need to look at who is governing the country, who is running the press, who has the ear of those people running the country and the press. Whilst the press are being managed by the elite they have the ability to feed their prejudices to the masse. And it is not only the press, the BBC has a lot to answer for with programmes like Saints and Scroungers which is just a propoganda tool to get people to believe that everybody on benefit are wasters and not worth supporting. This is now starting to feed into education which is the latest hobby horse. After all if the poorest people in this country have access to education, the ability to start to socialise with people outside of their normal communities and social groups will they not start questioning the press and the government. It is such a shame that people feel so useless and unable to raise their voices. When there is an uprise then it is portrayed as leftie students causing trouble by the press.
Too many people say that they think that the education system needs to be reformed and less people should be going to University but which of those would not want their child to go to university.
Sorry........ as I said I am not as eloquent at putting my point across.

FW. Heading over to blogland soon to sign up and become a follower!! Oooo you will now be a fully fledged guru.

Firewalker

Cheri, you are under estimating your power of expression - straight to the point and emotionally charged. I just wish more people listened and reallised that it is true; knowledge is power and good education does not give information but the ability to access it. I am drifting into MG's domain here.

Firewalker

Firewalker

A tiring and spendy day today has been. Not sleeping well is starting to affect me. And I have a colleague from Italy staying with us so some shopping for food and a visit to a restaurant was done. It is OK though because the bill will be covered by expenses and loads of the food will probably be left for next week anyway (some of it was breakfast stuff).

Now I will go to bed and hopefully will sleep.

Firewalker