Okay, okay, I know it’s a sad day when the most exciting thing in my life is a TV programme - but what can I say, it’s addictive!

For those that have been living on the other side of the moon for the last three months, ‘The Apprentice’ finished last night with the boss (Siralan as the contestants know him) choosing Simon to be his next sidekick. Really all that can be said has been said on the subject, but I thought I’d add my pennyworth nonetheless:

Firstly Should Kristina have won instead? Well, I don’t really know. She probably deserved to win more, having dragged herself up by the ankles following a teenage pregnancy. To have put herself through university, been successful both personally and professionally and to have brought up her son (now 1 on her own is something I can only lay tribute to. In addition she has shown herself to be a person of dignity and integrity through refusing to be drawn into pointless arguments with other contestants. Definitely a deserving winner, and definitely someone destined to succeed in spite of the setback of being second.

So should Simon have won? Well, he’s not as obviously capable Kristina - younger, inexperienced and immature and it showed. However, the show is called ‘The Apprentice’ and not ‘The Capable Worker’. Simon is moldable and has a lot more that he can learn from Sir Alan than Kristina, so the choice of him is understandable. If not right…

And what of the pantomime villain, she-who-must-not-be-named? Well, lest said the better really. However there are two plausible possibilities. One is that it’s all a publicity stunt in her own self-branding campaign. The fact that someone managed to get photos of her en flagrante seems to fit with this. Personally I think that whether this is a stunt or not on her part, she must be lacking in self-love and self-respect. The ruthless veneer she wears seems a kind of camouflage to stop others from being able to knock her for who she really is. Sadly, it is not the kind of veneer which will endear her to anyone, least of all herself.

The words have hardly left me -

And they have turned on me,

Lined up and regimented

Marching onwards, bayonets ready

Drilled for the attack -

I am not their Colonel

Having watched Mary Queen of Shops I realised that my blog was looking tired and in need of a make over, so here it is! Enjoy!

I find myself with a free half hour this evening  - how exciting! No sandwiches to make or things to sort out, woohoo! So what do I do with this free time liberated from I don’t now where? There is nothing better that I could do than harangue the world with my views. Hohum, here goes:

Recently politicians, those bulldogs of Whitehall, have been filling the newspapers with the ways in which education can be improved and through it schools can become centres of enlightenment where broadminded and reflective citizens can be produced. Gordon Brown has promised money to improve them and to refurbish them, Blair has shown how great his strategies have been, and that new strategies will be further implemented in a bid to improve the mental state of the nation’s youth further. Both agree that SATs testing is an undisputed good thing, Ofsted is a body of great integrity, and league tables help parents to make informed choices.

Unfortunately neither has stood at the chalkface for longer than it takes a few cameras to flash. Sad but true - the education system is in the hands of people too far removed from it to know what they are talking about.

A case in point are the recent column inches given to Gordon Brown’s idea of forcing all students to stay in school until the age of 18. There are several very practical difficulties with this; firstly, schools are currently bursting at the seams and largely overcrowded - doubling the size of already large sixth forms will add to the problem; secondly diversifying the options that schools offer 16 year olds (currently I think you can study AS levels, A levels, and NVQs - in order to achieve Brown’s aims modern apprenticeships and work based training would also have to be offered) would leave resources stretched and teachers unable to meet the needs of all the courses being introduced; thirdly employers in trades such as plumbing and electrics would rather train workers themselves; finally anyone who has taught a bored 15 year old who is waiting for the chance to throw themselves at the world will tell you it is no fun - cooping them up in a classroom for another two years is not going to improve their chances of success when they leave, it is more likely to dent that of their classmates. Obviously a well thought out and good idea then…

Basically, as far as I (humbly) see it there is only one thing that it is worth doing in order to improve schools, the education that pupils receive, the demands upon teachers and in turn the lack of people turning to the teaching profession. It is simple, but costly and cannot really be claimed as an initiative (hence why politicians aren’t really interested). Put simply, it is to reduce class sizes across all schools.

Currently in primary schools class size range from roughly 28- 35, with secondary schools averaging around the same. Reducing classes to a maximum of 25, but ideally around 22 would ensure that teachers were able to spend more time individually with each pupil; this in turn should give each pupil a more individual education suited to their strengths and weaknesses. Fewer pupils should also mean less marking, shorter parents’ evenings; a better working environment and less behaviour problems. All in all it is a winner for both pupils and teachers, creating less stress and  giving more opportunities for pupils to do the best they are capable of. Chances of it actually being taken up and implemented?

Precisely nil. It is cheaper to throw millions at interactive whiteboards and a few other initiatives that yield poor results than actually  invest in the education system and make changes that will make a difference.

It has been bothering me for a while that modern society has made sex into both the be all and end all, and at the same time rendered it something of little value. I’m not sure quite how this happened - when I was younger (alas a while ago) people living together was shocking whereas today it’s those who get married without the’try-before-you-buy’ living together period who are shocking. Back then, in those innocent days, sex was something that was seldom discussed and very seldom seen. Nowaredays it appears everywhere - from Marie Claire and FHM to The Sun, from TV and cinema to the internet, you can find out all about what to do, how to do it, how to enjoy it most, what turns people on and so on and so on.

Maybe this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For a start the treatment of single mums and teenage mums back then was hardly one I would like to continue; and true enough some of those pregnancies were caused by poor sexual education and a lack of understanding of the potential consequences of having sex. In this sense, the unbinding of sexual mores has achieved positive things. However the modern representation of sex as I read it is not about educating people, it is rather about titillation and personal fulfilment.

If we take as an example FHM, an upmarket lad’s Mag, we find amongst its pages various women in a state of undress (I know I sound like my grandmother, but this bothers me). Is this educational? Is it helpful? Well, unless FHM has become a biology text book for the female anatomy, I some what doubt it. At least Marie Claire does not fill itself with naked women! - but instead you can find details on how to have a multiple orgasm, and the sexual pecadiloes of its nice upmarket readership. Again, is this educational? Is it helpful? I would say no, just as with FHM it is titillating. And so to the rest - the unnecessary sex scenes in films or on TV, just to keep viewers watching, and the abuse by some of the internet to achieve personal sexual fulfilment.

In all this, sex has been dumbed down. We can have it when we want, how we want it, with whom we want - and in so doing it stops being something special or something shared. Rather it becomes something for yourself and something selfish. And in reducing sex to just a ‘little something’ (a bit like Winnie The Pooh’s honey pot) we are lying to ourselves.

If it were true that sex was just a commodity that we could trade in and then leave behind; that it was meaningless and simply an itch we could scratch, then put simply sex could not hurt us. It would not matter if a partner had sex with someone else without our knowledge - they might as well share a bag of crisps with them because sex is just a thing. It would not matter how many people a new partner had slept with,  because the act itself was unimportant - I think you get the idea.

So what is my point? Well, basically this - either we have to change our attitude to sex and accept that it is important in itself, and treat it as such; or we have to accept that we are going to get screwed both physically and emotionally, because that is all sex is.

Thus endeth the lecture…

This is in response to the last post; Dad is finally out of hospital, although not yet discharged - he has to go back in every couple of days to get checked out. Nonetheless he is making great progress and should hopefully be discharged sometime next week. After that he and Mum hope to see a bit more of New Zealand’s north island before returning home. That won’t be until another 3 weeks away at the least - but at least it’s before 2008! The insurance company seems committed to sending them home with medical accompaniement in business class - very nice (there have to be some perks to spending six weeks in a foreign hospital feeling a bit rotten!). Many thanks for all the messages of concern, they were much appreciated.

Mum and Dad,
originally uploaded by tamsin.addison.

For those of you unaware, my parents are currently in New Zealand. They went out there around four weeks ago for a six week holiday. However about a week and a half ago my Dad suffered a mild heart attack, and since then he has been hospitalised. Initially he was quite stable and the prognosis seemed quite good. However he has since picked up a chest infection, which may result in an operation, which may in turn result in further complications.  Any prayer for him and for my Mum - who is alternating her time between doing smallish day trips, writing emails and visiting him - would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Waltham Forest, the London Borough I grew up in, is served by one hospital. It was the hospital my sisters and I were born in, the hospital that cared for me when I suffered from pnuemonia aged 4 or 5; it is also the hospital Senara was born at and the place where she has been taken on several occassions with breathing problems. Obviously it is not without fault (well, it is run by humans) but the care that we have had there has been good and I hope it will continue to be so.

However, Whipps is currently under threat as a general hospital, with plans to close some of the departments and reduce the staff of others. I don’t understand the ins and outs of it all; common sense suggests that the current plans are not only about money saving but also money generating, as the closing of departments will no doubt be followed by the lucrative selling off of parts of the grounds. This has happened in other areas locally (I live opposite what used to be Wanstead hospital) creating bespoke housing for the upwardly mobile.

The implications of all of this are quite serious for those living locally. There will no longer be a general hospital in Waltham Forest as a borough, the two closest after Whipps being Homerton and King George’s (I think). The number of people then needing to be served by Homerton and King George’s will increase, putting extra pressure on the resources of those two hospitals. With there already being problems in departments such as maternity due to staffing and patient numbers, this can surely only be a recipe for long term disaster.

I recognise that we are lucky to receive the healthcare we do from Whipps Cross, but that is no reason for it to end, and as such would like to register my support for the campaign to keep it as it is - a general hospital.

Jade Goody has had more than her fair share of news coverage this week, following her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. For those not in the know, this is as a result of a gang-mentality amongst her, Jo O’Meara (the blonde one from S-Club 7) and Danielle Lloyd (famous for being crowned ‘Miss UK’ because she slept with one of the judges and then being stripped of the crown for the aforementioned). The three of them have been involved in the victimisation of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty - making ignorant comments regarding her ethnicity and Indian culture in general. This has led to accusations of gross ignorance (true) and bullying (true) and racism (possibly). Shetty herself has appeared dignified on the show, not rising to the behaviour she has suffered; she has described it as racist, but during a diary room chat also retracted that accusation.

Within the press Jade’s behaviour has been discussed endlessly, as have the causes: education, background, class gender all work against her. For Julie Burchill (writing in that august journal The Evening Standard) this is all the more reason to fete her; she has risen above all of these things in spite of the odds. Burchill sees the backlash against Jade as one against her working class roots, and points out that she has done well to rise so far (apparently she was carer for her mother from a young age) thus far.

In a sense Burchill is right. Of all the ex-BB housemates Jade is the most memorable and also the one who has made the most of the opportunity (in spite of not actually being a winner). Clearly she has intelligence, or the businesses that she has invested in (perfume, beauty et al) would have sunk like the TV careers of other ex-housemates. However that does not negate against the ignorant, bullying behaviour with which Jade has abused others, and as such we cannot just ignore her comments because she is working class. For a start there are working class people who manage to live without insulting the ethnicity or culture of others and without being ignorant. Background cannot be an excuse for poor behaviour.

So where to for Jade from here? To be honest, I’m not really bothered, although it wouldn’t surprise me if she kept popping back up like Michael Barrymore, scaring the nation with a ’special appearance’ every now and again. What I have been thinking about rather is how Julie Burchill’s reaction is more charitable than mine. She is willing to forgive Jade her wrong, where I am leaning more towards public hanging (I’d blame it all on the media frenzy, but then I’m hardly taking responsibility for myself). So where to now? Put simply, as a Christian I am asked to forgive and forgive and forgive. And in being a Christian I acknowledge my own weakness and susceptibility to causing pain and behaving badly towards others. Tough as it is, I think my way forward is clear…

At the Old Success Inn, Sennen,
originally uploaded by tamsin.addison.

The last month or so has raced by in a tinsel covered blur, so I thought I’d give a brief resume of the main parts;

1. Christmas was lovely, with lots of great presents. Senara had a fab time opening everything, for the first time she seemed to be really aware of what all the presents meant and excited by everything!
2. Senara had a great birthday, although it seemed to race by in a haze.
3. I have spent a bit of time obsessed by getting the best sale bargains. In fact I am thinking of starting a support group for myself and other addicted Bootsers (that is devotees of Boots the Chemist). Once I’ve used up all my vouchers… and got all the extra points … must go cold turkey… aargh.
4. Cornwall was great; we visited quite a few places and saw quite a lot of people. Senara was her usual fearless self, putting my heart through its paces - the photos on flickr give you an idea of what I mean!
5. Char went back to university. Again. Can’t believe she’s half way through her second year, next year she’ll have to start job hunting, and being a proper grown up- how scary is that?
6. Meg has had lots of interest from universities. She has had offers from Gloucester (conditional) and Lancaster (unconditional - lucky thing) and awaits one from Lincoln which is where she hopes to go.
7. Sam is back at school and will hopefully get a food hygiene certificate next week. He has been pointing out where my food hygiene is wanting…
8. I’ve been trying to write a bit more again, and just get back into the habit of it. I managed to do this quite a bit last week, but need a bit of a kick in the rear this week - ho hum I suppose (I blame the Boots 75% sale personally…). Wish me luck!
9. Winston has just been himself, which is a good thing. He’s just been moved to a different site where they need a bit of organising- obviously he’s the man for the job!

All the best for 2007 - I can’t believe how quickly the years are starting to pass. I’m petrified of waking up one morning and finding out I’m wrinkled and my body is knackered, and 20 years have passed without me noting it!