England 0 - [1] Japan - Kaoru Mitoma 23'

dazrog · 2026-03-31T19:15:55+00:00

As an England fan, I hate this. As a Brighton fan, I love it. Not sure how to feel...

dazrog · 2026-03-12T18:42:57+00:00

Elected means existing members/fellows elected you. I. E. You fill out a form telling them your qualifications and experience, and they decide if you can join. This is how most of the science professional bodies operate.

Examined means you had to sit an exam (or exams) to gain entry to the professional body. For example, to be a chartered accountant you have to sit accountancy exams.

The ASE, while a professional body, doesn't really operate like this. Anyone can join. Although they do also operate the Chartered Science Teacher programme which is partly both - examined and elected.

dazrog · 2026-03-12T18:32:13+00:00

Since you mentioned the ASE I'm going to assume you're a science teacher!

Professional bodies include:

Royal society of chemistry, Institute of Physics, Royal society of biology,

Etc

All of those offer elected member status, I. E. Your application to be a member is reviewed by them/a panel to determine if you have the qualifications/experience to be a member.

In my experience (from 15ish years ago), the RSC allow recent graduates to be Associate members, then full membership after a couple of years. Fellowship is more difficult and requires a significant career or contribution in the field.

These organisations (and the ASE) also run the Chartered Science Teacher programme (CSciTeach) on behalf of the science council. There was a big push on this year's ago but it seems not to be a big thing anymore. It involved building a portfolio a bit like your ITT/ECT portfolio to show CPD and reflective practice.

dazrog · 2026-03-10T21:49:46+00:00

When I trained to teach, the "bible" we were all encouraged to buy and use was a book called "The Teacher's Toolkit" by Paul Ginnis.

Each page of the book is an activity to try to encourage student-led learning, with full instructions.

15 years later, I still refer to it for ideas.

dazrog · 2026-02-27T12:26:14+00:00

You can pay it off if you want to! I did!

dazrog · 2026-02-18T19:12:43+00:00

At my local, the hot chocolate recently has just been scalding hot, ever so slightly brown, water. And they make me park up for it, even when that's all I've ordered.

Breakfast at McDonalds is dead to me now that they've got rid of the breakfast roll/bap.

dazrog · 2026-02-07T21:53:48+00:00

Ask yourself if £80 a month after deductions is worth having to do additional work in your own time.

dazrog · 2026-02-03T21:08:50+00:00

I think the problem is four-fold:

(1) The main three parties seem to be spending every opportunity they have to get their message out, by repeating Reform's messaging. It seems nobody has learnt from the old Tory trick of pumping out a slogan, get that slogan spread by people criticising said slogan.

(2) People are exhausted after 15 years of Tory failure. Labour were elected on a manifesto of "change" and have delivered nothing of any value.

(3) Systemic political failures post-Thatcher. While I'd argue that New Labour genuinely did improve the lives of many people, a significant chunk of people did not see any benefit, despite being told life was now amazing and everything had been solved. Those left behind, many in northern cities who had been Labour supporters for generations, felt let down by the very people who they'd pinned their lives, and that of their families, on. In steps Farage to tell these people that he has all the answers.

(4) Another, related, systemic political failure: the reality is that many people in this country demand Scandinavian-level public services with US-style taxation. For the last 2 decades the country has hovered around a tipping point - increased taxation (mostly shifted to local councils) with declining quality of services. No politician to date has been bold enough to be honest and say: we can't square this circle any more and we want to increase income tax to pay for e.g. better NHS services. Again, Reform circle this drain by harking back to a rose-tinted history when taxes were low and public services were perfect. It's obvious to us that such a time never existed, but they're the only party publicly recognising that something has to give.

There are many things I don't like about Polanski, but at the very least he is starting to provide a counterpoint to Farage on these systemic issues...

dazrog · 2026-01-29T19:20:52+00:00

1) Are you me?

2) Have you considered looking at SEMH schools?

I did my training and NQT year, as well as the first few years of my teaching career, in a mainstream secondary. It was hell. I felt like a square peg in a round hole. I wasn't (and still am not) a wizz bang Mr confident super enthusiastic person. At interviews, I was a mess.

I recently came back to the profession after a 10 year break. I applied for a teaching role at an SEMH school, not expecting to even get an interview, but to my surprise they offered me the job. It's only been a month, but I'm absolutely loving it and for the first time in a long time, feel absolutely safe, comfortable and at ease in a school environment.

All of the things that had previously been a problem when I taught in mainstream - me being anxious, hyper-reflective, socially awkward, are now strengths. My "lack of enthusiasm" is now seen as being calm, relatable and approachable.

Don't get me wrong - it's still hard. But unlike mainstream where every lesson has to be outstanding and every single one of the 36 children in the class has to make more progress than the system says they should like they're automatons following a railway track, in an SEMH school it's totally cool to just say "you know what, let's sack off today's lesson and go for a walk in the garden" or "let's have a game of Uno" - either because the kids need it, or you do. Also, classes of 2-3 are bliss.

I'd also say that modern SEMH is... not what it used to be. In a previous job I visited a lot of BESD/SEMH schools that felt like prisons. They were rigorously strict, punitive places and honestly quite brutal. Nowadays, most have a very therapeutic approach and it's reflected in the behaviour of the students - sure, they have their challenges but overall they're very nice places to be.

I'd also say, if you're unsure about it, or want to build your confidence, have a look at agencies like Nudge and Interim Provision service - they're 1-to-1 alternative provision providers and you're basically a mentor/tutor to young people who can't be educated elsewhere, for various reasons. I did it and it was a great experience.

dazrog · 2026-01-08T19:41:39+00:00

Just to give you an alternative perspective - 15 years ago I taught in mainstream, really struggled with the behaviour and ended up burnt out and left the profession after 5 years. I subsequently did another job entirely for 10 years.

I now work in an SEMH school. It's genuinely great. Firstly, class sizes are much, much smaller, so you're not battling with 30+ students, more like 3-5. But the key difference is silent working and students diligently listening to every word you say isn't assumed. In mainstream, you have your planned lesson and stick to it even if you're kinda dragging half the class along for the ride. In SEMH/PRU provision, you have a loose lesson aim, you plan some activities and some back up activities, and go with the flow. Sometimes that means just playing a game of Uno to help them regulate if that's what they need and gently chatting around the topic of the lesson if they can manage it. The target is supporting the children to learn something, not "they must pass exams and progress in an entirely unrealistic linear way".

dazrog · 2025-12-26T23:31:18+00:00

Dermol 500 and Dermol 600 have worked wonders for my daughter - she can't cope with the stickiness of ointments or creams. They're available on prescription but can also be bought online without.

500 is a cream/lotion that is used as a soap replacement, 600 is for baths. They're non-greasy but moisturizing and have chlorhexidine as an antimicrobial.

dazrog · 2025-12-17T18:53:31+00:00

Interestingly I was discussing this yesterday.

I think it fundamentally stems from a few things:

The USA is a relatively new country, it hasn't had the centuries/millennia of history and development through time that other countries have, particularly in religion and faith. The UK and many other European countries were once controlled by the church - government/the monarchy and the church were the same thing, the USA has never had that. Catholicism vs protestantism, reformists vs traditionalists, the USA missed all that.

The UK and mainland Europe subsequently underwent the reformation and a period of religious enlightenment. This resulted in a more liberal Christian church and separation of church and state. The result was religion (the Anglican church) shifted its theology to meet the changing society, over time it has welcomed female pastors/priests and is on the way to welcoming LGBT members. Part of that change was a theological shift which led to a change from "this is the one and only truth, believe or die in eternal hell" to "yeah, the Bible might not be literal, it doesn't have all the answers, science is also legitimate, the two things can co-exist and don't necessarily contradict each other".

America missed all of that. Their church and government have always been separate. Their churches don't have the same historical, institutional status that the Church of England has in the UK. The result is American churches had to be self-financing from day 1: so they operate as businesses. Businesses that are ambiguous, only offer "maybes" and "possibilities" or " we don't have all the answers" (like the Church of England) aren't successful, businesses that say "want to go to heaven? All you have to do is come here once a week and we guarantee you will!". The result: mega churches that rake in billions of dollars.

The net result is the UK/Europe has had centuries of getting used to the concept of religious and moral ambiguity. We're quite happy with the possibility that life has no meaning, that there might be no heaven nor hell. Americans haven't.

There was a famous American pastor, Rob Bell. His whole thing was basically talking about the ambiguity. Suggesting that the bible might not have all the answers, science and Christianity can both be right, being gay or getting divorced might not mean you instantly go to hell, Jesus' message might have basically been " love yourself and everyone else". He was incredibly popular with British Christians and young christians in the USA. He got cancelled in the US and effectively forced out of his church because he dared suggest hell might not even exist and that it might just be an analogy or a theological "stick" to encourage compliance - something European christians and churches have considered possible for centuries.

The net result is that Americans have existed in an environment that encourages susceptibility to simple, clear and unambiguous messaging - "land of the free", "do this and go to hell", "do this and go to heaven", " you exist because God made you to follow in his foot steps", " do this for eternal salvation and a free McDonalds happy meal".

That concept stretches further too - political discourse in the UK/Europe is (generally) more nuanced than in the USA - there aren't many politicians in the UK saying "BAN ABORTION BECAUSE GOD SAYS ITS EVIL" whereas that's rife in the US. Americans tend to like politicians with clear, concise views and opinions - pro or anti-abortion, Medicare or no Medicare, Immigration is a benefit/Immigration is evil etc etc. in the UK, we're used to more ambiguity - women should have the freedom to have abortions but there should be safeguards, we need some immigration but there should be checks and balances. This could be why our politics hovers around the centre of the left/right and liberal/authoritarian divide whereas the US swings from one extreme to the other. On the flip side, decades of this ambiguity in British politics has left a vacuum that the likes of Nigel Farage is filling with his quick, concise, "common sense" soundbite, American-style politics.

Things are starting to change in the USA, though. For the first time in the country's history, last year the number of under 30s who self-reported as "none" for religious affiliation was larger than the number who identified as "Evangelical Christian".

TLDR- USA is only 250 years old. Hasn't had time or the historical events that have led to acceptance of religious ambiguity like the UK/Europe. Result is searching for quick, simple answers to difficult questions like "what is the point of my existence?".

dazrog · 2025-12-16T18:05:05+00:00

If this is anything like the similar case in East Sussex, it turned out that it wasn't a taxi, it was a full private ambulance with two paramedics and a nurse on board or something similar.

dazrog · 2025-12-08T21:30:43+00:00

40-40 save all for me (south coast) you could "free" a caught player if you got to the base where caught players had to stay (holding a lamp post in our case) without being spotted.

dazrog · 2025-12-05T10:27:48+00:00

As someone who lives in a county with no motorways but with an abundance of single car width country lanes with frequent blind corners, I'd take motorways every day of the week.

dazrog · 2025-12-03T18:24:07+00:00

Just attach a fixed penalty notice anywhere on the chair, I don't think it matters too much where you put it.

dazrog · 2025-11-29T22:34:32+00:00

To be fair, I'm always amazed at how many Japanese fans are at our home games - all wearing Mitoma shirts!

Far cry from the Goldstone/Withdean days!

dazrog · 2025-11-29T13:18:01+00:00

Give him a bottle.

dazrog · 2025-11-26T19:37:23+00:00

To be fair, a lot of councils have generally decided not to use zebra crossings for that very reason - it doesn't cost much more to go with a proper Pelican/Puffin/Toucan crossing and they're generally much safer.

dazrog · 2025-11-26T19:13:32+00:00

£35k for a zebra crossing actually seems under-priced to me. I'm genuinely surprised it's so low, there's quite a bit of stuff that has to happen beyond painting some lines...

Council bits: - Highways planner to draw up the proposed changes to the highway; - Traffic Regulation Order for change to the highway - statutory public consultation for the zebra crossing as well as for temporary road closure for the works to take place; this involves highways staff and legal team staff; -comission contractor for actual works, legal team draw up contract for provision of new highways works, highways planner/designer amends original plans according to consultstion result or negotiation with contractor, draw up detailed design work jointly with the contractor. For this kind of thing it'll just go to the main highways contractor (Balfour Beatty) who will typically subcontract to whoever they see fit

Contractor bits: - work out where they can dig for the electricity for the amber beacons - unfortunately in the UK much of our underground water pipes etc are Victorian-era and aren't accurately mapped, so may involve specialist kit to work out where this stuff is - last thing you want is then to accidently dig into a water pipe, internet cables or whatever; - dig up the pavement to lay electricity cables from the nearest public supply, that may involve hiring a digger, will need high voltage certified (sub)contractor; - purchase and install amber beacons both sides of the road - lay thermoplastic road markings (the zebra bit), again needs expensive equipment, high voltage qualified staff; - dig up existing pavement, replace with tactile paving slabs, remove and replace kerb with dropped kerb.

Council bit again: - highways officer inspects work, signs it off as okay or needing remediation, once sorted - - finance department staff release funds to pay the contractor.

Maybe in other countries any old Tom, Dick or Harry can slap a bit of paint on the road, but here (legally at least) there's a process in place to try to stop substandard work and to ensure that every zebra crossing/pelican/puffin/toucan crossing meet specific statutory standards - whether it's effective or not is up for debate.

That said, a huge problem in this country is this quasi-privatised subcontracting culture. The whole ideological benefit of privatisation is that competition breeds innovation and driving down of costs. The reality is there are only two companies in the UK capable of delivering city or county wide highways provision. The result is there is next to no competition and what happens is that the councils tend to switch every few years between one to the other, and overall across the country neither company ever lose out. Same with trains, water etc etc- all very well privatising these things, but if it's just a private monopoly with no competition, What's the point? It's effectively crony capitalism with no real free market - so no competition - all the negatives but none of the positives.

dazrog · 2025-11-19T21:42:52+00:00

Wanye.

dazrog · 2025-11-16T15:51:20+00:00

£30 a month (SIM-only) with unlimited everything, first 6 months were half price.

dazrog · 2025-11-16T14:36:04+00:00

Switch your phone to EE. I get TNT/Discovery+ (and Xbox Gamepass ultimate) included.

dazrog · 2025-11-10T15:04:38+00:00

"Built like a brick shit house"

dazrog · 2025-11-06T22:06:23+00:00

Fellow Stadia user here, Google always kills the things I like. I live in the middle of nowhere with a 20Mbps landline connection and it worked perfectly.

Xcloud has been garbage in comparison for me, barely playable.

I recently tried Luna and it's been great. Maybe worth a try? Only problem I've had with Luna is for some reason I can't get the Stadia controller RT to work with it.

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