Tumblr: All Thanks To Mum?

You couldn’t have missed the news that social networking site Tumblr was sold to Yahoo for $1.1 billion.  A new 26 year old techie genius joins the growing club of under 30s millionaires and deservedly so.  I was pondering though… would it have happened if his mum was more conservative?

David Karp (Tumblr creator and CEO) dropped out of school aged 14 at the advice of his mother, a teacher in a different school to her son’s and recommended home schooling.  She observed that her son was so engrossed in and obsessed with his computer that it was something to encourage and give space to.  What an amazing and brave mother!  Can you imagine that happening in your house??

How Is Your Mental Health?

Image from Art Therapy Blog

According to the World Health Organisation more than 450 million people in the world suffer from mental disorders and 80% of this number remain untreated.  The numbers are quite astonishing, however, how would we recognise our own behavioural signs that all is not well and how would we determine if a loved one had a mental health problem or simply a strong/eccentric personality?

Deciphering Dreams

A guilty pleasure of mine is to watch This Morning while I hit the treadmill some weekday mornings. There is just something about Eamonn Holmes and his chubby squirrel cheeked banter that makes me momentarily forget the increasing searing pain through my thighs as we nudge up to running 5k.

They were doing a dreams analysis slot. How tacky! But! I actually learned something…

A woman called in to say she would suddenly and regularly wake up at 2am. 

Feed Your Mind

Want to know how to bake a Universe?  Kings College London will hold a festival of food and ideas from 7 – 22 March 2013 and the programme of free public events looks appetising indeed!

Cheaters

Not the TV programme about relationship cheats I’m talking about exam cheats! Have you ever cheated for an exam??  I have not ever ever cheated for an exam or test, however, I am constantly shocked by my sister, a law lecturer at one of the UK’s top universities, as she recounts stories of catching cheats in action during exams.

Harvard University recently caught

Anti Bullying Week

Schools across the country have been actively participating in anti-bullying week and adopting strategies and measures to reach zero tolerance.

 

How many workplaces are doing the same? I am yet to come across any despite 35% reporting bullying at work.

Remembrance Day

During the First World War more than 1.3 million soldiers volunteered from India and it is estimated that more than 70,000 lost their lives.  Of course India at the time included Pakistan and Bangladesh.  I briefly mentioned this in a previous post about a debate I attended at the Royal Society of Arts.

Millions of people died during the First World War

Don’t Take Sweets From Strangers

Do you remember learning not to take sweets from strangers? It was taught to my sister and me in primary school. What is a stranger? A grown-up that you don’t know. Would you take a sweetie from a stranger? NO! I would go and find a grown-up that I know and shout mummy if I couldn’t see anyone I knew.  Simple.

I have to admit, I did grow up being terrified of these “strangers” with “sweeties” and the child-catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang didn’t help much.

Did you know this lesson is no longer taught to children?

First Day At School: Mother’s Words

Dear Diary,

I had heard about the jitters mother’s face when their first born starts primary school and how it is more emotional for them than for the child. I didn’t believe this for one moment, until it happened to me.

I was left feeling rejected, dejected and alone as my daughter happily skipped into her class exited to meet her new classmates. I hovered around waiting for her to come running back into my arms and make a great big scene about how she wants to stay at home, but she didn’t.

Celebrity Student

41 year old actor, Mark Wahlberg (formerly known as singer Marky Mark) has decided to go back to school in order to complete his graduation.  Mark dropped out of school leaving with no qualifications and although he will not actually attend school and will take part in online courses I think it sets a great example for people who regret leaving school early.

Sometimes I feel the education system is too strict.  

The Educated Housewife

A recent article on the wonderful feminist blog Jezebel asked the question: Why aren’t educated Middle-Eastern women joining the workforce?  Apparently in two thirds of Middle Eastern countries there are more women that go to university than men.  There are parallels in South Asian culture even amongst British Asians.

One University professor in the US who was questioned about this disparity commented that Middle Eastern women simply went to university to fill time and find a better husband.  

Key Dates In British History

Professor David Abulafia from Cambridge University suggests there are 31 key dates that every pupil should know to be able to join up British history. How many dates do you know?

See timeline below.

British Pakistanis Discuss

Yesterday evening the RSA hosted an event with the practical title of: British Pakistanis and Pakistan: 21st century citizenship and diasporas.  I attended with my sister and although the event was disappointingly less the promised discussion and more a lecture it was interesting and I recommend listening to the panel here.  There was an assumption that British Pakistanis should give two hoots about Pakistan, a country that some of them have never even visited and a country that doesn’t care about the diaspora unless it’s for hand-me-outs or arranged marriages.

It was fascinating to hear

Nelson Who?

Having just watched celebrity “Come Dine With Me” I am sitting here in shock as Zola Budd, South African athlete, has revealed that she didn’t know who Nelson Mandela was when she ran the 1984 Olympic 5000 metres at the age of 17.

A + B = Less Prisoners

 

 

The London Evening Standard has been running a campaign to improve literacy rates in the city.  In an article yesterday they explained that half the London prison population cannot read.  I never knew the situation was quite so bad but

Free Schools Open Gates

It’s September and the school gates are open. Thrown into the mix this year are the introduction of “free schools”. They are independent schools that do not need to follow the national curriculum, nor do they need to employ qualified teachers, but are subject to the same OFSTED monitoring and exams. They are fully funded by the state and at least for now, have to be an all inclusive school regardless of class, race or faith. There are 24 in total and 9 in London.

 

Who Wants To Be A Skillionaire?

If someone in your family is feeling down that they didn’t get the grades for university or they don’t want to go into further education and a could be a little confused as to what they should do, a new rich list might give them a boost or inspiration.

Hall Of Fame: Vena Ramphal

Vena Ramphal has an unusual career for an Asian woman and has created her own niche as a sex expert and passion coach. She holds one to one sessions, workshops, salons at high end erotic boutique Coco De Mer and is quoted in a number of magazines including GQ and can be followed on twitter @VenaRhampal.

Her workshop “Tearing Up the Good Girl Script” epitomises Vena as she believes that women spend too much of their time pleasing and being good girls when they should be focussing their energies on being happy.

Keep Up, Keep Up!

Dear Diary,

Over the past few weeks, I have seen how easily children can get left behind if they are not good at something.

Patent Pending

India will be sold back technology it helped to create just like it was sold back its own cotton in times of old. 

Primary Truants

I heard on the news today that primary school truancy is on the rise. Is this real? 22,600 primary school children played truant last year. This is a 50% rise over the past five years.

Second Grade Secondary Schools

As parents of children about to start secondary  school, today is the day you have been waiting for to see if your child has secured his/her first choice place.

In recent conversations with parents, securing schools is as stressful as moving or planning a wedding! Parents put everything they can into getting their child into the school of their choice. Some, who can afford to, buy houses close by or rent properties in catchment areas. Others gamble on the lottery system of getting their child into their first choice school.