Here is a round up of some of the more obvious news of the last few days. Right now I'm actually likely to be in a hot air balloon for a work social, so if they feel a bit old then sorry...it's likely I'm just a bit high (*groans*?)

First up... Testing students narrows learning. Ofsted has been saying for years that strict curriculum's lead to schools teaching to test. Anyone that's gone through our educational system in the last decade or so knows this is the case as teachers work through a curriculum book to get us to learn what is most likely to be in the exam with only the few going so far as to actually inspire and help us become learning individuals.

Second, simply trying to beat Britishness in to us won't give us the warm fluffies. You can make us all tip hats to the queen and ensure every day at 10pm we have a cup of tea, but studies by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation show that actually it is poverty and lack of opportunity that divide us. I don't at all understand where they get the idea that a feeling of no future, being worse off than your neighbour, and media spin on how many Ferrari's immigrant benefit frauds have, all equates to poor social cohesion.

Next up it's MPs criticising rail boss bonuses. Despite just dumping money on trains like it's a fire and currency is petrol, people are surprised that train bosses are pocketing huge bonuses? Come live in Bristol and watch First group profits rise while our bus fares increase by huge percentages every year and then ask why you're so late to the damn party in wondering why free-markets still play any role in our transport infrastructure.

What's this? Church divided over women bishops? This along with the whole gay thing is a laugh. Channel 4 desperately needs to commission a show about these religious comedians and their internal struggles. Perhaps set on some remote island off of Ireland...

That's all for this round up, but if we have as amazingly obvious a news day as this again soon then maybe we'll have another one on it's way before too long!