well, looking at the education system today, it seems indeed, as according to much of the press that it is being dumbed down, though that depends on who you ask, consider the recent story in guardian weekend,(24th oct '04) if the kid in africa who had to sell his cart, his lifeline, for himself and his family, to send his sister to boarding school, for a couple of terms, yes outcry, protest, article, but it doesn't seem the situation is far from different here, what is a good education worth, all this forore of the increasing number of A'level passes, but look beneath the surface, is it rather evidence of numbers rather than anything substantial?, and what for?, three, four or five years living without food and electricity in the expectation that it'll pay off, but for whom, for the statisticians, and or the ones who call for them?, in order to convince studes that this is good for their health, and their pocket?, well who can be convinced after seeing 2:1s from the top twenty working in asda?, and after seeing people like the venerable bill depriving worthy students of well deserveded places,in order to get attention from blonde american bimbos, or rather, sorry, preppies even, who can bring in much needed cash for the system, just because he represents a now defunct establishment, which these 'preppies' are drawn to, thinking here the're getting their money's worth, but what they're getting infact, is a representaton of the blair-bush poodle brigade, this alliance is going too too far.