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Andy Murray has split with his girlfriend.

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The British empire brought many great things to the world. One of those things was a world of international sport. Unfortunately, we're not the best anymore, especially not at rugby. If I hadn't won the lottery of life and been born English, I would've wanted to be Kiwi, pretty much just because of the All Blacks and their Haka war dance.

It's the 89th minute at Elland Road, it's 0-0 and the home fans sense something in the air when young Max Gradel steps off the bench in search of a late, late winner...

Leeds 1 v 0 Leyton Orient 24/11/09
Uploaded by sparkyman2. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.

What makes a good education?

More often than not I see kids who learn their textbooks off by heart and churn them out onto an exam script, achieving A-grades left, right and centre. Not until university (if they ever get there) are they provided the opportunity to actually think. This isn't intelligence.

Unfortunately, even worse, there are plenty of kids who fall through the gaps having not had the opportunity or drive to even learn and churn. That is possibly the greatest failing of the education system in many developed countries. In pockets of the country schools consistently deliver poor results, only contributing to sunken social problems and writing children's future for them. For many, it becomes a post code lottery.

What has inspired me is the work of Toby Young. You may be familiar with Toby's work as a journalist, novelist and producer. He's written successful and very funny books as well as worked for Conde Nast tremendously unsuccessfully. Now, he's turning his attentions to politics, following in the steps of his father in (as Tony Blair would say) the pursuit of noble causes by setting up the West London Free School.

The school will be the product of a board of parents, all unhappy with the education provided in Acton, West London. They aim to build a school for highly motivated individuals who live in the area and are interested in achieving. I wrote to Toby about his ideas and shared my experiences of switching from a public school to a state system - discussing how to set the correct environment (I don't have answers, I was merely interested in his views). He agreed in the concept that a sense of elitism is required to deliver a focus, which is lucky, as if he'd disagreed I wouldn't be posting about it!

Their vision is to provide a new learning environment. Before this sounds very liberal and 'arts college', the basis of the education will be pinned on the rigorous curriculum of a public school - including Latin.

Anyway, the project is admirable, and if you're interested you should check out the website here.

I'm a purist when it comes to a lot of things, and when it comes to covering songs, rarely do the covers do them justice. It annoys me when people don't attribute the original artist (don't even get me started on the rap version of Elton John's Tiny Dancer).

Having seen Susan "SuBo" Boyle murder Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones, I have to give them their space to show her up.

Pure genuis.

I adore the internet. Without it my life would be totally different and, probably, a lot harder. I know this because of the amount of time I spend using it and the frequency I quickly use my iPhone or laptop to check something out. Each to their own - some people aren't fussed, which is fair. However, you're missing out on the following websites which can enrich your life.

1. Walk Jog Run

Using Walk Jog Run, you can map your running route before or after you've done it and precisely map your distances. Not only that, you can see suggested routes from other members in your area taking into account the terrain and ease of the run. Knowing where you need to go before setting out can make your run painless. Fair enough if you know your patch like the back of your had, but if you're like me and move every couple of years this site can really help.

2. TED

TED was introduced to me through a friend, and it is totally amazing for the inner-geek in you. If you're interested in innovation, the scope of the human race, the advancement of intellectual ideas or generally what's going on at the cutting edge of global research...click on the link immediately. The format is basically a library of short talks, ranging from 5 minutes to half an hour on a broad range of topics. Some are bound to bore you, and I don't pretend to have browsed every area, but I would be shocked if nothing appeals to you.

3. BBC iPlayer

OK, hardly the world's best kept secret, but a great website that most of the other channels have copied in some form. You can watch anything from the last two weeks that you've missed or forgotten to record. Winner.

4. Jamie Oliver Online

I'm not Jamie Oliver's biggest fan, but I like the format of his online recipes. They seem pretty easy to follow and they don't use ridiculous ingredients that some people like to show off with. If I have to go further than my local supermarket for most of them I just won't bother. My search for tahini the first time I made houmous was absurd. Ironically, it was actually stocked at my local supermarket, but I couldn't find it. Nevertheless, Jamie's website is pretty good and has some interactive features to liven up the idea of cooking rather just a list of vague instructions.

5. TimesOnline

Not the most rapid when it comes to breaking news, but TimesOnline does offer a nice commentary you wouldn't find on the more tabloid Sky News. Every morning I log on at work and check the FT online and various trade websites for headlines, before logging on to TimesOnline to get some genuine content. I like papers, and will always buy a Sunday Paper, but they essentially are telling me yesterdays news when I want to know what's happening today. TimesOnline beats its paper counterpart hands down.

Whatever your political persuasion, people should always respect effort and commitment. The decade Mr Blair had in power was obviously challenging. This montage of his final day is not only funny but emotional. It's difficult not to feel a warm sensation at 5.15 with his final, slightly wobbly words. Enjoy.

Every day, I take the tube to work. As you might imagine of a routine, there are various constants, from the bus drivers smoking outside the depot to the cat perched on the garden wall. We are creatures of habit, and more or less everyday I meet the same people on the tube platform, in our same spots waiting for the same train. We have a mute community. Nobody dares break the silence but we recognise each other, share knowing smirks at abnormalities and for the first time today I saw an act of samaritan proportion.

A regular (obviously nameless, yet he looks like a Steve) left the carriage - and his umbrella - at South Kensington. The rain in London has been unusually absent in recent weeks, which is perhaps why Steve forgot that, today, he was accompanied by his umbrella.

Without second thought, a fellow regular darted out of the carriage with Steve's umbrella, knowing full well he'd forfeit his prized seat and, no doubt, his efforts and getting to the office early. The doors hissed closed as they are accustomed to. Everyone smiled.

Sadly, for every act of kindness there must go one hundred lost items. I've always wondered where all these items go when collected. I had visions of endless warehouses of bizarre things stacked 20ft high, like something from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I saw this list of staff favourites today, from TFL:

1.Two and half hundredweight of sultanas

2.Breast Implants

3.Theatrical coffin

4.Stuffed eagle

5.14-foot long boat

6.Garden Slide

7.Jar of bull's sperm

8.Urn of ashes

9.Vasectomy kit

10.Two human skulls in a bag

A few years ago I became obsessed with the Ricky Gervais podcasts, primarily because of Karl Pilkington. Karl's twisted view of the world and weekly slots (Karl's Diary, Monkey News, etc.) became fans favourites, as well as mine. Now, I've started re-listening to them on iTunes. Trouble is, they're too funny to go to sleep to, and I'm having restless nights laughing at things like this.

If you get the chance - download them all, but don't listen in a public place or your suppressed explosions of laughter will just make you look like you have cramp.

Cooking and Claudia Winkleman? Channel 4 always know how to hit the jackpot...

"I've just got a text from Malcolm, it says he wants you there a.s.a.f.p."

"I presume the F is for feasibly"

The Thick of It is probably one of the funniest shows on TV. I demand you to watch it.

Hi. I'm back.

For a variety of reasons it was wise for me to stop blogging for a while, it's also been nice to refresh my enthusiasm for writing and realise how I missed posting.

Anyway, business as usual...