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From the article:
"Drivers must have B1 level English, or the equivalent of a GCSE in the subject".

FYI This is nowhere near A level.

I provided a link with comparison of equivalencies, which lists B1 as "British general qualifications: GCE AS level / lower grade A-level".

It is so cause B1 is not a grade one gets on a test NOR is it a kind of a test one does.
It's a descriptor of a group of tests and minimum scores which one would need to take and pass in order to qualify for a visa.
Most equivalent tests are not a pass-fail test, so there is some overlap between grades and equivalency between the tests as well as the range of scores which fall under the B1 group.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, these tests were intended for people who are COMING INTO UK.

Someone taking an IELTS test, which is one of the approved tests for a B1 level qualification, would be tested either for an academic or a general training grade.
I.e. For the purpose of enrollment into a university OR or into some other school - or to immigrate into UK.
It's the same test in both cases. The scoring and grading is the same. It's just that the "content, context and purpose of the tasks" are different.
I.e. Academic version uses bigger words.

The only difference being that one needs a slightly higher minimum grade to enroll into a university than one needs to immigrate into UK.
5.5 vs. 4.0, which are REALLY REALLY CLOSE due to rounding up of the raw scores as they are recalculated to a band scale.

Thus the situation is that the only people with a ready B1 (or higher) qualification are - LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
There is no equivalence for a UK-born citizen, as B1 is a level intended for approximate equalization and naturalization of foreigners to UK, not the other way around.
They might as well be asking for a non-UK birth certificate.

ONLY point where both groups intersect in qualification being the enrollment into university.
Which for Brits means taking their GCE A-levels - and for immigrants taking the same IELTS test, only the "bigger words" version.
Which they already did to get in. UK and the university.
And while immigrants who DO take that test are ALL coming with an intent to enroll into a university - 55% of UK highschoolers decide not to.

Thus, a B1 level requirement becomes equivalent of an "university enrollment" for UK-born citizens of UK - and either an immigration visa or a study visa for immigrants.
Which doesn't sound as counter-intuitive when you consider Uber's standards.

Uber's driver-partners are highly educated. Nearly half of Uber's driver-partners (48 percent)
have a college degree or higher, considerably higher than the corresponding percentage for taxi
drivers and chauffeurs (18 percent), and above that for the workforce as a whole as well (41
percent). Only 12 percent of Uber's driver-partners have a high school degree or less, whereas
over half (52 percent) of taxi drivers and chauffeurs have a high school degree or less. Seven
percent of Uber's driver-partners are currently enrolled in school, mostly taking classes toward a
four-year college degree or higher.

Hey... That's their workforce in the US. People who took their college entry tes

It's not really about English language skills. It's about reducing immigration. Discourage people from coming to the UK to do these kinds of job by setting a high bar for them.

B1 level English is already a prerequisite for immigration.

If anything, B1 being a level of the same tests one takes whether one is coming to UK to study or work (university enrollment has a slightly higher minimal grade), this requirement practically guarantees that only immigrants will be driving for Uber.
They had to get that qualification in order to enter the country.
All some UK citizens have is a driver's license.

Both groups still need a Private Hire Vehicle license, a valid credit/debit card and a proof of residence.
And while these can be... worked around... driving without a valid driver's license would be inviting disaster for a potentially illegal immigrant.
Cops routinely stop people. Even people born in UK.

Incorrect. Only countries where a religious group believes that evolution is in opposition to their religion does that happen. In India 85% believe that Evolution is compatible with their religious beliefs, and I wouldn't consider Hindus to be any less crazy than any other religion out there.

Second language teaching is pretty big, some estimates run to 1 billion learning English alone, and the UK alone estimates that generates 1.3 billion pounds/year in revenue.

Moodle, is by most estimates the most widely used online learning software with 49,000 registered sites in 211 countries and is also an example of a successful open source project ecosystem with commercial support partners in many countries.

No, it's not. It applies to the entire English language. Just because you either grew up in a home where your family in friends couldn't speak English or because you had a horrible English teacher as a child doesn't magically mean that the basic rules of the language change.

Look, you ignoramus, American English and English are not identical. There are many differences between them. This happens to be one of them. This is not magic, this is normal for languages that are spoken in multiple cultures.

However, if you wish to prove me wrong, show me something (such as an official government document or a classic novel) that uses "don't" instead of "doesn't" and when the word "don't" is not intentionally being used to show the character is unintelligent.

Official government document, you say? How about an official government document that explicitly tells you how American English and English differ in this respect? From britishcouncil.org:

Usage Note: In American usage, a collective noun takes a singular verb when it refers to the collection considered as a whole... In British usage, however, collective nouns are more often treated as plurals

Look at any source you like that has progressed beyond your acknowledged first grade education. Grammar references, style guides, even Wikipedia if you like. If they say more than a few words on the subject, then they usually point out that American English differs from English in this respect. You'll also find that the more advanced ones talk about what is more common rather than what is correct. This is because a lot of grammar rules are not set in stone, but merely recommendations to aid clarity. Your first grade English teacher didn't bother teaching you this because it's easier to teach somebody a rule than it is to say that it is a grey area that requires judgement.

"As videos, blogs and Web pages created by amateurs remake the entertainment landscape, unknown directors, writers and producers are being catapulted into positions of enormous influence"

I wonder how many of these people of enormous influence will be around in a year never mind six months. A quick perusal of Forbidden illustrates exactly what it is famous for. Nothing wrong in viewing tottie but does everything have to be reduced to the level of the Sun's tit page.

n the UK, the Labour party just got reelected with only 36% of the vote. Yup. That's a minority. Almost 2/3 of the population didn't want them in power.

With a turnout of 61%, as well as the 2/3 of voters who actively did not want New Labour back in, there is also the one third who were not moved strongly enough to make any preference.

Funny how the Conservatives (now that they are not in power) are coming round to the proportional representation idea (they were dead against it when they were in power; now Labour is against it. Plus ca change)

...perhaps I should have been more explicit and used 'as much'. I'm well aware that Mandarin is spoken outside China, just not so much as English!

Compared to how much English is spoken outside native English speaking countries, Mandarin is indeed not spoken 'so much' outside China. While there are more non-native speakers with *some* level of competence in English than native speakers, almost all speakers of Mandarin are native speakers. In the countries you mention, the language is spoken by ethnic Chinese, while English is spoken extensively by non-native speakers.

The British Council estimates that there are one billion people learning English, against a Chinese Ministry of Education estimate of 25 million learning Chinese. (Although I have no doubt that this will only increase in the future.)

...second language. Chinese (Mandarin) is unquestionably the most common natively spoken language, and probably still ahead of English if you demand fluency in the lanaguage. English however is spoken extensively to some degree of competence outside of native English speaking countries, and is by far the most common second language. Mandarin is not spoken so much outside China.

It is very common in my experience to hear non-native English speakers conversing in English when in another non-English speaking country. (I might note that the grandparent espousing English as a world language seemed to be a native Spanish speaker himself.)

'Most people in the world speak English' is an exaggeration, but the figure is estimated at 1 in 4. English certainly has the best claim to the status of an 'international language,' is spoken or has official status in more countries than any other language, and is used in international organisations and communication more than any other language.

I'd also guess that it's the most popular second language among the non-native speaking soldiers in Iraq, which is what the grandparent was talking about (not so many Chinese there).

http://www.britishcouncil.org/english/engfaqs.htm# howmany

Translators are needed for 3/4ths of the world. Not what I would call close to obsolete.

This reminds me of the windup radio developed by Trevor Baylis for use in regions such as Africa where radio is the primary method of distributing important information but electric power and even batteries are difficult to get.

The windup radio was sold in the west for a pretty high price as a curiousity to subsidize the distribution of these radios in Africa.

The Pengachu has short-range IP wireless commuication. What about wide area communication in infrastructure-poor areas? The two options I can see:

1. Satellite communication - a VSAT terminal that is shared by multiple Pengachus using the short range wireless link.

2. Terrestrial radio. Yes, this is one-way, but it's a very cheap and effective way of distributing information, software upgrades, etc. You can piggyback the data onto existing transmitters (RDS for FM, phase modulation a-la AM stereo for AM)


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