Although current British law stipulates that when special employment is involved, employers must provide legally compliant tutoring services for minors with the right to education, employees who possess that right are generally under the age of sixteen.
In other words, as long as the employee has taken the GCSE exams, the employer no longer needs to provide any tutoring service during subsequent working periods, even if the employee is not yet eighteen.
What?
Someone is asking why the standard for ending tutoring services is taking the GCSE exams rather than passing them?
And pointing out that taking and passing are obviously two different concepts?
The former means simply showing up is enough, making it easy for the requirement to become a formality.
The latter sets a minimum standard and can better ensure that minors actually learn something.
As for that question—
It is very simple, dear.
Leaving aside the fact that studying is an extremely personal matter that cannot be guaranteed by rigid clauses, some people simply cannot learn, and forcing them to study is just wasting everyone's time.
Just take the so-called fallback system — that concept does not exist in the vocabulary of capitalism.
Since capitalism's inception, it has never acted humanely. If you think its welfare provisions are good, that is because there was once a specter wandering around Europe. As Che Guevara said: "After we leave, they will build schools and hospitals for you and raise your wages. This is not because their conscience has awakened, nor because they have become good people, but because we were here."
So, even British law only stipulates that those who fail to achieve a grade C or above in core GCSE subjects must continue studying until the age of eighteen — but whether those people actually study is another matter entirely. There is no mandatory resit in the law.
Therefore, even when employers are required to continuously provide legally mandated tutoring services, they will typically only do so for employees under sixteen.
After sixteen—
Even those who still want to study for A-Levels must find their own way.
Take Daniel Radcliffe. His parents hoped he could go to university, they hired private tutors for him, giving him one-on-one lessons in the subjects needed for A-Level exams.
And when Isabella, the youngest member of the HP cast, sat her GCSE exams and qualified for A-Levels with straight A+ grades—
All the tutors on the crew retired, their mission complete.
Yes.
The 2006 GCSE results had already come out — in late August.
At the time, Isabella was on vacation in South America.
She received this unsurprising but welcome news on the grassland.
"Oh — so from today, the perks of being underage are leaving me?"
Chris Columbus's words made Isabella feel somewhat wistful.
"Hey! Isa! Why do I get the feeling you don't want to grow up?"
Rupert Grint, who had overheard their conversation, was puzzled.
"I think most people probably don't want to grow up, do they?"
Isabella rolled her eyes at him and said, "How nice would it be to be a carefree Peter Pan?"
"I don't see it that way." Rupert shook his head firmly. "Being a kid is boring. You can't go anywhere. But once you're an adult, it's different — my parents won't be able to control me anymore."
"But you'll control yourself—"
Before Isabella could finish, her assistant, Margot Robbie, smiled and said, "Rupert, if I remember correctly, you used to love ice cream. Your dream was even to own an ice cream truck and bring happiness to people around the world. But now — sure, you could still drive one onto the street and sell ice cream, but—"
Margot's gaze drifted as she looked Rupert up and down.
Before she could say another word, Rupert had already pulled a miserable face and cried, "Fine, fine — Marg! Don't say it! I admit it, being a kid was better. Now I even have to watch my figure!"
The moment those dejected words left his mouth, everyone around burst into laughter.
That's right.
If they had the choice, who would want to grow up?
A life with someone to rely on and no responsibilities to bear is the most comfortable one.
Although the Order of the Phoenix cast and crew were scheduled to gather on September 1, principal photography did not officially begin until September 10.
Before everyone reunited, the project's preparations had only been handled behind the scenes.
Costume and styling for the new instalment, the table read, rehearsals for various detailed scenes — none of that had been done together yet.
Of course, welcoming newcomers was also part of the work.
Notably, Luna Lovegood made her official debut in Order of the Phoenix, played once again by Evanna Lynch.
To be honest, in the eyes of many at this point, Isabella's identity as an actress had become almost incidental.
Many felt it no longer mattered whether Isabella remained in the entertainment industry at all.
She had already completed her initial accumulation of capital and was moving toward more advanced forms of it.
But for Isabella—
She acknowledged that, from a pure cost-benefit perspective, she no longer needed to be an actress.
A full year of work would not compare to a single day's growth in her Google shares.
But life cannot be reduced to cold numbers.
All of her success had come from the support of hundreds of millions of fans. And so, even with two or three more years of HP left to film — Order of the Phoenix, then Half-Blood Prince, then Deathly Hallows — she would see it through to the end. Yes, she loved HP, but at this stage, continuing to play Hermione Granger was genuinely about maintaining her core fanbase. The desire to honour her fans had grown larger than her original passion for the role.
Those were harsh words.
But—
She had always preferred the truth.
Hehe.
She would also add: when a person's core base grows so vast it can no longer expand, the force it continues to attract is something no amount of ordinary wealth can replicate — something countless powerful capitalists desire but can never obtain.
So—
"Isa, would you like to change your look a little?"
David Heyman was present when the styling and makeup for the new instalment were being confirmed.
Watching the tall girl step out of the changing room in her new school uniform, he smiled and suggested, "I don't think you need to wear a wig anymore. Your own hair is beautiful."
Isabella agreed that she looked good — with her bone structure, she could pull off anything. But the problem was—
"My hair isn't curly enough. Not as curly as Hermione's."
She turned in front of the mirror twice and shook her head.
"Just curl it with a curling iron."
David Heyman thought it a simple fix.
Isabella glanced at him in the mirror, smiling. "Oh, David, I understand what you mean — thank you. But it's fine. Wearing a wig isn't difficult for me."
"Besides—"
"I've been wearing one for years."
"Hahahaha—" David burst out laughing and nodded.
He spread his hands in concession.
His point had been simple enough—
Anyone who has worn a wig knows how uncomfortable it is.
When a full wig cap is used rather than hairpieces clipped over natural hair, wearing it feels like a form of torture. The cap and wig pull the scalp tight, and no matter how briefly it is worn, the scalp is red by the time it comes off. Wearing one regularly makes hair loss inevitable.
Although Isabella's hair was thick, it still fell short of the wild curls J.K. Rowling wrote for Hermione Granger. So from Philosopher's Stone onward, every year on set, she had worn a wig.
Truthfully, Isabella had never been fond of it.
She tolerated it because the role required it and because the daily wear time was short.
Previously, she worked at most four hours a day, with barely any overtime across an entire year.
But now—
The hours had doubled.
Was that not double the discomfort?
In David Heyman's view, Isabella — a billionaire — had no reason to endure unnecessary suffering, especially when it was so easily avoided. If it meant the look was slightly off-canon, so be it.
But Isabella?
She didn't mind.
This wasn't stubbornness born of wealth.
It was simply that, when it came to maintaining her fanbase, wearing a wig was the easiest sacrifice she could make.
While Isabella settled back into her secluded routine, the wider world continued moving:
First, on September 12, Apple held its special event, "It's Showtime."
At the event, Steve Jobs unveiled new additions to the iPod lineup — the second-generation iPod nano and an updated iPod Shuffle — and previewed the soon-to-launch Apple TV.
He also announced a partnership with YouTube: users who purchased the iTV — the Apple set-top box — would be able to access YouTube on their televisions, alongside ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX.
Perhaps it was a sense of shared interests.
Or perhaps the iTV itself put Jobs in high spirits, since it gave him another front on which to challenge Microsoft.
Either way, in discussing the partnership, Jobs happily noted that Isabella was a young person with a sharp understanding of technology: "The partnership between Apple and YouTube was something Isabella and I worked out together."
"Our conversation was extremely productive, and her grasp of the internet exceeded my expectations."
"I know what you're all hoping to hear — and although Google hasn't announced the details yet, I can tell you in advance that many of the concerns out there simply don't apply. Isabella has joined Google, but she hasn't abandoned her YouTube account. So — everything you've come to love will still be there."
"..."
"..."
Jobs's announcement sent Isabella straight back to the front pages of major North American outlets — a double headline in one blow.
It was hardly surprising.
For the past month, the question on everyone's mind had been whether Isabella's sale of YouTube meant she was cashing out and walking away.
If so, the disappointment would have been considerable, for a simple reason:
Many people had come to YouTube because of Isabella.
She had never publicly encouraged anyone to register, but a handful of vlogs were enough to draw in attention and views — and yet—
Emotions have a way of overriding facts.
People felt they had joined YouTube because of Isabella, and then Isabella turned around and sold it — in their eyes, hadn't she sold them too?
But if she hadn't walked away, and instead wanted YouTube to grow into something better?
Then — "I knew Isa wasn't that kind of person!"
"Exactly! She attached her charity foundation's website to her very first vlog. If she were heartless, why would she do that?"
"I've been following Isa's charity page. It's only been running half a year and it's already helped nearly twenty people — all publicly listed. She really is as kind as she is talented!"
"So YouTube is coming to TV? I think I understand why those corporate interests went after YouTube so hard before — they felt threatened. They realized Isabella wanted to give ordinary people a platform to be heard!"
"Oh my God — does YouTube on TV mean I could one day turn on the television and see myself? Or that others could see me through their screens? OMG — I could actually become a star!"
"."
"..."
For the general public, the Apple–YouTube partnership was thrilling.
For those in the tech and media industries, it was a headache.
The integration of Apple and YouTube threatened to upend everyone's business.
The iTV alone stood to disrupt Microsoft, Amazon, and Netflix;
YouTube's entry into living rooms via iTV would pull audiences away from ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX.
And just as industry players were still trying to figure out how to respond—
Before anyone had landed on a strategy, Apple itself was blindsided:
Three days after "It's Showtime" wrapped, Apple received a legal letter from British broadcaster ITV.
ITV claimed that naming the set-top box "iTV" infringed on their rights — they had been using the "ITV" mark since 1955 and held all related trademarks. As Britain's second-largest broadcaster, having Apple adopt the same name was, in their view, trading on their identity.
The move left everyone stunned.
Microsoft, Amazon, and Comcast were stunned because, while they had been anxiously trying to counter Apple, another company had stepped in and landed the first blow for them.
ITV's legal challenge might not be devastating, but it would cost Apple time and resources — and that was time the others could use to regroup.
Apple was stunned because Jobs had never anticipated that the name he chose would clash with an existing brand.
This—
This—
This—
"What is going on?"
September 16.
Having received the legal letter, a visibly furious Steve Jobs called his executives into an emergency meeting.
His disbelief was plain to see.
But no one in the wider world had much time to dwell on it.
Because on September 18, 2006, another major development unfolded across North America.
Warner and CBS Corporation jointly announced the merger of their WB Television Network and UPN Television Network.
The new network would be called The CW. Warner would operate it; CBS Corporation would hold a stake but have no management role.
With that, North America's fifth network was born.
Yes!
Before Apple had even officially shaken up the landscape, the media industry had already reshuffled itself.
The move immediately made Warner and CBS Corporation the subject of very pointed attention from their peers.
Because no one had seen it coming — no one — that while the entire industry's eyes were on YouTube, these two would launch a quiet offensive.
"M—F—"
"Jeffrey Bewkes!"
"Sumner Redstone!"
"You two — pulling a move like this!"
"..."
"..."
Amid widespread outrage, September 2006 drew to a close, and October arrived.
Only one major story defined that month. With the start of the new fiscal year, the U.S. government announced that its employment figures for the previous year were exceptionally strong. The national unemployment rate had fallen to 4.4%, and Americans across the board had jobs and income.
The markets responded immediately.
The Dow Jones, as if given a shot of adrenaline, surged nearly a thousand points, breaking the 12,000-point mark for the first time on October 19.
The previous record high had been set on January 20, 2000, at 11,722.98 points.
That it took six years to close a gap of less than 300 points was a question best answered by asking why capitalism keeps generating economic crises.
On the surface, the United States had emerged from the shadow of the dot-com bubble and appeared to be heading into a bright new era. But beneath the surface—
A fatal crisis was quietly taking shape.
Even as the U.S. government declared everything was going well, Bear Stearns — one of Wall Street's most prominent investment banks — was sounding the alarm. Subprime mortgage volumes had grown for three consecutive years, each year more than 20% above the last.
What Americans held in their hands was not wealth, but debt.
And if subprime lending continued to go unchecked, a global financial crisis was inevitable.
No one listened.
Anyone who has raised a child knows: by the time a child cries that they need to use the bathroom, they have usually already gone.
Bear Stearns was Wall Street's fifth-largest investment bank.
A firm of that stature, upon identifying risk, would never warn the world out of goodwill — not when the alternative was quietly positioning to profit from it.
Anyone with a functioning brain could see that.
So when Bear Stearns spoke up, it was not out of some sudden burst of conscience.
It was because they had realized they were already the ones drowning.
They weren't sounding the alarm. They were calling for a lifeline.
And when a financial giant cries for help?
Its peers can barely contain their excitement.
Yes.
In the world of social Darwinism, the only law is survival of the fittest.
Why is capital without humanity?
Because it regards even its own kind as potential prey.
Isabella, still on set, kept a loose eye on the outside world — but Bear Stearns's cries had little to do with her.
Not because she had forgotten about the subprime mortgage crisis.
She understood that the crisis would be a feast reserved for a very small number of players.
Finance was a world stacked floor to ceiling with power. She was only operating in media, entertainment, and tech, and had already come face to face with formidable forces. In finance—
To put it plainly: did she think she could swallow Lehman Brothers?
The moment that thought crossed your mind, you were already in the coffin.
North America's sharpest concentration of power sat in three sectors: finance, the military-industrial complex, and medicine.
Isabella had no interest in picking a fight. As long as she stayed her course, she had the wind at her back.
But not wanting trouble does not mean trouble stays away.
Just as Bear Stearns was frantically struggling to stay afloat, a quiet meeting was taking place elsewhere in New York.
In his Manhattan mansion, Marvel's largest shareholder, chairman and CEO Isaac Perlmutter — who held 34.75% of the company's shares — was listening to a report from a trusted subordinate.
"Boss, we've confirmed the details."
"The Batman sequel has entered active pre-production."
"Christopher Nolan is currently busy promoting The Prestige, but his brother Jonathan Nolan — who is co-writing the sequel — has already begun scouting locations for Gotham City."
"Liverpool, Glasgow, London, and Yorkshire are all under consideration. During the London visit, he crossed paths with Kevin Feige. Both parties described it as a chance encounter — Feige was in Britain to update Susie Figgis on Iron Man's production progress, but—"
"We all know that explanation doesn't hold up."
"Isabella handed full production of Iron Man over to Kevin Feige some time ago."
"If Feige only answers to Isabella, what standing does Susie Figgis have to be briefed on Iron Man's progress? So—"
"The rumours are almost certainly true."
"Isabella has already taken control of DC."