Football Diary

by Patrick O'Connor

AS football continues to head towards financial meltdown with Portsmouth, Crystal Palace and Notts County hovering dangerously above the trapdoor, clubs lower down the food chain are doing their best to woo fans back to their stadiums.

League Two side Northampton Town are offering fans a free week's holiday abroad - if they buy a season ticket for next season.

In American E a pacifier is what the British call a dummy.  To pacify means to cause someone who is angry or upset to be calm and satisfied, or to bring peace to a place or end war in a place.

For example: A UN force has been sent in to try and pacify the area worst affected by the civil war.

Love

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

And in life's noisiest hour,
There whispers still the ceaseless love of thee,
The heart's self-solace and soliloquy.
You mould my hopes, you fashion me within ;
And to the leading love-throb in the heart

The Information Interview Essay

The Art of the Informational Interview Essay

Sometimes, we just want to learn more about other people; we want to find out what makes them tick so-to-speak. We yearn to understand how they navigate this adventure we call life.  About the only way we can actually learn about others is through asking them questions. That's what an Informational Interview does; you ask relevant questions and compile the answers into a form suitable for reading at one's leisure in an Informational Interview Essay.

You need to consider two aspects of the Informational Interview Essay. Aside from the typical considerations that come with any form of essay writing, such as proper research, clarity of writing, revision, and such. One aspect to consider is your approach to "Conducting the Interview." The second aspect for consideration is the actual "Questioning." Let's look at five vital points of each aspect:

A Valentine's Joke

One night just before Valentine's Day a woman had a lovely dream about a beautiful necklace.

A Sailor went to sea

A sailor went to sea sea sea,
To see what he could see see see.
But all that he could see see see,
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea.

When is a castle not a castle?

by Mandy Miller

When it's Castle Howard.  Castle Howard is one of the 10 Treasure Houses of England, and it has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years. Technically, it is not a true castle, because it was built after the castle-building era and was never used as a defensive position in battle. It is actually an English country house, and it has been home to the Howard family for over 300 years. It is easily recognisable by fans of Brideshead Revisited, in fact over the years, it has been the location for a number of different films.

Why School Uniform Rules!

by Dr Helen Wright

Everyone remembers their school uniform – from that scratchy skirt to that uncomfortable tie. Like those tough teachers we respected because they were uncompromising and made us give of our best, we never forget what we wore every day for up to 13 years of our life. Can it seriously have been a good thing?

Leadership

What Makes a Good Leader?

by Myron Curry

It goes without saying that good leadership is crucial to any successful business. But, what makes a good leader and how can someone develop himself or herself into a good leader if they are not one to begin with? The answer is that there are many factors that contribute to good leadership. And, whether someone is naturally a good leader or not, anyone can become a good leader.

An Odd Profession

by Patrick O’Connor

DO you remember that TV game show called What’s My Line?  Panellists had to question contestants in order to determine their occupation. If I’d have been on it, they would never have guessed correctly. Never, never in a million years.

A selection of headlines from stories in the news. They use English in a way that you might think is intended to confuse but it's all perfectly clear to the native speaker.

Football Diary

by Patrick O'Connor

THE result is the only thing that matters is a mantra often quoted in the world of football.  It was obviously the rallying call for Premier League leaders Chelsea in their 2-1 win at Burnley on Saturday.

Obesity

What is obesity?

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on a person's health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.   In other words, it means to be dangerously overweight.

Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century.

Americanisms

Someone, probably Bernard Shaw, once said that the British and the Americans are two people separated by a common language and it is certainly true that when Daniel Webster wrote his famous dictionary he set out to make the two languages distinctive – hence us Brits have humour and the Americans humor and so on.

Avatar

Last night I went to see my first 3D film. Maybe that shows my age, but the experience was brilliant! And yet I was amazed how quickly I became used to it and stopped jumping every time something came shooting out towards me!   Anyway, you may gather I went to see Avatar.

Fresh Eyes on London - Blog of the month

Everyone knows something about London, whether it's the London Eye, that big clock, or the notorious Tower, but there's so much more to London.  The quirky and unusual photos on this blog give another glimpse of the capital city.

Site of the Month - February

You might have noticed a couple of cartoons turn up on the site, in addition to the daily cartoons.  It's difficult to find copyright free cartoons, but Toondoo is a web site that helps you to make your own.

It's got everything you need to create a single cartoon or even a cartoon strip - from backgrounds, to text areas and clipart.  And best of all - It's free!

Money Supermarket dot com

Click "Read More" for the transcript, but click on the link below to watch the ad first.

Watch it here:-

moneysupermarket.com

Goin' [Going] Back to my Roots

By Odyssey

Zippin' [Zipping] up my boots,
goin' [going] back to my roots
yeah
To the place of my birth
back down to earth.