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This is a big thing in the world of libraries: none other than The British Library has joined in the fray of making the most of the World Wide Web! On February 25, culture minister Margaret Hodge announced the launch of National Web Archive. This online archive is to hold ALL of the free web sites of the UK including such material as the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2009 swine flu outbreak advice, and more.
The Web Archive has been developed – and is being developed – in conjunction with other entities such as IBM, the national libraries of Scotland and Wales, Jisc, and the Wellcome Library. Information Week tells us more:
According to the British Library, the average life expectancy of a Web site is between 44 and 75 days and every six months, 10% of .uk Web pages vanish or are replaced by new material.
“With so much material now published online, and considering the growing influence of the Internet on British culture and society, the Web is now a key part of the nation’s memory,” said Margaret Hodge, the U.K.’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, in a statement. “A failure to record and preserve the UK domain would not just be detrimental to future research but leave a significant gap in our digital heritage.”
The .uk Internet domain currently consists of about 8 million Web pages and is expected to reach 11 million by 2011. The British Library currently has 10 people manually archiving the 5 terabytes of U.K. Web page data.
It is comforting to know that our children – and their children – will be able to access the very same web pages that we are accessing today. Or, NOT. 
You have to admit it – when it comes to fine cuisine, London is usually not the first city to come to mind. Indeed, even the experts have not given this city as much recognition as they have given to different locations worldwide. And Chef Alain Ducasse totally disagrees with this.
Alain Ducasse has a total of 19 Michelin stars to his name, and knows what he is talking about when it comes to food. He has boldly proclaimed that London is the gastronomic capital of the world and that the city is being sorely overlooked. And despite the number of stars that Michelin has awarded him, Ducasse is not shy to point out their mistake in overlooking London.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the chef shares his sentiments:
There has been a revolution in London in the last 10 years. The restaurant scene is very interesting. Michelin should give it more stars; it’s mean. You should interview the editor and ask him why [he doesn’t]. London is the most important city in the world for restaurants. It was level with New York, but the product has developed more here in the last five years. I think Michelin is a bit conservative.
He points out that there are countless restaurants in London which offer the best in the world. He also highlights the fact that the variety of food that you can find in the city is comparable to none. He even went as far as to compare Paris and London based on this point – and guess which came out on top?
I wonder what the people at Michelin are thinking right now…
Things are about to change big time for Bradley Cooper, a 16-year-old British boy from Hull, East Yorkshire. Hold your horses – it’s definitely not the Bradley Cooper that has made it big in Hollywood. This Bradley Cooper actually calls himself Ria, and he has been dressing (and behaving) like a girl since he was 12 years old.
Recently, he was informed that he can undergo a sex change operation costing £10,000. Even better news for the teenager is that the local NHS trust will be paying for the whole thing. The operation will take place anytime in the next year and a half, and this will make Bradley (Ria) they youngest patient in Britain to undergo the procedure. Prior to him, the youngest case was Angel Paris-Jordan, who was almost 18 when she had the procedure done.
Naturally, this decision by the NHS has given rise to a lot of controversy. For one, the issue of sex change has never been widely accepted. There are still a lot of camps who are thoroughly opposed to the idea of homosexuality, much more sex change. Another reason that this story has ruffled a lot of feathers is that the government will be paying for the operation. It is not surprising to hear opinions such as that NHS money can be put to better use.
And what does Ria have to say about that? “I know people might say horrible things like the money could be better spent on other things. But this is my life, and it won’t be worth living unless I have that operation.”
If you’ve ever celebrated Christmas in Britain, or with a British family, then you probably have had some experience with Christmas crackers. These are traditionally part of the Christmas dinner. These days, Christmas crackers comes in various designs but in the simplest form, a cracker is made of a cardboard tube with festive wrapping twisted in such a way that there are two ends. Two people have to pull at each end, and then it pops (cracks) to reveal the surprise inside. The pop is due to some chemically treated strip of paper inside the tube; the surprise usually a party hat or some other treat. The aim is to get the longer end of the cracker in order to “win” the treat.
Obviously, people would be wanting to get the longer end of the Christmas cracker all the time. This has led British researchers to come up with a formula that will ensure success at the table. AFP reports:
Diners are guaranteed success if they follow the formula O=11xC/L+5xQ which is based on the angle, grip and quality of the cracker. You must first multiply the circumference of the cracker in inches (C) by 11 before dividing that number by the length (L) of the barrel.
Take that total and add it to the figure you get when you multiply the quality (Q) — either 1, 2 or 3 depending on whether the cracker is cheap, standard or premium — by five, the Daily Mail said. The formula ought to produce a figure between 20 and 55 degrees, which is the optimum pulling angle (O). The cracker should also be pulled one inch from the end of the tail, newspapers said.
Too much trouble, don’t you think? Then again, if you want bragging rights, it wouldn’t hurt to practice and get it perfect for next year!
Every year, the British Royal Family spends Christmas Day walking – no, strolling – to church and back. This year, it was no different. The whole family went to St. Mary Magdalene, which is located in their estate in Norfolk. Naturally, a crowd gathered to see the nobles with their own eyes.
Tradition dictates that the entire family gather at this time of the year in Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth II’s private estate. As they walked to church, around a thousand onlookers extended their Christmas greetings to the Royal Family – either expressly or silently. Some, like Debbie Barlett, got an extra treat. Barlett is a 51-year-old carer who lives near the estate. She got a hug and a kiss from Prince William, who is third in line to the throne.
After church, the family had lunch, which is traditionally served at 1:00 pm. The traditional meal usually features a turkey (the huge kind, of course), which is raised in the estate. After lunch, everyone sits back and relaxes to watch Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas Day broadcast, which is aired at 3:00pm.
Opening of gifts do not happen on Christmas Day but Christmas Eve. This is another thing that the Royal Family does differently from the rest of the nation, which opens gifts on 25 December. Instead, the Royal Family follows in the footsteps of the Germans and open their gifts on Christmas Eve.
Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? I wonder if they have any secret parties that common folk like us do not hear about?
I don’t know if you have noticed it, but Google’s home page is showing some really cute images. I think they started doing it yesterday or the day before. What are these cute images? Everyone recognises them – character from Sesame Street!
People of all ages around the world are joining forces to celebrate the 40th anniversary of iconic children’s show, but would you believe that Britons are not as excited as the rest of the world? The BBC recently ran a feature on why Britain fell out of love with the show, and the reason is that because it is “dangerous:”
The show crossed the Atlantic 18 months after its US launch, but the BBC rejected it because of its “authoritarian aims” in trying to change children’s behaviour. “This sounds like indoctrination, and a dangerous extension of the use of television,” said the head of children’s programmes at the time, Monica Sims.
TV critic Barry Norman, writing in The Times in November 1971, said it was “neither good enough nor bad enough” to justify all the fuss, adding that the BBC had no need for it because it already broadcast Blue Peter and Play School.
Indeed, cultural differences may play a big role in the story. With successful children’s shows being shown in the UK, Sesame Street has a lot of competition. We also have to consider the bias that the British have for their cousins across the sea. Still, the show is shown on Five.
So today, while Sesame Street continues to be shown in more than a hundred countries, the children of Britain are not particularly affected by the hullaballoo. That does not mean that they are not getting the “telly education” that other children are not getting, though, does it?
The red poppy was first used as a symbol to remember those who have died in war. Its use is attributed to Moina Bell Michael, an American teacher who raised funds for those who used to be in the military by selling silk poppies. The United States officially dubbed the silk poppy as the emblem for remembrance in 1920, and the UK followed suit a year after.
In about a week’s time, the nation will be celebrating Remembrance Day, and poppies will be all over the place yet again. Did you know that while red is the predominant colour that is used, poppies can also be worn in white and purple? White poppies trace their roots to 1933, thanks to the Women’s Cooperative Guild. The colour white stands for an end to all wars – peace. Purple poppies on the other hand are worn to commemorate animals which have fallen victim to wars.
Whichever colour of poppy you choose to wear, you should know that there is a time to wear the emblem. The norm is to wear poppies from 1 November until 11 November, which is Armistice Day. However, there are those who believe that poppies should only be worn until Remembrance Sunday.
Another thing you ought to take into consideration is where to wear your poppy – left or right? You will hear differing opinions, but the Royal British Legion maintains the stand that no place is right or wrong. What matters is that you wear that poppy with pride.
So, go ahead and get yourself a poppy and remind yourself – and everyone around you – what others have gone through and what you have to be thankful for.
Photo courtesy of The Daily Mail
It may be hard to imagine – impossible almost – but a three-year old boy is now considered to be the youngest criminal in all of Britain. His name is, of course, kept confidential, but there is no doubt that the toddler is being investigated in relation to a case regarding damage to household property.
It is almost incomprehensible, really. After all, children at that age DO have the capacity to wreak havoc, especially at home. They do not know any better. So makes this toddler different from any other toddler who gets mischievous every now and then?
According to Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary:
“This is a clear manifestation of the first signs of offending. These instances underline the very deep social problems we have in some parts of the country. It is part of the very complex picture we call broken Britain.”
Not to offend anyone, but in any nation where children as young as three can be considered criminals, there really is something broken! And this is actually the least of it. The Telegraph, in its report about the boy, cited many other cases wherein children as young as eight and nine have been accused of rape! Offenses such as theft, possession of knives, and assaults are also apparently not unheard of.
I blame the parents. Children below 10 (and even beyond this age, actually!) are in their formative years – years in which their values and perspectives are shaped. Where were the parents when the children were committing these crimes? The kids may not be prosecuted as adults because of the law, but the parents should be held accountable, don’t you think?
For the longest time now, the British government has banned TV shows from advertising products within the programme itself. In an interesting turn of events, the government is now lifting the ban. The move will allow commercial broadcasters to place products in various TV shows, thereby advertising them.
The decision has not been announced officially but the speculation is that it will be made early this week. For sure, this announcement will be a controversial one, albeit much welcomed by TV producers. However, the ban will still remain for other broadcasters such as BBC as well as all children’s programmes, regardless of network.
So why has the government changed its stance? The Telegraph says:
The main factor behind the rethink by ministers has been the financial strictures faced by ITV and other commercial broadcasters during the recession, which have seen their advertising revenues badly hit.
Government sources also cite a European parliament directive which came into force almost two years ago permitting product placement in sport and light entertainment programmes – if national governments allowed it.
More than this, Britain is actually a little lagging in this respect. Other European Union members have already started allowing TV programmes to place products.
It will be very interesting to see how quickly the British networks are going to pounce on this opportunity. For sure, the primetime shows will have a wide array of choices as to which products to use. Bottom line, more cash will be flowing into the coffers because of this change.
Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Looks like I can’t seem to stop myself from writing about food…
Today, the 2009 British Food Fair opened in Taipei, Taiwan. The food fair is being overseen by the British Trade and Cultural Office, in cooperation with City’Super, a well known high end supermarket in the country. The features of the food fair are, according to BTCO Director David Campbell, “sweet and savoury products specially sourced from the United Kingdom to bring local customers the taste of traditional British culinary culture.”
Naturally, the British tradition of tea and biscuits is the focal point of the food fair. In fact, Clare Lear of the British Assistance and Services Section of BTCO gave a demonstration on how to whip up a British afternoon tea using some of the products on display in the food fair. Some of these products include tea, biscuits, sauces, and chocolate.
The food fair will run until 4 September and is being hosted by three branches of the supermarket in the city. People who visit the food fair will be in for a treat – not only because of the UK food products being presented but also because they have the chance to win a round trip ticket to the UK, a Brompton Baby Pink bicycle, and a Dyson vacuum cleaner. In addition to these, entrance tickets to the Pixar 20th anniversary exhibition are also up for grabs.
While majority of the British might not have had the chance to visit Taipei, it does give you a sense of pride to know that people on the other side of the world are interested in your culture, doesn’t it?
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Posted on Feb 28, 2010 by