I saw this article (How Gay Became Children’s Insult Of Choice) on BBC last week and I couldn’t help but be curious and sad at the same time. The article starts with:
The word “gay” is now the most frequently used term of abuse in schools, says a report. How did it get to be so prevalent and why do children use homophobic insults to get at each other?
I never even really realised that “gay” is the insult of choice these days. The fact that we have to have a label such as “insult of choice” is in itself saddening. Has our society become so critical and disrespectful of others that we have to have an insult of choice for each generation? The BBC article, however, does have some significant points. It is true that even in the older generations, there were terms and words that were commonly used to bring children in the playgrounds down. It just so happens that today, “gay” is the choice word.
So what happened? Why has it reached the status that it has? BBC reports:
One reason for this increase in use could be because “gay” has partly lost its sexual connotations among young people, he says. While still pejorative, for the majority of youngsters it has replaced words such as “lame”.
Still, the article has pointed out something equally valid:
But while “gay” may have changed for some, it is still being used as a means of bullying, as are many other homophobic insults (see table, above). Last year, the Westminster government announced the first guidelines for schools on how to deal with homophobic bullying.
I don’t think that this issue is limited to the UK, though. We might very well hear of similar goings on in other countries.
Indeed, why? There are countless universities all over the world which offer high quality education. Why would a student single out the UK to get his or her education? Then again, why not?
Well I suppose a quarter million students from various countries around the world cannot be wrong. This is the estimated number of foreign students that are currently studying in British universities. So why are these foreign students opting to leave the land they call their home to get an education in a strange nation? The answer could only be that UK universities have the best reputation.
This is true – even in the United States, a British education can be considered a plus. After all, countless of brilliant minds throughout history have proven that an education in the UK is worth one’s weight in gold. Today, the British Council continues to provide assistance to people who want to take a shot at earning a degree in one of the country’s many learning institutions. They provide valuable information to help people of other nations know more about the educational system and what they would need to enroll in a British university.
More than the education that goes on in the classrooms, the UK offers a sort of a real world educational experience. Being composed of a hodgepodge of people from various cultures, living and studying in the UK exposes students to different walks of life, different ways of thinking. So if you want one of the best – if not THE best – learning experiences both in and out of the classroom, you just might want to check out studying in the UK.
The British have never been really known for their technology – this honor is usually attributed to the US and Japan. However, University of Edinburgh is set to make a name for itself and its country with the unveiling of HECToR, Britain’s fastest supercomputer to date.
What is HECToR all about? Well, it just has the power of 12,000 desktop personal computers and just might be able to help figure out some of greatest puzzles in the field of science. To get to the nitty gritty of what HECToR is capable of, think about this – 64 million calculations per second! How is that for power and speed? With this kind of power behind HECToR, scientists will be able to look at various phenomena and study subjects such as climate change. Other things that HECToR can be used for are studies on:
-medicine
-oceanography
-nanotechnology
-radar
-superconductors
-combustion engines
-new materials.
In fact, the possibilities seem limitless!
So just how big is HECToR? Imagine 60 cabinets the size of wardrobes – that’s where HECToR can be found as of the moment. As for the weight, HECToR weighs in at 113 million pounds.
To balance out all the hype, the fact is that HECToR is not the fastest and most powerful in the world. It is in fact one of the best in Europe but not the number one. Yet who cares? HECToR is proudly British made and is capable of wondrous things. He doesn’t have to be the best there is. The mere fact that we’ve come up with something like him is something to be proud of in itself.
People love to read and hear poetry and other literary arts. Some would listen and learn from their message to the reader while some would simply be amazed at how they were constructed with such enthusiasm and imagination. Whatever the case may be, English literature has been known to be rich and capable of rubbing on people who try their hand on poetry and prose.
Much can be traced to the ancestry of English literature and arts. A lot of the famous writers trace their roots to the homelands of England. Charles Dickens for one, is a famous poet that everyone is particularly familiar with. Among his famous works include that of Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and the seasonal holiday tale of the Christmas Carol.
To this day, much of the familiar prose that people read would be immediately associated with the famous writers such as Dickens. It is not surprising to note why this came about considering that England is indeed rich in the arts and culture.
[tags]oliver twist, charles dickens, literature, prose, poetry[/tags]
Why Students Dream of Education in England
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Posted on Aug 2, 2007 by Jodie in English Culture, English Education, English Language, English Life, English TraditionsFor students, the desire to be able to study in England is among the dreams that would be a good investment for their future. Rich in culture, history and customs, prestigious colleges, garnering the level of education from England is world-renowned and achieving such a feat shall surely be a good feather in the cap of successful students.
England is best related to the works of Shakespeare, one of the famous writers that people know and whose works have been portrayed in different plays all throughout the world.
A lot of the educational focus would be focused on their artistic and theatrical knowledge, tagged as being unique and unlike that of others in the whole world. With its rich pool of resources in castles and religious beliefs, it is not hard to notice why England has gained much headway into one of the more famous destination points to which people would visit or perhaps rant for educational opportunities today.
[tags]england education, career, arts, shakespeare, sciences, diploma[/tags]
Golden Retrievers as Pets
Comments Off Posted on Jun 14, 2007 by Jodie in English Culture, English Education, English Life, English Pets, GeneralGolden Retrievers are ideal English pets that people would usually prefer since they are quite friendly and would rarely bark or attack people. They are usually known for hunting in the early times and for sniffing out drugs. They are good pets to have because their faces look like they are smiling all the time. They are also good for aiding blind people hence wanting to see people around them all the time. Once they are left alone or left tied up, they would usually become very sad and cry to get the attention of people nearby.
Golden Retrievers are classified as toy dogs because of their friendliness. They are also tagged as show dogs and field dogs. The difference lies in the length of their hair. Field dogs are easier to groom because they have shorter hair.
Having big boned structure, these English dogs are prone to bone diseases, notably their hips which may develop into hip dysplasia. Their skin is also sensitive hence the need to ensure that they would be eating the proper dog food and bathed at proper times to avoid contracting fleas that wills surely make them itch and develop skin allergies.
[tags]golden retriever, pets, dogs, toy dogs[/tags]
All About English Economics
Comments Off Posted on Apr 22, 2007 by Jodie in English Culture, English Education, English Life, English TraditionsThe economics of any country is a telling factor with its carried success of handling the infrastructure and needs of its region. England for its part, holds the second largest economy in Europe and fifth largest economy in the world. England is known to be the leader in pharmaceutical, technical aerospace and the arms industry. Everyone is well aware that such industries are among the highly demanded innovations and needs of people today.
England follows the Anglo-Saxon Economic Model. This capitalist model follows a macroeconomic model where taxes are low and the government offers lesser services. Given a free market type of an economy, this has been the ticket for a growing and stable economy to which England has been flourishing and ranked among the best economies other countries are quite envious about.
This can be seen with their obvious exchange rates with other currencies where the Pound Sterling offers better exchange rates to which people from other countries are aching to find jobs to have better opportunities and better compensation and financial aid for themselves and their families.
[tags]economics, england, pharmaceutical, technology, business, exports, imports, taxes, anglo-saxon economic model[/tags]
Name Calling in Great Britain
Comments Off Posted on Mar 4, 2007 by Jodie in English Culture, English Education, English Language, English Life, English NewsDepending on the sensitivity of a person, names used to call someone who may be around would get the wrong idea since they are simply easily identifying factors to note on the person in the way that they would perhaps describe them. To other cultures, this may be a bad way of citing a person but to the English, it is a form of christening when it comes to tagged names.
Among the tagged names that people may call others include dear, dearie, chuck, me duck and so on. For people who are not used to this, they may think that they are making fun of them but when they are actually not. Such practices are known in England and to be able to determine the actual meaning, a person may act dumb at times and act why they were called those names.
Most people would be surprised at the different approach of social interaction in England. But once they have been briefed, a better understanding of the practice and name calling can be expected.
[tags]english tradition, name calling, english culture[/tags]
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