An English Tradition called St. Andrew’s Day

Comments Off Posted on Mar 8, 2007 by Jodie in English Cuisine, English Culture, English Traditions, General

Each year come November 30, people would celebrate St. Andrew’s day, the recognized patron saint of Scotland. For people who know their history, many would not that Andrew is among the 12 disciples of Jesus. It is believed that he was crucified as well on an x-shaped cross which in turn has become the reason for Scotland’s symbolic national flag.

St. Andrew’s day is a feast day that is celebrated by farm workers by catching hares and rabbits in the early years. Today, this has changed and people simply celebrate through eating fish and other traditional Scottish foods known today such as porridge, haggis and pudding.

Each country has its own traditional belief on how to celebrate certain holidays as recognized locally and St. Andrew’s Day is something that is celebrated with honor in Scotland and through all of England. These dates are of significant interest in the same way that other local declared holidays based on traditional beliefs are done.

[tags]st. andrew’s day, holiday, religious, Jesus, english tradition, english facts[/tags]

The Descent of Boxing Day

Comments Off Posted on Feb 28, 2007 by Jodie in English Culture, English Life, English News, English Traditions, General

The day itself should not be associated with the usual boxing sport that most of us watch over the famous world sports channels such as HBO and ESPN. Rather, Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen’s day where people share food and is a national holiday for the families and friends to share friendship and love.

This event is usually spent on the 26th of December of each year, the day right after Christmas. This is celebrated in known regions such as Austria, Britain, New Zealand and Canada. During this time, most business and government offices are closed and people can be found in malls savoring the holiday for the time to enjoy and be with their loved ones.

Such a practice is considered and extension of the usual Christmas breaks. For some people, they technically practice this although unnamed. Besides, there is no harm in extending a one day vacation considering that the Christmas season should be spent at its fullest potential worldwide.

[tags]english tradition, boxing, boxing day, christmas[/tags]

English Music and Bands Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Comments Off Posted on Feb 25, 2007 by Jodie in English Culture, English Life, English News, General

England is known to house the best names in the music industry, covering that of rock, jazz and pop music. A lot of the known names in the music industry today have made their mark in most parts of the world. Music artists such as The Beatles, Led Zepellin, The Rolling Stones, and Queen have all made their mark as solid English groups that have taken the world by storm.

To this day, most of their original hits are still being played all over the world. The musical artists have left a trail of followers still supporting them to this day and this can be attributed to the quality of music that they have offered to music lovers all over.

All regions and countries have a good following for following the memorable and up to date musical tunes of today. Music hits the spot for most people and using the path of fans that they have until today, such English music names will forever remain in the annals of history and provide inspiration as well to aspiring musicians on the rise.

[tags]beatles, english bands, rolling stones, led zepellin, queen[/tags]

Taking the Toad in a Hole for Breakfast

Comments Off Posted on Feb 23, 2007 by Jodie in English Cuisine, English Culture, English Traditions, General

The name should not be taken literally since similar to most adages, this is simply a name christened to unique conceptualized meals that the English have developed. And for the sake of clearing things out, no frogs or toads are included in it!

Seriously, it is simple egg and toast presented in a unique way. The center portion of bread is simply cut using a round object such as a cookie or a glass and then placed in a frying pan to which eggs are placed in the revealing circular portion. It is like simply frying an egg sunny side up but with borders which produces an appealing manner of presentation for dishes originating from England.

While the name termed for it may need some work, it is commonly known as Egg in the Basket as well. But knowing how to stimulate the curiosity of most people, the attention garnered by Toad in a Hole will really catch their interest since they are not too familiar with such an offered English meal.

[tags]english cuisine, english tradition, english breakfast[/tags]

Never on a Quality Weekend like Sunday

Comments Off Posted on Feb 19, 2007 by Jodie in English Life, English Traditions, General

Each country has a different belief with regards to spending their daily lives at any day of the week. The usual weekdays of Monday to Friday are considered as working days, similar to that of most countries today. Saturday is an option for others to make as a working day or not, but for the British, Saturdays are times where they spend with their families and times for shopping.

Sundays are extension of the quality time spent with families. This includes the shopping malls and stalls which would not hold the usual working hours. Some would not even open since the British put premium towards family and religion during the weekends.

For Britain, it is obvious that premium on stronger ties within families is what is important. Their traditions and routine manner of living is something to envy. But for each country today, adjustments to the manner of living is a must to adhere towards the increasing demand for quality living.

[tags]english culture, english traditions, family[/tags]

The Universal Language of English

Comments Off Posted on Feb 13, 2007 by Jodie in English Language, English Traditions, General

Practically the entire world is aware that English is known to be the primary and perhaps universal dialect and language known worldwide. This can be traced to the influence created by the British Empire. It is usually a known second language to other countries who have their own primary language such as China and France. With the influence of its widespread familiarity, the English language has bee known to be one of the easier, if not better used means of establishing communication and ties today.

All over the world, English is known to be a requirement. Being familiar with the universal language is an important tool especially in professions. This can be attributed to the fact that people will always resort to English if people coming from different countries are different from one another. This way, areas such as business and social interactions can be at a stand-off, meaning that people can communicate freely and understandably.

[tags]english, universal, jobs, writing[/tags]

Keep the Post Office!

Comment (0) Posted on Feb 11, 2007 by Jodie in General

Recent statistics have revealed that the vast majority of rural post offices in England are not making enough money. The government is now under tremendous pressure to make some tough decisions. There is also a concern that thousands of pensioners living in many rural areas of England could face total isolation if their local post office closes because it is considered a lifeline in the absence of other services.

There is no doubt that a post office is needed in every community. It offers both convenience and reliability for people to pay their bills. It not only allows people to post letters but also let them catch up with local goings on. To me, it will be an absolute disgrace if people have to travel miles merely to pay bills. The internet is not always the best way to do things either as online identity theft has been increasingly common these days.

Some may argue that if there is decline is local post office usage, perhaps it’s because they can’t provide the services of the same standard they used to in the past. The government has historically been very supportive of the Post Office because it ensured that people, regardless of where they lived, were able to obtain necessary licences or permits and freely send letters and packages.

The current situation, however, demonstrates the failure of this government to take up its responsibilities to the people. They instead prefer to use economy to justify their actions, but are happy to waste a lot of money on crazy policies and unnecessary bureaucracies.

I always fail to comprehend why the government loves throwing money at things that are neither profitable nor useful. Whatever objection it may have, the Post Office has traditionally been a friendly and welcoming place where people can go and easily get things done. Much to the disgust of many, this will understandably be replaced by another powerful corporation which has an awful track record but is a big political party donor.

There are countless reasons why post offices should certainly be supported by the government. For instance, people in rural areas get little or sometimes no public transport, so the absence of post offices will surely make their lives even more difficult. I’ve myself stayed in both rural and urban areas and it was in fact relatively easier to post letters in the village believe it or not.

Many people, including myself, also cannot understand why the post offices are being targeted purely because they are making a loss. If that really were the case, the rail system and other public transport would be gone by now. This could easily give a wrong impression that people in urban areas, where all sorts of facilities are available to them 24/7, believe that rural people should be denied all facilities.

I genuinely believe that rural post offices should definitely be assisted. More and more of us are being pushed to live in suburban areas and as such have to use cars to do things. Nonetheless, there will always be a need to live in communities with convenient local services too.

Student Assessments

Comment (0) Posted on Feb 9, 2007 by Jodie in General

In England, the two main ways to assess students’ performances are coursework and exams respectively. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has recently proposed to scrap coursework in favour of full scale exams because according to their report, coursework has become less valid.

People have argued that nerves often get the better off them in exams whereas they find little difficulty doing coursework. To be honest, I reckon it’s quite fair to give people a chance this way, although I myself am happy doing exams. Coursework gives people complete freedom as they can go onto a computer, delete and edit things they way they like. There is also an opportunity for them to properly research stuff.

Despite the fact that I never complained about coursework, I have to say that I would have preferred to do all exams. I reckon coursework can sometimes be unfair as parents, teachers and mates can give too much help. In addition, the growing use of Internet can also result in an extremely uneven playing field, where a C grade student can hardly be distinguished from an A grade student because they were allowed countless redrafts, given loads and loads of help and could then potentially end up with unfairly high marks.

Regardless of its drawbacks, coursework does have its major advantage too; students can feel more confident going into the exam as they’ve already got some marks in the bag. However, there is also a problem that tutors don’t always get the marking accurately and your final results could get moderated down. It would be quite a blow for anyone to be told that they’d got an A for their coursework and hence felt secure, only to later discover that it was actually worth a mere B or less.

That happened with my Geography coursework and I have to say it’s not nice at all. Maybe the idea of open book exams supported by many seems a viable alternative because it is not all about memorising and also minimises the problem of cheating. And certain subjects such as maths and science should not have coursework because it is rather pointless, though science could just have a practical exam instead.

As far as I’m concerned, students in modern English education have a bit too much coursework, and they are also over examined. However, if I was doing it again I would still rather do all exams, particularly at A level. During A-levels most people had to do quite a few papers for two full weeks and although I think it’s not so healthy I believe it taught me to learn to cope under extreme pressure and time constraints.

To scrap coursework might be good once and for all. I fully appreciate that some people find exams very stressful and as a result they might not be able to perform to the best of their academic abilities. With that said, there has to be some method of student assessment and no single method is perfect for everyone. Given the ease and prevalence of cheating in coursework, it’s blindingly obvious that a purely exam based system, in spite of any disadvantages it may cause some students, is a lot safer from cheating.

Veil or No Veil?

Comment (0) Posted on Feb 7, 2007 by Jodie in General

One of the most controversial debates of the day in England is about the recent comments by Jack Straw that Muslim women should remove their veils because they act as a threat to national integration and English values and culture.

I totally understand that people should be allowed to dress the way they wish. Every culture has a vastly different interpretation of what is deemed appropriate and what is not. I truely understand that by asking someone to take away a article of their clothing, this can be both insulting and embarrassing.

I can also see both sides of the issue here. Part of me still prefers to see Asian ladies dressing moderately, even if they might overdo it, rather than the meagre clothes worn by a lot of young English girls these days. On the other hand, however, I reckon that the veil certainly interferes with normal daily social contact. For instance, you open a shop door for an Asian female and you will have a hard time trying to work out what she is saying and her facial gesture is just a blank. Such situations are wasted opportunities to break down social barriers and build our community.

I have to say that women use the veil for many reasons be it political or just as an expression of their religious belief. The problem is that even though many English people would still describe themselves as Christians, most now feel intensely uncomfortable with explicit displays of religion of any sort. This applies to both Chistian evangelists haranguing on the streets or a mere sight of covered Muslim girls.

As far as I am concerned, all Muslims should respect the English traditions and values as English people should do whenever they visit Muslim countries. However, there seems to be a big imbalance on the Muslim side here and I reckon this without delay needs addressing. There is no doubt that Muslims should comply with the English customs and habits if they really want to join English society. The English should never be required to adjust to their culture.

I also share the view of many it’s dreadful that lots and lots of women are forced to hide themselves away, simply because of some ideas set out a few thousands years ago. These women can often be seen at tourist resorts by swimming pools whilst their husbands are playing with the kids in Wester style dress. It is rather hypocritical. To me, it demonstrates a lack of social integration too.

Having said all that, I have to admit this is just a fact of life and any attempts to equate this with our liberal way of life can be a real strain. In fact, Europe historically has not been too tolerant of religious minorities of any size. This is a fact born out by the variety of religious sects that left secular Europe for America so that they could freely practise their beliefs. Anyone that wants to live in Europe has to bear this in mind and unfortunately for us, though, there doesn’t seem to be any easy solution at the moment.

Are You Having A Laugh?

Comment (0) Posted on Feb 5, 2007 by Jodie in General

To many people, the English have apparently been laughing at themselves for yonks. They just love laughing at their very own foibles. Some say it is because they have been pompous for such a long time and as such become so self-important that they have a strong sense of their own ludicrousness. Maybe it is just a way to overcome their habitually social awkwardness.

To me, their sense of humour is among the few English traits that they are willing to boast about. However, being able to laugh at themselves is merely one of its various characteristics. The most recent statistics have shown the English are laughing less now than in the past few decades. Some reckon their renowned sense of humour might be facing extinction. Well, nobody can give a precise answer to that question.

Laughing has undoubtedly always been a vital part of the English society. I know for a fact that they laugh a lot and do not take things too seriously unless necessary. Many English people I know have confirmed my belief. I also love it that they mostly laugh about themselves as I myself am doing that all the time as well.

As far as I’m concerned, the English as a nation are still among the funniest in the whole bloody world. Personally I reckon it’s all down to the unpleasant weather conditions they have to deal with. As one can guess, the best way to cope with this is with a simple smile on the face.

The English can do this because they are renowned as an extremely amiable and hilarious nation, keen to use jokes as simple icebreakers for instance. Their television channels, the BBC in particular, and also Channel 4 have put an awful lot of effort and resources into cultivating their comedy scene for donkey’s years.

The English are fortunate in that their comedy scene is the envy of the world, and it is something they are also very proud of. The sit-coms on TV and the ordinary people who get through the day with their globally famous humour make such a perfect combination.

As a foreigner, I have to say that I really love the English for their ability to laugh at themselves and make a complete joke out of the most sombre possible situations. This absolute quality goes together with their attitude of not caring too much what other people may think about them.

This is definitely what the English are well-known and respected for, even though they are now and again also misunderstood for abroad. It is also such a common thing to all Englishmen and goes together with a down to earth attitude towards the world and a firm respect for distinct peculiarity.

Having said that, I must admit that the English sense of humour is simply legendary and is therefore something they should always be remembered for. I also reckon that without their incredible sense of humour it would be inconceivable they could ever tolerate their useless government. What do you reckon?