.
At least if Cabinet minister Hilary Benn’s call is heeded. In a statement released late last week, Benn declared that traditional British dishes should be given their rightful due. If you are not aware of it yet, there is such a thing as the Protected Food Names scheme, which was launched in 1992. Under this scheme, certain companies may register food products if they meet the following requirements:
• The food must be produced in a specific local area
• The food must be prepared using unique methods
• The recipes must be unique.
Other countries such as Spain, France, and Italy have already registered hundreds of products since the scheme’s inception. In contrast, the United Kingdom only has 38 registered food products; hence the minister’s call for more products to be registered.
Some of the food products that have already been registered include:
• Kentish Ale
• Gloucestershire Cider
• West Country Farmhouse Cheddar
• Cornish Clotted Cream
• Jersey Royal Potatoes
There are some products which are already in the process of being approved under the said scheme:
• Craster Kippers
• Colchester Oysters
• Lough Neagh Eels
• Cardigan Bay Prawns
• Cornish pasties
• Birmingham Balti.
Among the food products that Benn wants to be recognised are:
• London Porter beer
• Cheshire Cheese
• Bedfordshire Clanger pies
• Stottie Cakes
• York Ham
• Sussex Pond Pudding
• Yorkshire Parkin
Now doesn’t all that food make you hungry? So what’s stopping you? Just make sure you get the “real thing!”
One of the hottest issues Britons face today is assisted suicide, or euthanasia. I am sure that you have heard of the couple who went to Switzerland to die together. After a rich and long life, they decided that it was time to end the suffering that they had been going through for the last few years of their lives. Their family supported it, and that clinic in Switzerland offered that option.
It is not the same in the UK, though. Technically, assisted suicide is illegal in the country. Indeed, doctors often freeze up at the very mention of the term. With these deaths becoming highly publicised, however, talk has been going on. Should we support or condemn assisted suicide?
From the perspective of the family of those who are suffering, assisted suicide should be an option. Indeed, for them, it is a much better option than living out one’s days in pain and inconvenience. Then we have those who believe that we should never take the lives of other people; that this is something that no human being should be made to do.
According to a story ran by the Daily Mail, there are about 800 Britons who are supposedly making plans for assisted suicide. But since this is not legal in the country, only people who are able to travel and who have the money to do so have the option. For now, the option is only available outside of the country. But it may not be far in the future that it could be legalised at home as well.
How do you feel about this?
Deserving pupils in need are going to get the break that they deserve, thanks to the government. A new programme is being launched, wherein a cash premium is going to be doled out to bright pupils who come from needy homes. The announcement was made by schools minister Vernon Coaker.
Dubbed the Billy Elliot cash bonus, the programme is aimed at giving a helping hand to the kids who need it the most. I am sure that you are pretty familiar with the name. Billy Elliot’s story is one of hope and the realisation of dreams. In spite of his challenged background, he was able to pursue and realise his dreams of becoming a ballet dancer.
With this programme, the government is encouraging each school to nominate pupils who are already on free school meals and who excel either in academics or sports or arts. The pupils who qualify will receive a yearly allowance of ₤250.
This programme was announced shortly after criticism of how the government handled gifted children surfaced. The criticism focused mainly on the idea that what the government was doing was not enough and lacked direction. Apparently, Coaker reacted quickly to the criticism. He says of the programme:
“One of the great crusades for us all is to ensure that every pupil’s talent is being maximised. Of course, you have to be concerned at anything that points to the fact you are not providing the opportunity you want for everyone, wherever they are. I think this gifted and talented scheme is one of the ways we can do that. If they are talented musicians, buy them the instrument they’ve been struggling to get; take them to the theatre.”
While I am pretty sure that this new plan of action will not escape the watchful eyes of critics, I am hoping that it will make a difference in the lives of many children.
Today is a sad day for the family of Harry Patch, who was the last British survivor of the First World War. He was 111 years old. Harry Patch was known as the last Tommy. He fought in the battle of Passchendaele in 1917. If you are not familiar with this battle (I can’t blame you, I had to look it up myself, to be honest), it was one wherein more than 70,000 British troops met their end.
If you remember, I posted something about another war veteran last month, Henry Allingham. He became the oldest man at 113 years old last month when the man who held that title passed away. Allingham also served in the First World War. About a week ago, however, he also passed away, making Harry the oldest man.
In what we can probably call a series of unfortunate events, Harry Patch also passed away. He is survived by loving friends and family members. Even Gordon Brown had good words for the veteran: “I had the honour of meeting Harry, and I share his family’s grief at the passing of a great man.”
Jim Ross, a friend of Patch’s said of him: “Harry died peacefully, surrounded by his many friends. While the country may remember Harry as a soldier, we will remember him as a dear friend. He was a man of peace who used his great age and fame as the last survivor of the trenches to communicate two simple messages: remember with gratitude and respect those who served on all sides; settle disputes by discussion, not war.”
For the rest of us, this is a good reminder to remember those who have gone before us.
Summer is the time to get out of the confines of the house and enjoy the weather. While it may not be sunny all the time, this is the best period in the year to enjoy what nature has to offer. You don’t even need to go far or out of the country. Just take a look around you and you will find a lot of options.
One of these is a floating picnic at the River Thames. The best online resource for this kind of outing is Visit Thames, which compiles most anything that you can do related to the river. There are lots of restaurants by the river, from the outskirts of London to the Cotswolds. The Guardian recently had a feature on these floating picnic outings and suggests these:
The Beetle & Wedge Boathouse in Moulsford near Goring (beetleandwedge.co.uk) makes up hampers of cheese, salads, gravadlax, baguettes, melon and strawberries, then puts you in a wooden launch that seats up to 10 people (one hour boat hire £50, hampers from £15pp).
Or cruise the Thames in style from Marlow on the Compleat Angler’s Edwardian-style electric launch, while tucking into poached salmon, sandwiches, salads, scones, cheese and biscuits and strawberries and cream (macdonaldhotels.co.uk/compleatangler, boat hire £75-£95 per hour, hampers £25-£36).
If you want to pack your own hamper the website also lists boat hire companies such as Cotswold Boat Hire (cotswoldboat.co.uk), based in Lechlade, which has open-top motor boats from £80 for four hours for up to five people, and rowing boats from £15 per hour.
Now that sounds pretty good to me. What about you?
On Friday, June 19, a British World War I veteran became the oldest living man in the world. The World War vet is Henry Allingham, and he celebrated his 113th birthday on the 6th of June. Prior to his gaining the record, the oldest man was Tomoji Tanabe, a resident of southern Japan. He was also 113 years old but died in sleep early on Friday.
It was then that the Guinness World Records declared that Allingham is now the oldest man on earth. Allingham is actually one of the two World War I veterans living in Britain today. Also, he has held the record of the oldest man in Britain for two years now, since 2007.
A little bit on Allingham’s life. He joined the Royal Naval Air Service, which was what they had before the Royal Air Force, in 1915. In 1916, he found himself in the middle of the Battle of Jutland. This is the largest naval battle in the First World War. He also took part in World War II, where he did his job countering magnetic mines.
Long after the wars were fought and won, Allingham met Dennis Goodwin, who got him involved in various activities furthering the cause of veterans. The two also wrote an autobiography, titled “Kitchener’s Last Volunteer.” The title was meant to refer to the war secretary of Britain who helped encourage people to the cause.
Let’s all make a toast – or two – to this amazing man and his life!
There are certain things that one associates with a nation. In our case, we have fish and chips. We have our flag. We also have British Airways. While the (former) national flag carrier might not be as popular as other symbolisms, I am pretty sure that BA has a place in the hearts of the British.
News has been going around that the airline is in trouble. The question that is hanging in the air right now is whether or not BA will really go under, for good. According to a feature by the Times Online, Willie Walsh, the chief executive of the airlines might very well say this one day:
“I am sorry to say that despite our efforts today we have been unable to secure further funding from our banks. The cash drain we sustained as a result of the rolling programme of industrial action by cabin crew and ground staff means we can no longer continue as a going concern. British Airways has this evening been put into administration.”
However, according to experts quoted by the Times Online, Walsh is exaggerating the situation. They say that he has an ulterior motive, which is to get the unions ready when the talks about cost cutting come up. Indeed, if everyone thinks that the airline is in dire financial straits, the unions will probably not have such a hard stance against the airline.
Then again, Walsh’s statements are strong – they might be strong to be crying wolf. Right now, we do not know the real situation, but what we do know is that there are people who want to save BA.
February 2010
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