2010
03.31
British Summertime!!!???
So, the clocks have gone forwards, and we are now officially in British Summertime. Here is this week’s weather, as forecast by the BBC. Do you see anything strange?
Yes, that’s right. No sun. So what is British summertime, if there’s no sun?
Well, officially summertime starts when the hours change, usually in the last weekend of March. This causes much confusion, but it means that the evenings are lighter, and the mornings are darker. However, there is a new idea (or an old idea from 1960) that is becoming popular again:
A huge public campaign is trying to change all the clocks in Britain, all year round. It is called the ‘lighter later’ campaign, and millions of people are signing up to try and persuade the government to change the time, so we are always 1 hour ahead, and in summertime 2 hours. Why? Here are the main reasons:
- 1 Cut at least 447,000 tonnes of CO2 pollution – equivalent to more than 50,000 cars driving all the way around the world – each year
2 Save 100 lives each year and prevent hundreds of serious injuries by making the roads safer
3 Lower our electricity bills by maximising the available daylight and reducing peak power demand
4 Create 60,000–80,000 new jobs in leisure and tourism, bringing an extra £2.5–3.5 billion into the economy each year
5 Reduce crime and the fear of crime
6 Help make people healthier and tackle obesity by giving people more time to exercise and play sport outside in the evening
7 Save the NHS around £138 million a year through reducing road casualties
8 Improve quality of life for older people
9 Make the nation happier – including reducing the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder
10 Demonstrate that dealing with climate change can be good for the economy, good for people and good for society as a whole
These reasons (and more information about the idea) are on the following website. Why not sign up and join the movement?
http://www.lighterlater.org/
Enjoy the summer!!
2010
03.31
I have been in Thailand now for almost two weeks on holiday and am proud to say that I have learnt several Thai phrases. I am not so proud to say that the one which gets most practice is “Beer Sing Song Kaa!” which means “Two Singha beers please!”
My friend Gemma has lived in Thailand for the past four years and works as a teacher at the local international school. I spent the first few days of my holiday in Phuket where Gemma lives then took a boat to Railay to meet another friend for five days of chilled-out bliss on the beach. Last night we arrived in Bangkok for our final few days of culture, shopping and sundowners. This morning we took the Chao Phraya Express boat to visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew temple and tomorrow we are going to shop at the markets and experience a real Thai massage.
Thailand is without doubt the most beautiful country I have ever visited. The beaches are stunning, the people are friendly, the scenery is incredible and the weather is gorgeous every single day. I feel very lucky to be here and very much hope to come back one day!
2010
03.31
The thought of Spring must have encouraged people to venture out, as 24 students joined our group to explore the attractions of Greenwich. We took the DLR train through the City and Docklands arriving close to where the famous ship – the Cutty Sark is being restored.
We walked through the centre of Greenwich to the National Maritime Museum which is set in the grounds of the historic old Royal Naval College designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The museum covers maritime history from the 16th century and kept us busy for a good while looking at boats and exhibits. By the time we were finished there we were all feeling hungry so we walked (ran!) in the rain to the food market. A wonderful place where foods from every culture are available. It is a great experience just to see the different dishes and enjoy the smells.
Fortified again, we made our way across to the Queen’s House where a new exhibition of Royal art kept us busy. The weather had improved by then so afterwards we walked up the hill in Greenwich Park and looked back at the views of Greenwich against the backdrop of the College and the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf.
There was still enthusiasm for more culture so we walked across to visit the Royal Observatory, the home of the famous Greenwich Meridian. Time was pressing on by then so finally we made our way back through the centre of Greenwich and a street market before catching the DLR for the return journey.
There was a great atmosphere all day and a lot of smiles.
2010
03.30
Did you know that April Fool’s Day began in France in 1564? Before then, the new year was celebrated on April 1! As some Europeans continued celebrating the new year on that day, they were called April fools and their friends would play silly tricks on them.Famous April Fool’s jokes:
Flying Penguins!
In 1998, Burger King in America advertised a “left handed Whopper” hamburger. It had been designed for left-handed customers, and all the ingredients were rotated 180 degrees.
In 2008, the BBC told us that penguins could fly!
Play a prank on your friends. But remember, if you do it after 12pm, you are the fool!
2010
03.30
If you need any special arrangements for your exam (e.g. you require extra time in the exam due to a medical condition), please bring a Medical Certificate to Reception and speak to Sam, John or Rich before Thursday 2.30pm. After this time, it will not be possible to inform Cambridge University of your situation.
2010
03.30
At breakfast club this morning I talked about “lobbying” and a “hung parliament”.
The noun “Lobby” is the room or place in a house where you enter and wait. It is also the name of the area in the House of Commons which is where the elected UK government officials (“members of parliament” or “MP’s” for short) work. If you want to talk to your MP you are allowed to go to the lobby of the House of Commons and fill in a green card, asking him or her to come to see you in the lobby. They must either come to see you or write to you within 10 days. This is where the verb “to lobby” comes from. If you approach somebody who can make a difference (e.g. an MP) and state your views, normally asking for help you are “lobbying”. It is illegal for MP’s to accept lobbying in exchange for money but recently some naughty MP’s accepted money and will probably not be voted for in the next election.
There is going to be an general election on 6th May in the UK. It looks like no single party will have a majority and, if this happens, we call it a “hung parliament”. The word “hang” or “hung” means “suspended in the air” so what we are saying is that parliament is “floating” as there is not one party that can make decisions without involving other members of parliament. When an election is this close, MP’s and voters’ attentions starts to go towards smaller parties like the Greens. This is because if there is a vote on a law for example, each of the major parties will need the support of other smaller parties to win the vote. Many people at the moment wish that the phrase “hung parliament” meant literally “hanging all the MP’s” as there have been so many scandals recently where MP’s have been very corrupt and undemocratic. Unfortunately (or fortunately for them !) it does not mean this.
Breakfast club is every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning in EC London’s café. IT is free and starts at 08:30 so you can spend about 25 minutes with a native speaker (normally a teacher) talking about the news . It is a great way to start your day, practising some English and maybe enjoying one of Luca’s lovely coffees at the same time !
2010
03.30
EC London is proud to announce that it has been named as one of the TOP 10 schools IN THE WORLD by the Japanese publication Ryugaku Journal ! The Ryugaku Journal has been recommending the best English schools for 40 years and the awards are based on 400 students’ feedback. EC London is the only UK school mentioned in the top 10 winners. We are all very proud of this award from such a prestigious journal and we feel it shows how committed we are at EC London to providing high quality education in a professional, comfortable environment. Adrian Gatt of EC will be collecting the award. Adrian is also an actor so he should enjoy collecting the award as it will be a bit like the Oscars !
2010
03.25
Again another great sunny day for the social programme, this weekend we went back in time to the Hampton Court Palace. To help us navigate our way around the enormous palace we picked up audio headsets which gave us directions and fascinating information and insight. We were guided through the old kitchens, where we learnt about methods of cooking and the type of food they ate. Funnily they believed beavers looked like fish so that they could be eaten on religious days! We then wandered around the sumptuous quarters of King Henry VIII. We did a spot of dressing up trying on traditional cloaks and sat down in the Great Hall where the King’s guests used to dine. We also saw the Georgian quarters and the living quarters of King William of Orange, both lavishly decorated with paintings and tapestries. We next ventured out to the extensive gardens and headed straight to the garden’s walled maze. There we attempted and failed several times to find the centre of the maze and in the end we followed a group of kids who knew where they were going. To celebrate and to warm up we went for hot chocolate in the garden café but we could not stay for long, as we were guests at the wedding of the King and Anne Boleyn. When it finished the men bowed and the women curtsied and we followed the King and Queen (both were actors) out into the courtyard, where the adoring public were awaiting. They then retired to the marital chamber and we went headed off to catch the train back into London.
Written by Sam Dizon
2010
03.25
We chose the perfect day for our trip to Brighton, as the sun was shining and it felt like the winter was finally coming to an end. On arrival we headed straight for the lanes and as usual its boutique shops where bustling with people shopping looking for things both old and new. From there we followed the lanes past the quaint English teashops which offer a delicious variety of cakes and biscuits. The sea then came into view and we went off in search of lunch. 10 portions of fish and chips later, and with some mixed reviews, we walked down on to the beach. There we spent time taking photos and watched those locals crazy enough to venture into the freezing cold sea. With no-one tempting to join in we opted for the famous Brighton Pier were there are a whole host of games and rides for children and adults alike. We wondered around for a while, then decided to head indoors and warm up as the sun had vanished and the familiar British chill had returned. So we ended up walking past the Royal Pavilion and through its gardens and going into the Brighton museum. Once inside we split up with some going to learn about the history of Brighton’s gay scene whilst others just sat in the café. It was soon time to make our way back to the train station, but we still had time to have a drink in the friendliest pub in Brighton!
Written by Sam Dizon
