Keep the Post Office!

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 thePost 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, thePost 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 ofpost 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.

Golden Retrievers as Pets

Golden 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 Retriever Pets

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.

An Englishman’s Take On The English Language

The English language is the universal language, there is no denying that. Well, at least if you are a pragmatic person. There will always be people who would assert that English is not THAT widely spoken. For the sake of this discussion, though, I would like to consider the English language as being used so widely that it would be ok to consider it as a universal language.

We all know the existence of a dichotomy when it comes to the American version of the language and the British version of the language. Let us dub them US English and British English. The discussion about this dichotomy has long been in existence and people far more experienced in this field than I have had their say. I just thought that it would be interesting to share something that I read from the Times Online. In it, the author strongly presents his views on how US English is quickly permeating the world of British English – and he is NOT liking this one bit.

The assertion is that the British should make a decision to disallow the influx of these Americanisms. He writes:

I would like Britain to decide to stop allowing US English to permeate, pervade and pollute British English. (I am acutely aware that the term “British English” has more than a little of the oxymoron about it.)

I believe in the frank and fair exchange of ideas, philosophy and words. When the US takes of some our new language on board I’d be a great deal more relaxed about the transplanting of US English into our way of life. The newly elected leader of America, and consequently the Free World, has oft spoken about change. If he is willing to say “Yes We Can” to change, then perhaps he will say “Yes We Can” to US English changing to adopt the odd British English word. Even he might concede that that would be a jolly good show.

I suppose his idea suggestion is fair enough, don’t you think?

London 2012 Village To Belong To Government

london-2012-olympics-logoThe competition to become the host of the summer Olympics is always a tough one. After all, more than the honor and distinction that a country gets from being the Olympic host, the economy gets a major boost because of tourism.

The next Olympics, as you should already know, is to be held in London. 2012 is the year, and the UK won the bid as host. However, things are not going as smoothly as everyone has been hoping. The fact is that the British government initially was counting on private financing for a large part of the project. This is not unusual since many companies vie for a piece of the pie when it comes to this event as well. Millions of money that is spent on advertising and sponsorship will naturally turn into income for these companies anyway.

This time, however, it seems that the recession is really biting hard. The British government has been unable to get enough private financing for the 2012 Olympics. As such, they have been putting in a lot of money into the project. As a matter of fact, they recently used $491 million to create the Olympic Village. And since its taxpayer’s money that they are using, the Village is going to remain a property of the government, to do with as they wish when the Olympics is over.

While it may not seem to be a good thing for the taxpayers right now, it should work out just fine. After all, the sales and proceeds from the event will all go back to the government.

English Breakfast

In England we tend to eat three meals a day. Many people eat their biggest meal in the evening which is often called supper or dinner. Breakfast is usually between 7am and 9am.

What do the English eat for Breakfast?

Well, this varies alot from person to person and some people skip breakfast altogether (although it is widely considered unhealthy to do so by most English people).

I expect you think you already know what an English breakfast consists of (or dare I say it, the ‘full English Breakfast’). Most people would say that the English breakfast was eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.

According to a survey of commuting workers a more typical English breakfast nowadays is more likely to be a simple bowl of cereal, a slice of toast or bread, orange juice and a cup or two of coffee. The English definitely rely on their coffee.A more traditional English breakfast consists of eggs, sausages, bacon, fried bread and mushrooms.Hotels particularly like to serve this option at their breakfasts. We also call this style of breakfast a ‘fry-up’, because most of the food is fried in a pan. Cereals have become the healthy choice although many of the popular cereals on the market today are quite the opposite, full of sugar and other unhealthy elements.

Regardless, there are healthy cereals packed with whole grains which provide a good source of energy and are often had with milk.

A traditional winter-time alternative to cereal is hot porridge, which is a gloopy white substance that most children positively dislike!

I always had to eat mine with chocolate, which my mother was happy to allow as even porridge with chocolate is better for a young child than no porridge at all!

Horatio Nelson

‘England expects that every man will do his duty.’

These famous words were used by Admiral Nelson to inspire his battle squadron at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The battle was to be his last.

His death was a great loss to England. His leadership was renown for his compassion towards his men, and he was famous for the respect he gave those under him.

On the flip side, the Admiral was also known to be a glory-seeker,

sometimes being too keen to find personal honour.He was part of a large family, and joined the Royal Navy very young (at 13).By 20 years old he was already a Captain, serving all over the world. He married in 1787 and returned to England on half pay from the Navy to be with his new bride. As a commander he was known for bold action and sometimes disregarding orders.

His occasional defiance garnered him several victories against the Spanish and also at the Battle of Copenhagen where he memorably ignored orders to cease battle by placing his telescope to his one blind eye and pretending he couldnt see the signal from the other ships.

Under his leaderhsip, the Navy proved time and again its supremacy over the French.

The English Lion

The Royal Coat of Arms of England has a specific function – it identifies the Head of State. The Head of State today is the Queen of England.

The English Lion supports the shield from the left hand side while the right is upheld by the Unicorn. In this case, the Unicorn is a symbol of Scotland.

Many people often ask why the Unicorn is shackled to the shield – is this to imply something about the relationship between England and Scotland

Alas, no, the Unicorn is chained because in the days when this coat was created, a unicorn unshackled was considered unlucky, as they were mythically very dangerous beasts!

The coat of arms features the motto of England, described below.

The Motto of England

Dieu et mon Droit is written on many things such as money and indeed, the coat of arms. It is French for ‘God and My Right’. This motto was first used by Richard I, King, in 1198. Henry VI adopted it as the motto of England later.

The Coat of Arms also includes another motto:

The Motto of the Order of the Garter:

Honi soit qui mal y pense means ‘Shamed be he who thinks ill of it’.

The shield amidst the coat of arms shows the royal emblems that refer to specific parts of the United Kingdom.

The Three lions of England, the Harp of Northern Island and the Unicorn of Scotland. The shield of England with the three lions is popular now thanks to English football.

Richard the Lionheart used the symbol originally on a scarlet backgroud. It was a symbol of power and the English Throne used extensively during the crusades