Apologies

Apologies for the neglect, I'm currently working on a more exciting project at the moment. Back soon hopefully! In the meantime feel free to check out my other blog at http://marksavile.wordpress.com/
Mark

Euro-lack-of-vision

That famous opinion-splitting music competition returned this past weekend to the delight of many and the dismay of others. The Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on Saturday evening, has brought a few issues to light, principally that of the cost of hosting it during a period of economic austerity.


It is estimated that hosts Azerbaijan will have footed a bill of around 30 million Euros, which is no doubt why the public in Spain and Greece called for their artists not to win, as the winning country welcomes the spectacle to its own shores the following year. Admittedly, hosting such an event is not likely to be the downfall of an already shaky economy, but lavish spending in difficult times is hard to accept for the majority of the public. Throw the ignoring of human rights issues in Azerbaijan into the hat and it isn't a pretty picture for the musical extravaganza.


And to top things off, the UK, one of the world's foremost powers of the music industry, sending a 76 year-old crooner does not show the sincerity needed to win a continent-wide competition. Yes, Eurovision is all about having fun and making a good show, but Engelbert Humperdinck's rather clichéd power-ballade hardly set the stage alight. 

Taxing times for students

Today the boss of the Student Loans Company Ed Lester announced he will be stepping down from his role next year. According to sources he earns around £182,000 per year, money which is all publicly funded, and until February of this year he did not pay tax on his income (which was legal under the previous payroll system).


As a student I'm astonished by this, whilst tuition fees are being tripled to £9000 annually and living costs continually increase. It seems that graduates will have to aspire to reach such heights, or rather such depths of not paying tax, especially considering the colossal debts which now come hand in hand with a university degree.

If you're feeling kind hearted

Why not make a quick and easy donation to support the amazing work of N:Gage, a charity that works with young people especially in hard hit areas or places where truancy is high. It also might give my dad a bit of inspiration to run that extra bit faster. Any donation of any size would be very much appreciated, just click on the link below.


Thank you


http://www.justgiving.com/peter-savile

Back soon!

Today I learnt that I've got too much work to do for my exams to continue researching and writing for this blog. It will return in two weeks!

Her Majesty

Today the question was asked: why has the Queen never visited Greece? An interesting question, and an intriguing omission considering the country's size, proximity and popularity. She has visited tiny islands in the Pacific, so why not this land of such cultural and historic renown?


It would seem that the answer lies with her husband, Prince Philip. Born in Greece, his family was forced to leave the country the year after his birth and his father was put on trial. Although he has been back to visit family on occasions, the Queen, ever one to avoid being diplomatically insensitive, appears reluctant to become involved in political and historical issues  in the country with which the Duke of Edinburgh has close but complicated ties.


Similarly she has never been on a state visit to Israel. There may not be family concerns involved, but the political scene is more fragile, especially in Jerusalem. Her Majesty hasn't frequented much of South America either, again because of the political turmoil.


Queen Elizabeth sees her role as a balancing act, keeping relationships between nations strong, without jeopardising her government from which she takes advice over state visits. Her impartiality as sovereign, and her desire to do right has always stood her in good stead, and with the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, she isn't about to change.

Roy Hodgson and the media

What did we learn today? Well it seems that it's not acceptable to poke fun at people with speech impediments. This may not really be news but it certainly came to light with the appointment of Roy Hodgson as the new England football manager this week.


The Sun newspaper ran the headline 'Bwing on the Euwos', rather inelegantly naming him 'Woy', which provoked over 100 complains from the public. So is this a question of media repartee or is it, in fact, unhelpful stigmatisation that will only encourage disrespect and abuse?


Obviously everybody likes a joke from time to time, and Roy isn't the first and won't be the last to be ridiculed by the press because of his rhotacism (think of Jonathan 'Woss' for example). However, I would say that this sort of example from the media is not particularly prudent. A newspaper of this quality, and this might be a sweeping generalisation on my part, would typically be read by people of lower IQ who might be more likely to repeat and spread such mockery to others who are not accustomed to dealing with media pressure and scrutiny.


Nevertheless, The Sun is more interested in selling vast quantities of their newspaper, and what better way to do so than by taking a cheap swipe at someone who a lot of us probably envy!

Standpipes and Drought in Britain

So today we learnt that Britain could see the introduction of standpipes next year if there is another dry winter like the past few have been. For many this must seem strange seeing as this month has been the wettest  April on record for 100 years.


However, this is precisely the problem. Many dry months have led to a decrease in groundwater levels, something which a few weeks of increased rainfall will not cure. Much of the South of England is currently in drought, with widespread hosepipe bans and authorities encouraging residents to save every drop possible.


According to the experts, England could be dragged back into the 1970s when standpipes were used after drought and a heatwave diminished water resources. Cutting off water supply to homes and forcing citizens to pump water from the street might sound extreme, but it does appear to be an option or rather a last resort if precipitation levels don't start to rise soon.


What England needs is a longer period of above average rainfall, not something us Brits want to hear just before summer starts. Time to book your Mediterranean holidays then!

What we learnt today: The Brilliance of Bilingualism

According to a new study undertaken in the USA, those who speak two or more languages can benefit from increased brain power. The study run by Northwestern University might be news to us, but surely we already knew that having the ability to converse in various tongues is advantageous for the brain?


Previous studies have proven that bilingualism can help to prevent the onset of dementia, and it is often noted that monolinguists are 'outperformed' at mental activities such as multitasking, focusing on tasks with background noise and distractions, and ignoring irrelevant information when it comes to prioritising. This is all good news to me as someone who speaks three languages (albeit not completely fluently by any means). 


These benefits are more apparent amongst those who learnt to speak multiple languages from a young age. However, can it be that this is a phenomenon exclusive to linguists? Undoubtedly learning any ability whilst young is advantageous, whether it be languages, maths, music, computing or other types of problem solving and more difficult cognitive processes.


I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog 'What We Learnt Today' and thanks for stopping by.


I'm here to explore things that strike me as interesting, turning over stones to find facts that maybe we never knew, or random unearthed titbits that might just 


Failing that, I hope that it will be enjoyable reading and perhaps you'll discover something new!