LEFT DRIVING COUNTRIES

If you travel to Britain, you'll have to be very careful when you're about to cross the street, because the British drive on the left. But they're not the only ones, as you can see in the map above, other countries drive on the same side: Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, India, South Africa, Japan, Kenia, among others.

But it's not due to an impulse, it has some historical reasons. Historically, most traffic drove on the left side in most of the civilised world, thanks mostly to the Roman Empire. Archaeologists found that deeper marks or grooves on the roads are seen on their left side.

Bt medieval times, driving on the left is related to knights. Since most people were right-handed, knights held their swords in their right hands and their lances under the right arms.So, on the road, knights walked on the left to make sure that their sword was between them and a stranger, while passing on the right when on horseback. In the 18th century, driving on the left became law to drive on the London Bridge. The General Highways Act of 1773 recommended to drive on the left in the whole of the UK and it 1835 it became compulsory by the Highway Act.
[Based on article from Anglotopia]

Video "LEFT vs RIGHT DRIVING":

We also include a chart with phrasal verbs related with DRIVING.

Remember there's a separate page in this blog where you can find phrasal verbs listed alphabetically.

WHY DO MANY BRITISH PEOPLE WEAR A POPPY ON THEIR LAPEL IN NOVEMBER? IT'S REMEMBRANCE DAY (Updated November 2014)

Tower of London, November 2014

A poppy on a lapel

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.) The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war.

The poppy's significance to Remembrance Day is a result of Canadian military physician John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields. The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red colour an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare. An American YMCA Overseas War Secretaries employee, Moina Michael, was inspired to make 25 silk poppies based on McCrae's poem, which she distributed to attendees of the YMCA Overseas War Secretaries' Conference. She then made an effort to have the poppy adopted as a national symbol of remembrance, and succeeded in having the National American Legion Conference adopt it two years later. At this conference, a Frenchwoman, Anna E. Guérin, was inspired to introduce the widely used artificial poppies given out today. In 1921 she sent her poppy sellers to England, where they were adopted as well as by veterans' groups in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Some people choose to wear white poppies, which emphasises a desire for peaceful alternatives to military action.
The Royal Canadian Legion suggests that poppies be worn on the left lapel, or as close to the heart as possible. In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland the poppies are paper representatives of the flat Earl Haig variety with a leaf, mounted on a plastic stem. Wearers require a separate pin to attach the poppy to their clothing. In Scotland the poppies are curled at the petals with no leaf.

Tower of London, November 2014: 888.246 poppies

Video: IN FLANDERS FIELDS poem:




Link to more info @ EnglishWithATwist:

Why Do We Celebrate Poppy Day?

“Lest We Forget” – A Poppy for Each Fallen Soldier

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE UK

To end up with the series of posts with information about different aspects of the United Kingdom, after the Scottish referendum for independence has been held, here's a new post (2nd part of this previous one here) where you'll find information about government, customs, geography, history, politics and government via different links.

Link to a Glogster digital poster about the UK.

Link to a post about the UK @ The Travelling Teachers Blog.

BRITAIN'S LOST EMPIRE

Scotland voted in a referendum for independence. They voted not to be independent, but they could have become another of the many countries that have had the British rule throughout history. In this post, we show every country that has left the United Kingdom's rule in maps (taken from the British newspaper "The Guardian") of different times. Above, the oldest, below the most recent. All these countries now still belong to the Commonwealth.

Since the Act of Union in 1707 the United Kingdom has ruled vast extensions of land across the world, a lot of countries have since then left the UK's rule. Scotland could have become the last one to do so, but is hasn't.

Australia, Canada & New Zealand were independent  much before the 1980s, but until then they hadn't officially removed all their ties with the UK.

GALICIA BIDS TO BECOME THE NEW SCOTLAND FOR BRITAIN

More than 1300 from Galicia in north-west Spain have written to David Cameron offering to stand in for Scotland.

A petition on change.org sets out their position clearly.

The Spaniards reckon they've got the attitude, culture and climate to make them an ideal substitute if Scotland quits the union.

Their petition, addressed to Mr Cameron, says: "We Galicians are aware of the fact that Scotland may become independent in 2014 and that this issue is worrying you. You needn’t think of a solution to this challenge because we have found an innovative proposal that you won’t be able to refuse:

We propose you to accept Galiza as an integral part of the United Kingdom.

This may come as a surprise to you but Galiza is also a Celtic nation in the northwest of Spain. With us on board you won’t miss the following:

Scottish pipes: we have our own.

Celtic of Glasgow: we have Celta Vigo

An amazing landscape, we have that too

Scottish clans, we have plenty of them (caciques are included)

Our people like their drinks as Scots do

We have a vibrant cultural and music scene

In Galiza it also rains a lot

We have a strong identity like Scottish people do.

We are also an Atlantic country

Flags of both countries have similar colours

We also have some stingy people.

Santiago of Compostela is our Edinburgh

With Galicians as part of the UK, you will gain the following:

Hard-working people

Galician people's accent (in English) is easier to understand than the Scottish accent

If you leave us alone, we won’t bother you

Lovely food and drinks (e.g. cozido instead of haggies, licor cafe instead of whisky, etc.)

We speak the most spoken Roman languages of the world: Portuguese (Galician) and Spanish (Galician). We are able to communicate with both Brazil and Mexico using our two languages.

Milder weather than in Scotland

We share a similar sense of humour with British people (“retranca” is the Galician irony)

British economy will improve with our fishing industry, textile (e.g. Zara), cultural tourism (The Way of St James), best beach of the world (Praia de Rodas, Illas Cies ,Vigo).

Our seafood is worldwide famous (mussels, oysters, lobsters, etc.)

Link to the original article @ The Mirror

THE UNION JACK

Today, in the previous post, and as a consquence of the Scottish referendum for independence, we wondered what would happen to the Union Jack, the national flag, which represents the United Kingdom, if Scotland was to become independent.

But do you know about the origin of the Union Jack?

In this post we explain how it was made up. The Union Jack is the combination of the three heraldic crosses which represent the four countries which form the United Kingdom, as explained in the graphic on the left.

So if Scotland had become an independent country, the Union Jack could have been something like this:

SCOTLAND VOTES TODAY (FOR INDEPENDENCE) [+Results update]

Sept 19th result update:

SCOTLAND VOTES NO

Scotland has voted against becoming an independent country by a projected 55% to 45%.

Link: VIDEO SCOTTISH REFERENDUM EXPLAINED FOR NON BRITS

Video:

Today Scotland votes for its possible independence from the rest of the UK. The NO has been in the lead until September 7th newspaper surveys when the YES outtook the lead with a 51% and unsettlement ran throughout the British Isles. What will happen today...?
...to the union?
...to the flag?
...to the currency (the Pound)?
...to public services?
...to the economy of both parts?

Link to more info:

Scottish independence guide: Everything you need to know ahead of the Yes/No vote

Keep in touch for updates and results.

The UK up to today is like this:

From tomorrow on, we'll see..

Opinion. "The Guardian" newspaper editorial the day before:

The Guardian view on Scotland’s day of decision

THINGS TO DO WHEN VISITING LONDON

Just in case you visit London during the summer holidays, here's a video with some suggestions...

Video:

Tapescript:
What would you love to do in London? Kaplan International English asked our students to create their perfect day in the Capital.

Start your day with a river cruise down the Thames to the Houses of Parliament & Big Ben. Take a tour inside one of the world's most historic buildings.

Want to get the London look? Catch a cab to Oxford Street and enjoy an unrivalled shopping experience.

Drop those bags and take the Routemaster bus to Hyde Park. Enjoy one of the city's largest green spaces. There's even boating and swimming. 

Take the tube to Holborn and spend an hour at the British Museum. View a vast collection of world art and artefacts for free.

It's lunch time! You can walk to Covent Garden and try one of the many restaurants. Italian, Asian or modern-British? It's your choice!

Jump on the back of a rickshaw to the West End and watch Mamma Mia! Sing along to all the Abba classics.

Let's continue that musical mood! Hop on a Boris bike towards the Royal Albert Hall. Enjoy a classic concert in an iconic venue.

There's still time to party so take the next bus to Soho. It's been a long day but there's so many bars to choose from!

Do you agree with Kaplan's students? Describe your dream day in London.

THAMES VALLEY FLOODINGS (BBC)

This winter has been very tough here, and in Britian, with lots of storms, one after the other, and loads of rain, which have ended up flooding over. Here's an aereal video from the BBC, which follows up the river Thames along its valley and shows how serious the floodings have been there.

Video Thames valley flooding (BBC):

Many more pictures in this link from DailyMail

GUY FAWKES' MASK (November, 5th)

Do you recognize this mask? What does it have to do with November, 5th? 

It's GUY FAWKES' MASK

It has appeared in the film "V FOR VENDETTA"

Since then it has become the symbol of anti-government and anti-establishment movements around the world. But, why is it called Guy Fawkes' mask? Why do they celebrate Guy Fawkes day or Bonfire Night on November 5th? All the information in these links:

- GUY FAWKES 

- 5th NOVEMBER: GUY FAWKES OR BONFIRE NIGHT IN THE UK.

- THE STORY BEHIND GUY FAWKES MASK

Video GUY FAWKES & BONFIRE NIGHT:
 

Galician/Spanish version of this post @ ArquivosDoTrasno

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II DIAMOND JUBILEE

Throughout this weekend and until nest Tuesday, the United Kingdom has been celebrating the Diamond Jubilee: Elizabeth II's 60 years as Queen of the United Kingdom. To commemorate we're enclosing a link to an interactive timeline of her reign from 1952 to 2012 and videoS of her biography as Queen and the Jubilee celebrations along the river Thames in London this afternoon.

Video "THE QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE: 60 YEARS IN VIDEO":

Video "QUEEN ELIZABETH II DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBATIONS ON THE THAMES:

BBC'S BRITISH HISTORY TIMELINE.

If you want to have a look and check on British History, click on th link to the BBC British History timeline. It's interesting.

5th NOVEMBER: GUY FAWKES' OR BONFIRE NIGHT IN THE UK

Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night, is an annual commemoration on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a Catholic angry by religious prosecution, led the Gunpowder Plot to blow down the Houses of Parliament and bring down England's Protestant monarchy. He was arrested while guarding the explosives. Celebrating the fact that James I of England had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act 1605 enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure.
Within a few decades Gunpowder Treason Day, as it was known, became the predominant English state commemoration, but as it carried strong religious overtones it also became a focus for anti-Catholic sentiment.
Bonfire Night is a yearly event dedicated to bonfires, fireworks and celebrations. Different traditions celebrate Bonfire Night on different days. Some of the better known Bonfire Nights are: 5 November in the United Kingdom, Canada & Australia; 23 June in Ireland and some parts of Spain as Galicia and Valencia, sometimes known as St John's Eve/Night, a bonfire tradition which also survives in parts of Scandinavia.

Video "THE HISTORY OF GUY FAWKES' DAY":

THE UNITED KINGDOM (OF GREAT BRITAIN & NORTHERN IRELAND)

What is the difference between England and Britain (or Great Britain)? Three countries make up Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. So England is part of Great Britain, and a Scotsman (a person of Scottish origin) is British, too. A person born in Wales is Welsh, and they are British, too. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, or “the UK”. So the UK is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the last of which is not part of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is a part of the island or Ireland. The rest of this island, which isn't Northern Ireland or the Ulster, is another different country: the Republic of Ireland.

The formal name of the country is the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, but in everyday speech Britain is often used to mean the UK, though, as you have seen, this is not perfectly correct. The word “great” was added to “Britain” several hundred years ago, in the Middle Ages, when the English kings had lands in what is now France, and a certain part of it was called Britanny. To avoid confusion, they added the word “great” to the name of the land which was larger.

The capital city of the UK is London, which is also the capital of England. The capital of Scotland is Edimburgh, the capital of Wales is Cardiff and the capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.

Visual explanation:

Video difference between UK Great Britain and England, Wales & Scotland:

Video "The difference between UK, GB & England explained: