On Saturday the clocks went forward, for the beginning of British Summer time. Here in Britain we love the summer and the start of British summer time makes a lot of people excited. During the summer the sight of the sun makes people very happy and excited and  they do a lot of things that might seem a little odd. Here is a list of things:

1. As soon as you catch a glimpse of the sun get those sun  glasses out.

2. Put on those flip flops. It does not matter if the  weather forecast said it will rain, its summer time so it is flip flop  time.

3. Eat lots of ice cream. It can be a grey day in London  but you will always see people eating ice cream, because, yes you guessed  it, its summer time.

4. Wear just a t shirt. It may only be 10 degrees, and a  jacket would be handy but you will see a lot of people wearing just a t  shirt as the sun is shinning. Don’t they get cold?

As you can see the change in summer time can make us do some crazy things. I hope you will join us at UIC this summer, wearing your flip flops and eating ice cream!

There are not many sporting events which are completely linked to one location – perhaps some football matches (Wembley for example) or tennis (think Wimbledon)and some of the more famous marathons (London, New York, Boston) but this weekend there is one event that is so English and could only really happen here in London. The University Boat Race – a rowing competition between Oxford and Cambridge Universities which this year will be fought for the 156th time. The race takes place on the river Thames, starting at Putney Bridge (Putney Bridge tube station)and finishing at Mortlake – 4.25 miles (6779 meters) later. It tales around 16 minutes and is really one of the great London events. You can easily watch the race – the exact time of the race depends on the tides – this year it will start at 4.30. There’s a wonderful festival atmosphere all along the river and you will be able to get food and drink at one (or more!) of the wonderful riverside pubs. The race is usually held on the last Saturday in March or the first Saturday in April- this year on 3rd April. Each boat has 8 rowers and one extra person – called the cox- who steers the boat. The rowers all face the wrong way (going backwards) so they need someone to steer them in the right direction. They are HUGE – the average weight of each rower is 90kg compared to the cox who is as small as possible. Tradition has it that the winning crew will throw their cox into the river. Makes a fun ending to the show.

UPDATE … this year 2011 the winners were Oxford University.  Hope you were there to see it. But at least Cambridge managed to win the 2011 GOAT RACE – held in the centre of London at exactly the same time as the boat race ! Hard to know which is the greater honour.

Today the London Eye is illuminated Green, there is a massive parade in New York, Seoul and Dublin (and pretty much every other main city in the world) and Google has a new logo (just for the day)  What’s going on? It’s St Patrick’s Day and this is something that’s celebrated throughout the world. St Patrick is the patron saint ot Ireland and this is a yearly holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick who lived in the 5th century. It began as a Catholic holiday and became an official day in the 16th century. Recently it has become a must more secular celebration of Ireland’s culture.

And a little film of the St Patricks day parade:

If you are in London then I hope you’ll find some way of enjoying yourself in the typical Irish tradition – if you are in another city then do try to find the local Irish pub (there seems to be one in more or less every city in the world) and join in the celebrations.

Yesterday a great star of British Reggae culture, David Emmanuel AKA Smiley Culture, died in a police raid.

Smiley Culture was most famous in the 1980′s when he had a big hit with Cockney Translation (see video above).  He was a spokesperson for young black people in the UK and Cockney Translation was seen as a record that bridged the gap between young white and black Londoners because it said that it wasn’t necessary to treat the two cultures as being opposite; just to understand and “translate” the differences.  Many writers, most notably Simon Reynolds, have argued that this song played a key role in the rise of the use of Jamaican slang in London.

Nowadays it is very common for young people in London (white and black) to use Jamaican slang and even accent when speaking.  This Jamaican accent is sometimes referred to as Jafaicin (i.e. Jamaican + Faking = Jafaicin) because the Jamaican accent and slang is used by people who have no connection to Jamaica.  Examples include describing someone as “bare buff” = extremely attractive or “bare butters” = extremely ugly

Many social commentators go as far as saying the cockney accent will disappear and be replaced by Jafaican (see here).  If this is true, then it will be ironic for fans of Smiley Culture who wanted the two cultures to live together.

Enjoy the lyrics and ask your teacher if you don’t understand any of the words – it will be a good test of their Cockney and Jafaican!

Smiley Culture

Cockney Translation

11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
It’s I Smiley Cuulture with the mike in a me hand
Me come to teach you right and not the wrong
In a de Cockney Translation

Cockney’s not a Language it is only a slang
And was originated yah so inna England
The first place it was used was over East London
It was respect for the different style pronunciation
But it wasn’t really used by any and any man
Me say strictly con-man also the villain
But through me full up of lyrics and education
Right here now you a go get a little translation

Cockney have name like Treey, Arthur and del-boy
We have name like Winston, Lloyd and Leroy
We bawl out YOW! While cockneys say OI!
What cockney call a Jack’s we call a Blue Bwoy
Say cockney have mates while we have spar
Cockneylive in a brum while we live in a yard
Say we nyam while cockney gwt capture
Cockney say guv’nor. We say Big Bout ya
In a de Cockney Translation!
In a de Cockney Translation!

Well watch a man………………………………
The translation of cockney to understand is easy
So long as you don’t deaf and you listen me keenly
You should pick it up likea youth who find some money
Go tell it to your friends also your family
No matter if a English or a Yardy
Ca’ you never when them might buck up a cockney
Remember warm dem dem deh man dem don’t easy
Dem no fire sling shot a me say strictly double B
Dem run protection racket and control ’nuff C.I.D.

Say cockney fire shooter, We bus’ gun
Cockney say tea leaf, We say sticks man
You know dem have wedge while we have corn
Say cockney say be first, my son! We just say Gwan!
Cockney say grass, We say outformer man
When dem talk ’bout iron dem really meam batty man
Rope chain and choparita me say cockney call tom
Say cockney say Old Bill, We dutty Babylon
In a de Cockney Translation!
In a de Cockney Translation!

Well watch a man……………………
Slam bam
Jah man
Hear dam
Fashion
Smiley
Culture
Origiantion

But first let me tell you more about thr cockney
Who live comfortably and have yacht by the sea
And when it come to monry most of then have plenty
But where dum spend it? In de bookie
Lose it all on the dogs or on the gee gees
Or paying off fe dem bribes to the Sweeney
So dem nah go do no time fe no armed robbery
Or catching antthing that fell off the back of a lorry

Slam bam
Jah man
Hear dem
Fashion
Me strong
Me long
Me at the mike stand
More time
In a dance
Me chat
‘Pon a sound

But sometimes me shake out and leave me home town
And that’s when me travel a East London
Where I have to speak as a different man
So that the cockney can understand
So black man and white man hear dem fashion

Cockney say scarper, We say scatter
Cockney say rabbit, We chatter
We say bleach, Cockney Knackered!
Cockney say triffic, We say waaacked!

Cockney say blokes, We say guys
Cockney say Alright? We say Ites!
we say pants, Cockney say strides
Sweet as a nut…………………. just level vibes. Seen?

Smiley Culture Cockney Translation lyrics are property and copyright of it’s owners.

Lyrics are provided for educational purposes only.

When you are planning to come to London to study English at UIC , one of the truly great traditions you will want to try is the Great British Breakfast. It can often be a bit disappointing to find the place you are staying in (a homestay, or a hostel or even a hotel) doesn’t do the Traditional Breakfast, but instead serves up the ‘continental’ version – toast, jam, tea. What exactly is the British Breakfast then? Eggs, Bacon and sausage seem to be the basis and then absolutely anything goes. Mushrooms, tomato, fried bread, black pudding. Just makes you hungry thinking about it!. Most British people of course don’t eat anything like this first thing in the morning, even though it’s well known now that a big breakfast is one of the most important things you can do to have a productive day. It has been shown in research studies that people who skip breakfast end up eating more during the day than those who fill up first thing. There’s also a bit of snobbery about a fried breakfast, some considering it to be for poor, working class people. Giles Coren (the columnist) takes particular offence at the idea of such a poor meal and in a recent article in the Sunday Times says “I’ll tell you what’s stopping us form getting rid of the fried Enlgish breakfast for ever: lack of Education. You’ll never see  a person with a degree eating a fry-up do you? …. that’s becasue they are smart enough to know better”.  Well whatever you think it does taste delicious, and as a model you could always have your head tatooed like Dayne Gilby. As reported by the BBC“A man has had a tattoo of full breakfast created on his head after a plea for a volunteer. It took tattoo artist Blane Dickinson, 32, from Penmaenmawr, Conwy, six hours to complete the bacon, eggs, sausages, beans and even cutlery. Volunteer Dayne Gilbey, 19, from Coventry, said he wanted to take part in something different.” He went on to say “My mum is really unhappy about it and threatened to throw me out but I don’t think she’ll go through with it.”

Every ten years in the UK, the Office of National Statistics carry out a census to find out what kind of people live in this country.  In 2001 (click here), they discovered that nearly 400,000 Jedis were living in England and Wales (approximately 0.8% of the population).  The reason for this was because of a question about religion.

The census found that 70% of the population were Christian, 15% no religion, 8% didn’t answer, 3% were Muslim and 2% Hindu.  According to those numbers, it seemed like most of the population was religious.

However many people in England and Wales do not follow a religion. A survey for the Guardian newspaper in 2006 found 63% of the people answering the poll said they were not religious.  In 2005, a survey for the Catholic newspaper The Tablet found 24% of the population say they are not religious.

The problem with the 2001 Census was that many people feel they have a religion – they just don’t follow it.  They may have been born a Christian but they never go to church and they may not even believe in God.  There was an email campaign at the time which urged people to put “Jedi” if they were reluctant to answer the religion question  and 400,000 people did so.

The 2011 census has changed the wording from “None” to “No religion” hoping that this will be clearer but this question still has the same problem: there are lots of people who HAVE a religion, they just don’t FOLLOW it.

So let’s see what happens this year.  Will the number of Jedis go up? Will the number of people answering “No religion” go up? or will the question still not work?

And if you are wondering why this matters, there are only two countries in the world with unelected religious figures who are able to make laws.  The first is Iran.  The second is England!

Today is Pancake Day in the UK – it is a day celebrated throughout the world as the day before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of the Christian season of Lent. Traditionally Lent is a period of 40 days leading up to Easter when some Christians will fast (or maybe just give up some particular thing), and on Shrove Tuesday (pancake Day) people will have a great big meal to prepare themselves for the forthcoming fast.

Pancake Day is the British version of this day – in some other countries it is called Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras)which is also when you can find festivals throughout the world – the best and most famous probably being in Brazil (especially Rio and Salvador) and New Orleans.

Pancakes are thin cakes – made of a mixture called batter (which is made of eggs, flour and milk and then fried or heated in a pan). Different countries have different versions of what pancakes are - and also what you should put on (or in) them. English ones would normally have lemon juice and sugar!  There is also a tradition of tossing the pancakes – which is throwing them up in the air in the middle of cooking them and catching them in the pan again. You have to be very careful not to get them stuck on theceiling when you  trying this. There is also a tadition in England of a pancake race – where you have to run against other people holding the pan and the pancake and make sure you don’t drop them!

You can watch a film here of a traditional pancake day race…… Youtube pancake day race