Verbalists Education & Language Network
Language is the dress of thought, so dress to impress!
Every year DJ Earworm, Isosine and Dan Kim release their end-of-year mashups. Daniel Kim’s annual Pop Danthology mashup has just dropped, and it’s spectacular.
Pop Danthology is one of the most complex pop music mashups of the year. Daniel takes a whole year to make the thing, and includes music and clips from the best songs of the year. READ MORE
Spotted dick
They’ve tried calling it “sultana sponge” and “spotted Richard”, but why? It’s always been spotted dick! This soft suet sponge studded with currants is even better smothered in custard. And it was served at Hogwarts. Must be magic.
Steam this traditional British pudding until well risen and firm (no laughing at the back, please), then smother it in warm golden syrup and custard. Yum READ MORE
This 38-second video shows three hikers walking across the clear frozen lake. And while many viewers were amazed, others doubted that the video was real. READ MORE
In this incredible photograph by Michael Zelensky, we see the entrance to an amazing snow tunnel that’s almost a kilometer long. Michael says the tunnel is located under snow fields in the deep ravines at the end of the summer thaw (translated from Russian, may not be exact). Apparently it is fairly close to the nearby Mutnovsky Volcano in southern Kamchatka, Russia.
Last month, in the Verbalists debating club, we had a lively discussion on the subject of “Modern Dating”. The world of dating has changed dramatically in the past few decades. The old ideas and rituals of courtship are gone, replaced with new standards of relationships and dating. But, are we better off?
Traditional courtship — picking up the telephone and asking someone on a date — required courage, strategic planning and a considerable investment of ego (by telephone, rejection stings). Not so with texting, e-mail, Twitter or other forms of “asynchronous communication,” as techies call it. In the context of dating, it removes much of the need for charm; it’s more like dropping a line in the water and hoping for a nibble.
On the other hand, many would argue that today’s communication platforms offer a wider variety of connections, and a wider network seems better than a narrower one. We have cellphones, which facilitate last-minute get-togethers. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook let you connect with a wide variety of people, and you can know someone’s political leanings, interests, and hobbies before you ever meet in person. More options may delay the process of picking one, but it seems to improve the chances of picking the right one, instead of simply settling for what’s in front of you.
“Dating culture has evolved to a cycle of text messages, each one requiring the code-breaking skills of a cold war spy to interpret.” – Alex Williams, The New York Times
“Enough bogus nostalgia for a bygone romantic era. Modern love is not perfect, but women today have choices as never before.” – Jill Filipovic, The Guardian
What do you think? Do you miss the days when a man opened the car door for his date just because he cared? But, is it not much better that today we can learn more about someone before we meet that person? Click here and join this very interesting discussion on our LinkedIn Communication & Languages group.
The Communication & Languages LinkedIn group is a networking forum for senior strategic communicators, media and marketing experts, opinion leaders, educators, school owners, teachers, and young professionals. It connects professionals of varied backgrounds and expertise, yet common interest — effective communication. Please join here
Manchester Christmas Markets from a helicopter – taken by the National Police Air Service
If you’re a designer, you know that communicating with clients can often be very frustrating. With that in mind, we bring you one funny cheat sheet, explaining what clients really mean when providing feedback.
Courtesy of Plato web design
Last weekend saw 44 players from 26 different countries descend on Manchester. Competing at Old Trafford one of our talented players was crowned the winner of the World Skills Final 2014.
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There are superstars who wouldn’t wear the same dress twice, but this one teacher from Prestonwood Elementary (PE) in Richardson, USA, had himself photographed with the same outfit for 40 years in a row. PE teacher Dale Irby started his legendary yearbook photograph sequence by mistake, when he realized he was wearing the same polyester shirt and coffee-colored sweater like he did for the photo shoot one year ago, back in 1973.
“I was so embarrassed when I got the school pictures back that second year and realized I had worn the very same thing as the first year,” said Dale. It was his wife, Cathy, who managed to make a joke out of the situation, and dared her husband to wear the same clothes again next year. After this dare Dale wore his shirt and sweater for the next 5 years: “After five pictures,” he said, “it was like: ‘Why stop?’” Even when the clothes wouldn’t fit him anymore, Dale would bring them to school and wear exclusively for the photo shoot. Nice to have something you can count on these days!
via: dallasnews.com
Germany is the top higher education destination among non-English speaking countries. Deutsche Welle recently published the list of the most popular universities for foreign students. READ MORE
Following Transport for London’s (TfL) tender for proposals to improve pedestrian links across the river, Heatherwick Studio and actor and campaigner Joanna Lumley have developed an idea for a new pedestrian ‘Garden Bridge’ across the River Thames; a scheme to connect North and South London with a garden. READ MORE
978 km from mainland Portugal and 608 km from the African coast lies an island that is said to be part of the lost continent of Atlantis.
High mountains, deep valleys, tranquil lakes, waterfalls and an immensity of green. The vivacity of the Madeiran landscape is the result of an authentic subtropical climate that keeps the chill off the seawater and the climate mild all year round. READ MORE
“Mob football” was popular in medieval England. It involved an unlimited number of players, a pig’s bladder and very few rules. Due to its destructive nature, it was banned by King Edward II in 1314: “There is great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls…we forbid… on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city in the future.”
Mob football is the name given to some varieties of Medieval football, which emerged in Europe during the Middle Ages. Mob football was a local tradition in some places, and was often an annual event. Typically there were an unlimited number of players and very few rules. By some accounts, in some such events any means could be used to move the ball towards the goal, as long as it did not lead to manslaughter or murder. READ MORE
Grandmother Agnes Kašpárková delicately paints traditional Moravian ornament on an early 18th century bell-tower.
November 9, 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall. On this day the world’s eyes will look at Berlin once again.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the LICHTGRENZE (The Border of Lights), an extraordinary light installation, is produced, following the former route of the so-called Berliner Mauer. READ MORE
