2001 | The World of English

A Memorable Little League World Series

Japan snatched the title from Florida, but to the delight of a 45,000-strong crowd former Little Leaguer U.S. President George W. Bush was in Williamsport, PA in August to watch the Little League Championship Game.

The 2001 Little League World Series will go down in history as one of the most memorable and significant events in Little League's glorious 55 years.

2001

Baseball

Return to Eden

In March this year a feat of architectural technology opened in the English county of Cornwall. From inside one of man's most modern buildings, the Eden Project brings you something as old as the world - Nature.

2001

Linux

Say Windows and most people will know that you mean the operating system owned by Microsoft. Say Linux and youll probably get a blank stare either that or theyll think youre trying to sell them a new brand of washing powder.

2001

Live and Let Live

If you think 007 is the new international dialling code then get a life! 007 is part of the British national consciousness: heroism, patriotism and self-parody. 007 is James Bond - with a licence to thrill...

2001

Britain's Royal Affair

Who rules over England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales? Queen Elizabeth, of course! But besides being the richest woman in Britain and owning the most beautiful buildings, she's just a tourist attraction. It's the government and Parliament, and especially No.10 Downing Street, who write the rules.

2001

Globalisation: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

In the late 20th century, "Globalise!" was a catch-cry all over the world - now it's a dirty word. But it's a story of swings and roundabouts, pros and cons...

2001

The American Gambler - it's in our blood!

If you wanna make big bucks, beware: America encourages the gambling addiction....

2001

Amelia: Film Review

Amelia(Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain) was one of the definite highlights of this year's 17th Warsaw International Film Festival. This long awaited feature by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of Delicatessen, was a great hit with critics and audiences alike, and has now been released in cinemas across Poland. Amelia is a must-see for all demanding cinemagoers who expect more from a film than merely entertainment. Posters advertising the film claim that the film's heroine, Amelia, could change your life. And this might actually be the case.

2001

The Winner Takes it All

Or - the first past the post gets the most in the UK's General Election, which this year was a bit of a foregone conclusion...

The British Labour Party - a marriage of late 19th century trade unionism, Christian socialism and a very English form of Marxism (i.e. not very Marxist) - managed in the first election of the 21st century on 7th June this year to achieve something it had not managed throughout the last century - in fact, for its entire 101-year history. It won a second general election after a first term in office.

2001

A Lyrical Exchange

The music's fabulous, the lyrics go from the simple to the surreal. But do they mean anything? And does it really matter?

2001

No Dope, No Hope?

"You are what you eat" is a favourite health catchphrase, but in sport it seems more and more to be a case of: "You are when you cheat."

2001

Get a Diet, Get Fat

In the all-American health kick, it's not sport but food that's at the center of the obsession with healthy living. But have they got it all wrong?

2001

Spooked Out!

At first glance, the village of Pluckley in the English county of Kent may look quite innocent. But behind its neat and tidy exterior theres a phantasmal world of mystery, doom and death.

2001

End of a Decade, End of an Era

There won't be many waves of Volunteers before the Poles will have caught up...This will be one of the world's great and limited engagements. Poland will not need us for long. - E. Timothy Carroll, Peace Corps Country Director 1991-1994

2001

How to Marry an Englishman

The Empire has faded, but English surnames are colonising Central Europe at a rate of knots. Here's your guide, ladies, to bagging a Brit. Polish gentlemen, please don't feel too put out there are some useful tips for you, too.

2001

E-Lit: Novel Networking

We say everyone has a novel in him. Boring as our own lives may seem to ourselves, they could be packaged and described so as to be interesting to another person - the reader. With a dose of literary flair!

Thanks to the popularity of creative writing courses, everyone, it seems, is finally writing that novel - or at least a short story or two and some poems. Poetry and fiction readings at coffeehouses have become popular in some circles, but apart from this, how do all these new writers find an audience? How do they get in touch with readers?

2001

The Notting Hill Thrill

Perhaps made famous to foreigners thanks to Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts in the film of the same name, this part of London is really on the map because of the annual carnival in August, second only to Rio de Janeiro's.

If you imagine the Notting Hill Carnival as a colourful, loud and fast moving pageant, you are wrong. It is far more resplendent and clamorous, and way too crowded to move with any speed at all - the streets are not as wide as in Rio!

2001

Exotica, Neurotica

There are many things you learn when you enter into an intercultural relationship. And you are always learning. Remember, though, that often these things are just the natural processes of getting to know your partner over the years. Don't get drawn into the misapprehension that he won't do the washing up because he's British; maybe a Polish man is far less likely to! That's men for you. Nor that he might prefer to watch an important international footie match to spending a romantic evening with you listening to soothing music. We're all the same.

2001

Free Speech

Try getting your tongue around one of Europe's 225 languages in the European Year of Languages 2001.

Language learning is something you can do throughout your lifetime - you are never too old or too young to learn a language! Learning a new tongue is always a challenge, but if it is approached in the right way, it will be enjoyable and provide an immense feeling of satisfaction. It will give a practical skill that can add to the appreciation of other cultures, improve employment prospects and make travel more rewarding.

2001

Failure - a winter's tale

Americans and their New Year's Resolutions: as the world grows a year older it's always a good time to change those natural faults that make us human - but it's always a lost cause.

2001