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Throughout the nineteenth century the American frontier was a continuously-advancing line which marked the westward movement of settlers. It separated the natural and native Indian from the civilized and artificial white. It was a meeting place of two entirely different cultures, a place where, on the one hand a tragic clash took place, and on the other a priceless lesson was learned.

Some linguists claim that the Polish language is the second most difficult language to master..... and I won' t argue with that. One of the many reasons I find it so difficult is that the Polish lexicon contains a zillion Zs ... and if you think that I' m exaggerating ...check out these facts:

COLLINS S£OWNIK POLSKO-ANGIELSKI, edited by Jacek Fisiak (The World of English consultant), lists 2,289 Polish words beginning with the letter Z. Its companion dictionary ANGIELSKO-POLSKI contains a grand total of 38 English words that begin with the letter Z.

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.

What on earth is the Council of Europe?

Gibraltar is an island just off the coast of Spain. It has been a British colony since 1713. Spain wants it back. The EU is encouraging both countries to come to an agreement. But these negotiations were made even more difficult earlier this year, when British armed forces invaded Spain!

Riga, Latvia, is the site for this year's annual festival of kitsch. And while Poland continues to send its most popular groups and singers to the contest, as usual, you will not have heard of the British entrant before. This is because no self-respecting British pop star would be seen dead in a contest that is, in that country, seen as a bit of a joke. In spite of that, 8 million Britons and 100 million square-eyed Europeans will tune in to watch the Song Contest this May.

Message from the Ambassador of Ireland, Ms. Thelma M. Doran

On Saturday, May 1, Ireland, as Presidency of the European Union for the first half of 2004, has the honour of welcoming Poland and the other Accession Countries as full partners into the Union. It is with great pleasure for me to be in Poland as we approach this historic enlargement and I would like to take this opportunity to send a special greeting to the readers of The World of English© at this exciting time.

Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre

Almost everyone in the world has heard of the orang-utans. These tree-climbing primates have been glamorized by the media, appeared in Hollywood and can be seen in most zoos world-wide. The 'orang-utan' which means 'Man of the Forest' or 'Jungle Man' in Malay, is also known as the Red Ape - the largest tree-living mammal and the only great ape in Asia.

British citizen Tracy Housel was executed on13th March 2002 in Jackson, Georgia, in the US. He received a lethal injection and took 11 minutes to die. Housel, born in the British colony of Bermuda, was convicted of the murder and rape of a woman in Georgia in 1986. He also confessed to the murder of 17 other people. His defenders say that he was mentally ill at the time. The British government had asked the US not to execute one of its citizens.

>A Polish student living in America, Katarzyna Jelonek-Allen, gives our World of English readers an insight into the realities of American university life. Pay attention (before you pay the fees!)