2001

"Business is business", "Time is money", - but is it right that "Anything goes"?

"Where there's muck there's brass" is an old northern English expression. It simply means that people will make money where there are raw materials - dirty, of course - such as coal. But what about the expression: "Where there's ethics there's brass"? It doesn't have quite the same ring. If such expressions are any guide, Anglo-Saxon societies clearly tend to think of business as a necessary but essentially dirty activity.

Many words have been spoken and written about the September 11thtragedy, and just as many tears have been cried since then. Every single person's life will forever be altered. There isn't much that one can say to describe the magnitude of the tragedy; even seeing is not believing. But here are the thoughts and feelings of some students of the University of Scranton, just two hours away from New York City, about that fateful day.

The environment is a hot issue in the UK. Since the 1980s, awareness has grown of the consequences of industrial pollution, nuclear waste, carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. More recently, the BSE beef crisis and the GM food controversy have made the British public even more sensitive to the appliance of science and agricultural error. We are turning into a nation of eco-worriers.

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the World of English Summer Issue, in which we invite you to let your hair down (or if you haven't any, to let it grow) and forget, as far as you think wise, about exams, school and university (or, if you are an especially precocious pupil, kindergarten).

Think Jamaica, think Bob Marley, the King of Reggae, cricket, amazing food, oh and, of course, the regulation tourist-brochure sunshine, sand and palm trees.

The island now known as Jamaica was discovered by the Spanish way back in 1494. It was already populated by Arawak Indians, who had arrived from South America by canoe many centuries before. The Spaniards did not pay much attention to their new colony because it did not have any precious metals to exploit, and so the British met little resistance when they took over in 1655.

Turbulent times followed Poland's independence in 1918, as Poles came to terms with their freedom. To put into words the emotions of a nation, poet Julian Tuwim tried to rid poetry of its elitist image. How far did he succeed?

During and after the Second World War, a small community of Polish people developed in Ireland. The two peoples shared religion and a history of oppression, while marriage brought them closer together.

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.

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

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.