The Olympics are truly inspirational--and they're inspiring London graffiti artists, too! To see a Photo Gallery of Olympic-themed graffiti masterpieces cropping up around London, click HERE
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The Olympics are truly inspirational--and they're inspiring London graffiti artists, too! To see a Photo Gallery of Olympic-themed graffiti masterpieces cropping up around London, click HERE
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 Britain has laid claim to being the first Summer Host City of the Olympic Games to embed “green” sustainability measures into its plans for the event from the very beginning and is billing the London Olympics as the first “Green Games.” Plans for the event included the following:
I offer kudos to Britain for its green efforts and hope the “green movement” continues to gather steam from this fine example! ******************************************** Go to: VISIT BRITAIN Go to: HOMEPAGE Go to: CHAT FORUM  Calling all Fashionistas! Here's an interesting ESPAN article about the world-renown fashion designers who created those fab (and not so fab) outfits for the Olympic athletes. The athletes sported the costumes last night during the Parade of Athletes at the Olympic Games 2012 opening ceremony. To read the article, click HERE If you're an Anglophile who enjoys Facebook game apps, you're in luck! BBC Worldwide had published a Jane Austen game app entitled Jane Austen's Rogues and Romance. It's a "hidden object game" that allows players to vicariously live the Regency-era life! So stop dreaming about living in a manor house--now's your chance! (Well, in the virtual sense!) Enjoy!
***************************************************** Go to: BRITISH CLOTHING Go to: THE ROYALS Go to: VISIT BRITAIN Go to: HOMEPAGE
To watch the games, we have many choices nowadays: conventional television, online video streaming, and mobile phone apps. If your schedule prevents you from watching your favorite Olympic event, no problem!
Here is a list of websites and information you will need to stay in the know about "all-things-Olympic" this summer:
- Samuel Johnson??
Yes, Dr. Samuel Johnson. You know—that “famous” English guy whose name you’ve heard, but (if you’re like most Americans, including me), you have no idea exactly who he was, other than he was “some kind of writer.” The last time I was in London, I discovered Johnson’s complexities when I visited his home off Fleet Street, which is now a museum, and was wowed! What was he known for? The short answer: He was a highly literate, articulate, brainiac writer who had poor health, depression, a knack for staying deeply in debt, and notably, suffered from Tourette’s Syndrome. (Tourette’s symptoms can include bodily tics; involuntary utterances, such as grunting or blurting profanities; and repetitive movements. Hardly glamorous, right?) Johnson, who lived in the 1700s, was a tall, robust man, but when people met him, they generally laughed at his tics and utterances (in his case, half-whistles and clucking like a hen) and assumed he was the village idiot. Until he spoke. Then the brilliance of his mind spilled forth, delivered with a tongue that made poetry of his words. His speech, wit, and logic dazzled people. Johnson was a highly precocious child, and as a young man, wanted an Oxford education. He scraped together enough money to attend Oxford for only one year, then had to drop out. At that point, the dominos began falling. He applied for teaching jobs…but with no college degree…tics and utterances worsening…no job offers came…. These cascading events drove Johnson to the solitary activity of writing. Johnson wrote in many genres: magazine essays, political pamphlets, poetry, novellas, a biography, literary criticisms, sermons, and a dictionary. And he was an editor. He was noted for many things instead of one---unlike, say, Austen the novelist or Shakespeare the playwright. (Maybe this is why we’re baffled by Johnson? Also...magazines and pamphlets do not have the shelf-life of books.) There is, however, the famed Johnson dictionary, which took him nine years to write: A Dictionary of the English Language. While it wasn’t the first English dictionary, it was by far the best. It remained the most popular dictionary for 150 years, until Oxford published its Oxford English Dictionary. Sadly, Johnson earned little money from the tome. As I said, he had a knack for remaining broke and one step out of debtor’s prison. (Good news: After writing the dictionary, Oxford University did award Johnson an honorary doctorate degree! Thus the “Dr. Johnson.”) Despite Johnson’s oddities, he was a celebrity in his day and had many friends, several of whom gave him money when creditors banged on his door. He also married (and remarried when widowed) and loved to socialize. His brilliance and wit made him the life of the party. But “merry,” he was not. Depression tortured him. Considering his poverty and Tourette’s, this isn’t surprising. But all that “merry” socializing? After his second wife died, he told a friend he was fearful to be by himself, alone with his melancholic thoughts…thus his busy social calendar. It should be noted that Johnson’s Tourette’s diagnosis was made nearly 200 years after his death. He lived before the medical community recognized the condition. Posthumously, doctors deduced this diagnosis based upon the symptoms that Johnson’s biographer and close friend, James Boswell, documented in his famous book, The Life of Samuel Johnson. If Johnson were alive today, what would he be doing? My guess: Blogging—and he’d be a wildly popular blogger! For tic-afflicted Johnson, the Internet would be a perfect format for expressing himself. He was a Tory—a “monarchist”—so maybe he’d be writing political blogs for The Times or Daily Telegraph, or writing literary reviews for them. But considering the current cost of living in London, he might still be poor. ____ If you’re in London and want to tour the Dr. Johnson house, here is visitor info: Address: 17 Gough Square, London, EC4A 3DE Tube: Temple (Circle & District Line) or Holborn or Chancery Lane (Central Line) Hours: May-Sept: 11:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. / Oct-April: 11:00 – 5:00 p.m. Cost: Adults: ₤ 4.50/ Children: ₤ 1.50 ****************** Buy: The Life of Samuel Johnson Buy: A Dictionary of the English Language Go to: BRIT BOOKS Go to: HOMEPAGE Go to: CHAT FORUM In the year 2012, with the world's eyes on London, the city's turbulent past, captured in William Blake's famed poem London, (below), seems very far away, indeed....  "The Idle 'Prentice executed at Tyburn" by William Hogarth (1747) / Wikimedia Commons
 Mary King, the “queen” of equestrian Eventing, will ride for Britain in the 2012 Olympic Games. I watched a video about this charming woman and wanted to call her—and Olympic equestrian events--to your attention. As Anglophiles, we should understand the importance of horses in British culture. In fact, the British Museum currently offers a free exhibit entitled The Horse: From Arabia to Royal Ascot. If you’re in London, be sure to check it out! If you’re not in London, you can get highlights online by watching this short VIDEO and reading this ARTICLE about the exhibit, both presented by the British Museum.
Now, back to Mary and the Olympics… Mary has had a stellar 30-year career. While many female equestrians leave the sport after marrying and having children, Mary did not. She says she found a way to balance motherhood, marriage, and her equestrian pursuits. She broke her neck a few years back, but that didn’t deter her either—as soon as she was able, she was right back atop her horse! Mary has won six Team World and European Championship golds and four British Open titles, and has appeared at the Olympics five times, winning one silver and one bronze in Team Eventing. (Interesting note: The equestrian competition and sailing are the only two Olympic events in which men and women compete against each other.) The Olympic equestrian competition is divided into three categories: Dressage (team and individual) – The rider must guide a horse through a set of particular movements, which test the horse’s strength and obedience and the rider’s ability to control the horse with cues. Show jumping (individual) – The horse and rider must jump over obstacles, such as fences, within a specific timeframe. Penalty points are acquired if obstacles are knocked over, the horse bulks, and/or either the horse or rider falls. Eventing (team and individual) – A combination of dressage, jumping, and cross-country riding. The most grueling of the equestrian events. To watch a video of the very charming and demure Mary King, click HERE ***************************************************** Go to: WHAT IS AN ANGLOPHILE? Go to: VISIT BRITAIN Go to: HOMEPAGE  What an amazing year for the UK! With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the World Shakespeare Festival, and the Olympic Games, all eyes are across the pond, and keeping the momentum going, is the London 2012 Festival—a nationwide, cultural event running June 21 to September 9. Whether UK visitors are attending the Olympic Games or not, they can find plenty of entertainment to keep them occupied. The United Kingdom has been in party mode this entire year, and if you like excitement, now is the time to visit! If you prefer less excitement, plan your trip sometime after September, when the kingdom will sport a cultural "hangover" and move at a slower pace.
The London 2012 Festival features 12,000 events occurring both inside and outside London, in many price ranges, including “free.” Events fall into these categories:
To see the official London 2012 Festival website, which lists events, dates, locations, and ticket prices, click HERE **************************************************** Go to: VISIT BRITAIN Go to: HOMEPAGE Go to: WHEN TO FIND BEST AIRFARES Bradley Wiggins has won the Tour de France! He's the first Brit in the the race's 99-year history to win!
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ZellaI am a writer, artist, and incurable Anglophile! Thank you for reading my blog, and please feel free to join my discussions about Britain. I look forward to hearing your comments and stories! Archives
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