The origin of the Sovereign as the 'fountain of honour' is an ancient one. Throughout history, monarchs realised the value and necessity of rewarding gallantry in battle and loyal service, often by awarding gifts of land or money, or some sort of title or sign of merit as a mark of distinction. This was particularly the case when the first sovereign of a new dynasty succeeded to or took the throne and therefore needed to ensure that their supporters' loyalty was rewarded. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, William I granted land to his allies in exchange for continuing loyalty and military service; for example, he created feudal earldoms to protect the English border against Welsh raids. Occasionally, land or titles were granted by a king (for example Charles II) in recognition of his illegitimate children, who could not succeed to the throne.
After medieval times, gifts of land, money or weapons which were given as rewards for political or personal service, or help in battle, were replaced by the awarding of knighthood, insignia of Orders of chivalry and other honours. From the reign of Richard II onward, gifts of gold or silver chains to be worn round the neck as a reward for loyal service were frequently given. Chains of honour were given to certain officers of the crown as a special mark of distinction; known as 'collars of the King's Livery', such chains were worn as pledges of loyalty. Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, appointment to the Orders of chivalry in England was restricted to members of the aristocracy and high-ranking military figures. From that period onward, the appointments were drawn from wider backgrounds.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as Parliament's legislative role grew and government by a Cabinet of ministers headed by the Prime Minister evolved, the method of selecting people for honours also changed. As with the Sovereign's other public functions, the king or queen conferred honours on the advice of their ministers, normally the Prime Minister, rather than on their own royal initiative.

Today, as the 'fountain of honour' in the United Kingdom, the Sovereign has the sole right of conferring all titles of honour, including life peerages, knighthoods and gallantry awards. Anybody can make a recommendation for a British national to receive an honour; awards are made in recognition of distinguished service in any form by people from every section of the community. As The Queen confers honours on the advice of the Prime Minister, so recommendations for honours must be sent to the Prime Minister's Office.

Honours for meritorious service are usually conferred and announced twice a year - on the Sovereign's official birthday (early June) and at the New Year, or occasionally on a change of government. Awards for gallantry are published periodically on a separate list. Recipients receive their awards at an Investiture.

Honorary decorations and awards are occasionally granted to people from other countries who have made a significant contribution to relations between the United Kingdom and their own country. These awards are granted on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

However, there are still certain honours in the United Kingdom that the Sovereign confers at his or her own discretion. The only honours for which the Sovereign personally selects recipients are: the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of Merit, the Royal Victorian Order and the Royal Victorian Chain, Royal Medals of Honour and Medals for Long Service.

Historically, the exchange of Orders between the Sovereign and overseas heads of state tended to be personal and dynastic - particularly during Queen Victoria's reign, when many dynastic marriages contracted by her large family created a network which closely united the dynasties of Europe in the nineteenth century. Since the mid-twentieth century, the exchange of Orders has become less personal and more formal and diplomatic. The award, return or removal of Orders can still be highly symbolic - as shown by The Queen's conferring the Order of Merit on President Mandela, or her return of the Romanian Order received from President Ceausescu and her instruction to erase the President's name from the Register of the Order of the Bath. Today, Orders bestowed on The Queen, and reciprocal awards to foreign heads of state, can be seen as formal and official awards by which one nation honours another in the person of the head of state.



LI 3.9.25

A long time ago when people lived mostly out-of-doors, they were close to nature. They noticed that plants, mammals, insects and birds sensed the coming of any weather change sooner than people did. So when ancient people saw animals seeking shelter, they did, too.
Nowadays people have much more problems and interferes of weather conditions. Some people are very sensitive to humidity. People who have arthritis are, in a sense, “living hydrometers”. High humidity causes the fluids in their tissues and joints to increase, making movement difficult and painful. That is why many older people say, “it’s going to rain. I can
feel it in my bones”. They actually can. Few people in northern countries enjoy the long, dark nights and cold temperatures of winter. According to scientists, wintery conditions
may be making some people ill. They suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or the winter blues. Sufferers become depressed as the days become shorter but recover rapidly in spring. The symptoms can be very serious and may be mistaken for signs of mental illness. They include sleeping more than usual but never feeling rested, melancholy, listlessness, weight gain
and lack of energy among others. The further you live from the equator, the more likely you are to be affected by SAD. It is believed that up to 20% of the population of
northern countries suffers from SAD and that 5% are chronic cases. But even if you don’t have full-blown SAD, you may still experience a few symptoms, such as increased fatigue and a “down” mood, from the lack of light. So, if you have any of those symptoms it’s better for you to see your doctor, to keep your home and workplace as bright as possible, light
treatment with special bulbs, given under your doctor’s direction, can alleviate and even prevent symptoms It takes a little sleuthing, but once you’ve fingered the source of your blues, and applied the appropriate fix, who knows? You may actually start to enjoy winter for a change!


LI 3.9.25

My name is Ann. I'm 17 and I think life is for me. Every day I can see that there are a lot of different things I should know and learn. I have many interests and hobbies. First of all I must say that I am fond of music, I like all kinds and all tendencies, I really enjoy classical music. When I was 8 years old I started playing the piano, but my dream always was the guitar. Unfortunately I don't have this instrument, but I believe my dream will come one day. When I was a little girl my parents often took me to different concerts. Now a friend of mine and I almost every month visit some concerts or music plays.
I enjoy English too, because, in my opinion, to know a foreign language means to have an opportunity to learn something new from other cultures and traditions. Moreover the principal aim of any language is the communication, and it means new acquaintance new friends. I can't say that I have many friends. in fact there is no need of it. The most important thing is that I can trust my friends. and I know they will always help me.
The happiest day in my life is my birthday, because my parents and my friends give me some presents, flowers, they sing me the song "Happy birthday to you!", and we spend a wonderful day together. I must confess I like cooking best of all when some guests come visit me, then I make something special and very delicious. For my birthday I always make some honey biscuits. After this day I always have only the best impressions.
Some of my friends are fond of collecting postcards, well, I can't say the same about me. But when I was 6 I started collecting postcards, later I stopped enlarging my collection, but my relatives and friends didn't, and if they find an interesting postcards they bring it to me.
Nowadays young people don't like reading, but to tell the truth I do. I believe reading develops our imagination and mental capacity. And it's possible to take from books some good advice recommendations. We have a lot of books at home: different dictionaries, recollections, poetry, memoirs, etceteras.
My friend say I am a very gentle active, sociable and lovely person, but they don't know that sometimes I get very quite and perfect to think than to talk, well, as my mother says it's typical of girls of my age.

LI 3.9.25

1. In the morning she was all over my come.

LI 3.9.25

Foreign students often think that English is a simple language. "Look how easy it is to address somebody in English," they say. "There's only one word - 'you'. In my language it's more difficult.

The fact that the English language has only one form "you" doesn't mean that Englishmen see no difference between friends, people they don't know, people they respect and so on.

For example: "What time is it, John?" can become: "Excuse me, could you tell me the time, please? if addressed to a person you don't know. Here is another example. A woman in a shop suddenly feels unwell and is helped to a chair. Her husband may ask: "Are you all right, dear?" A person who doesn't know her may say: "Are you all right?" And the shop owner may ask: "Are you all right, madam?"

The English address system has intimate, neutral and polite forms.

There are many different intimate vocatives. Among these there is the person's first name. Other intimate vocatives are "dear", "love", "old boy", "old man", etc. The word "old" here doesn't really mean old. It simply shows you're friendly to a person.

It is difficult to give the rules which explain the use of the vocatives. The use of no vocative at all, as in "Are you all right?", is easier to explain. It is neutral.

A polite vocative is used to show some special respect. The polite vocatives are "madam" or "sir" , "Mrs Smith" or "Mr Smith", "ladies and gentlemen". There are many other polite vocatives, for example, professional words such as "Doctor", "Professor" and so on.

So the question of addressing a person in English is not so simple as it seems to be. Pay attention to these vocatives when you are speaking to an Englishman or reading an English dialogue. They are strange words, but are very important for you.


LI 3.9.25

The novelist and short-story writer Jack London was, in his lifetime, one of the most popular authors in the world. After World War I his fame was eclipsed in the United States by a new generation of writers, but he remained popular in many other countries, especially in the Soviet Union, for his romantic tales of adventure mixed with elemental struggles for survival.
John Griffith London was born in San Francisco on Jan. 12, 1876. His family was poor, and he was forced to go to work early in life to support himself. At 17 he sailed to Japan and Siberia on a seal-hunting voyage. He was largely self-taught, reading voluminously in libraries and spending a year at the University of California. In the late 1890s he joined the gold rush to the Klondike. This experience gave him material for his first book, 'The Son of Wolf', published in 1900, and for 'Call of the Wild' (1903), one of his most popular stories. In his writing career of 17 years, London produced 50 books and many short stories. He wrote mostly for money, to meet ever-increasing expenses. His fame as a writer gave him a ready audience as a spokesman for a peculiar and inconsistent blend of socialism and racial superiority. London's works, all hastily written, are of uneven quality. The best books are the Klondike tales, which also include 'White Fang' (1906) and 'Burning Daylight' (1910). His most enduring novel is probably the autobiographical 'Martin Eden' (1909), but the exciting 'Sea Wolf' (1904) continues to have great appeal for young readers. In 1910 London settled near Glen Ellen, Calif., where he intended to build his dream home, "Wolf House." After the house burned down before completion in 1913, he was a broken and sick man. His death on Nov. 22, 1916, from an overdose of drugs, was probably a suicide.


LI 3.9.25

Once upon a time Dracula decided to carry some sort of a competition to see which is the finest bat to stand on his side. So all the bats were honored to take part. The rules were simple. Whichever bat drinks more blood, will be the winner? So the first bat goes and comes back after 10 minutes. Her mouth was full of blood. Dracula says: "Congratulations, how did you do that?" The bat said: "Do you see that tower? Behind it there is a house. I went in and sucked the blood of all the family". "Very good" said Dracula. The second bat goes and comes back after 5 minutes all her face covered in blood. Dracula astonished says, "How did you do that?" The bat replies " Do you see that tower? Behind it there is a school. I went in and drunk the blood of all the children". "Impressive" said Dracula. Now the third bat goes and comes back after three minutes literally covered in blood from top to toe. Dracula is stunned. "How on earth did you do that????" he asked. And the bat replies. "Do you see this tower?" Dracula replies with a yes. And the bat says "Well, I didn't".

LI 3.9.25

The word "love" is difficult to define exactly. The dictionary gives the following definition of this notion: deep affection or fondness; sexual passion. People find their own sacrament meaning in love, they have their own answers to the eternal question. To my mind, love means affection, esteem and confidence to a person, the ability to understand each other. Love is the unity of attraction of mind, soul and body. The best thing to check love is to set up a family. Both husband and wife are to create their happiness together. some people consider youthfulness to be the best age for falling in love. To my mind there is no special age for love. I should mention the importance of responsible attitude to love. It is especially important for young people, because very often they feel themselves physically developed and well informed. But their morality is not so high yet. Authorities on that problem speak about the acceleration development of the young generation today. Their opinion cannot be ignored. One is to remember about such moral values like faithfulness and honesty. Sometimes listening to reason is better than listening to feeling
as for me I have a boy-friend. He is intelligent, generous, has a sense of humor, is always interesting. We hope to build a successful marriage. Each married couple ought to work out on optimal model of behavior.

LI 3.9.25

There are many kinds of television programmes and television channels in our country. The number of them increase constantly to meet all the tastes and needs of the viewers.
Television brings the world in our life. It helps us to understand people from other countries, to know their customs and traditions. One can find TV-programmes for children, teenagers, for sportfans and for people of various professional interests. But television may lead to poor health, through rushed meals, lack of sleep or exercise and eyestrain.
We can watch great events which will pass into history and famous people. Now people can get more information from various sourses, find out different viewpoints, compare the positions and political programmes, and thus they can exercise one of the basic rights — the right to have full information about the events in their country ond abroad. But to my mind people spend a lot of time before the television screens.
Television is the great entertainment and propaganda machine. From one hand it makes a lot to entertain people. On the other hand television can do some harm for certain people by the propaganda.
With the encreasing number of TV-progammes the number of TV-viewers is also regularly encreases. And their tastes are also encrease and change. That is why from time to time some programmes are changing to another programmes. TV-channels try to attract viewers with the help of different shows, conserts or interesting programmes. Apart from their entertainment value, they provide useful topics of conversation. But people begin to forget the art of conversation. They sit glued to the television screens instead of visiting their friends and relatives.
I am fond of different TV-programmes about news, computers or entertaining programmes. But my favourite programme is “Arest and freedom”. It is the new programme of REN-TV. Its author and leader is Dmitry Yakubovskiy. During his two years’ imprisonment he learned Russian legislature and the rights of people. In his programme he speaks about human and civil rights, rights of prisoners and about the duties of militia. This programme is equally interesting for young and old. Some good illustrations and photographs make the author’s text easier to grasp.
For my mind everyone has his own favourite programme and can tell a lot about it.








LI 3.9.25

A friend took me to dinner to pick my brain about her new business. She was excited: she had a great idea, had lined up a strategic partner, and was raring to go. She had visions of raising millions of dollars. I felt terrible telling her that while her ambition was admirable, her business plan was lousy.
Now, that's not to say she can't raise money for her new company. These days it seems like even the craziest idea can raise $100 million. But, it's not enough to have an idea you can convince others to invest in; you have to have the basis for a solid, real business.
No matter how much money you can raise for a company, at some point, real customers are going to decide whether they want to buy your product or service. Even if customers are willing to buy, you need to have a business operation that enables you to make sufficient profit to survive.
So what were the problems - and there were many of them - with my friend's idea?
First, like many novice entrepreneurs, her idea was too grandiose. She had too many services, serving to diverse a market, to be able to successfully develop anyone aspect. The single biggest problem facing entrepreneurs is lack of focus. It's a big enough challenge to stay focused on even a narrowly defined market with a clearly delineated product; when you take on too much, especially in the early days of a company, you almost guarantee defeat. My friend's business could have easily been broken up into two or three businesses, any one of which might possibly succeed. But she was committed to serving the whole market.
Many entrepreneurs, of course, fall to the other extreme: their business idea is so narrowly defined that it's actually the basis for just one product - or just one feature of a product - rather than a whole business. This is particularly true in two categories: consumer products and technology. Let's say, for example, that you have a great recipe for a new kind of sauce. One sauce, no matter how terrific, might not be enough to build a whole company around; you might need to come up with a line of sauces.
When your business idea is too limited, you may not be able to get big enough to survive. Even if you are successful, you're vulnerable if a larger company later decides to mimic your idea. The good news - and this particularly happens in technology or if you can develop a cultlike following of customers - is that your company becomes an excellent candidate to be acquired by a company that wants to include your product as part of their offerings. You won't be your own boss, but you might get a pile of cash.
The next biggest dilemma in my friend's business was she hadn't considered the real costs of delivering her proposed services. One of rules is "Things take longer and cost more than planned." To be successful, my friend's company depended on achieving lower costs than her competitors. She thought she could do this just because she was operating on the Internet. Get real! An Internet business is just like a land-based company: you still need customer service, employees, and substantial marketing efforts. If you're depending on cost savings for a competitive advantage, prove that such savings can actually be achieved and sustained.
Finally, my friend's biggest problem was my friend. She's stubborn, unwilling to listen, insistent on getting and keeping control. (So why is she my friend? That's another column.:) It's not enough to have a great idea, or even great operations. A company needs leadership and management. You can't build a business without building a team. You have to work with people; not just have them work for you.
It's not always easy to scale back your vision or your need to be in charge. But if you want to grow a company, not just make yourself a job, you've got to consider whether your good idea can really be a good business.


LI 3.9.25

A man asked his wife what she'd like for her birthday. "I'd love to be eight again." she replied. On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Coco Pops, and then took her off to the local theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park: the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Monster Roller Coaster, every thing there was. Five hours later she staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. Right away, they journeyed to a McDonald's where her loving husband ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a refreshing chocolate shake. Then it was off to the movies: the latest Star Wars epic, a hot dog, popcorn, all the Coke she could drink, and her favorite lolly and M&M's. What a fabulous adventure! Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his precious wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, Well, Dear, what was it like being eight again?" Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. "I meant my dress size!!!!!!!
The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he's gonna get it wrong.


LI 3.9.25

Ruslana Lyzhichko is the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.
Born in 1973, she is a Ukrainian singer, dancer, producer, and composer. She writes, composes and produces her own songs and music videos.
In Ukraine she had her first hit in 1998 with the song Sunrise and the album A Moment of Spring. In 1999 she worked on the Christmas musical The Final Christmas of the 1990s, which won the Ukrainian Movie of the Year. Her album Dyki Tantsi (Wild Dances) which was issued in 2003 went platinum in Ukraine, selling over 100,000 copies.
She won the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with Wild Dances, which earned 280 points, receiving points from 34 of the 35 other countries participating in the contest (the exception being Switzerland whose own entry was eliminated after scoring no points in the semi-final).
In 2004's disputed Ukrainian presidential elections, she declared her support for Viktor Yushchenko. She was one of the scores of prominent figures that addressed the mass crowds rallying in support of Yushchenko's demand that his original defeat be declared fraudulent, and at one stage she was even quoted as saying she was ready to go on hunger strike for the cause.


LI 3.9.25

Many immigrants from the former USSR are great patriots of the United States, and these people sincerely love their new motherland. But their feeling of America is of a little strange kind; it is like a love of a parasite worm to the body of its host.
The way of life in the so-called Russian District in Brooklyn is very interesting. I have seen different countries and never saw anything like this. If you think that such thing as culture of poverty does not exist, I would strongly recommend observing life in Brighton Beach.
What do these people like in the US the most? Freedom? Democracy? Maybe nature? No! The right answer is welfare, and all means to get it are good. By the way, it is not difficult at all. The easiest way is to prove that you have a serious illness. “How can I possibly do it if I am perfectly healthy?” some naive person might ask. Well, first of all, many newcomers know the addresses of necessary doctors even before leaving their native country. In fact, there is a perfectly organized industry in Russia that is sending people abroad. If you did not find it out in Russia, it is not a big deal because you always can get all necessary information through your friends in Brooklyn, or simply from a Russian newspaper. (I’m going to describe such papers later, it is interesting.)
The people receiving welfare are not lazy at all, and most of them have at least one job; of course, they work for cash. It just would not be wise to pay rent for your apartment by yourself if a kind government is happy to do it for you. I know a woman in Brooklyn, named Ludmila, who is receiving welfare as a disabled person, and the government pays for her apartment. Every morning, this poor, sick woman rides her bike from Brighton Beach to Bay Ridge where she works as a housekeeper. Besides, she rents one room of her apartment to two illegal girls. Each of them pays Ludmila fifteen dollars per night.
Oleg and Diana, a young couple, have recently gotten a divorce and each of them is receiving welfare and Medicaid now. I do not know how they managed to do it, because both of them are paid high salaries. Diana, by the way, never does shopping in such supermarkets as K-Mart or Wall-Mart; it is below her dignity.
Some welfare recipients are illegible for free personal care assistance, and here it is a good opportunity for a mutually beneficial business. A “sick” person keeps half of his aide’s wages, and a PCA (personal care aide) has a medical insurance from the agency he or she works for. Usually, a caregiver never shows up at his patient’s apartment and works somewhere for more cash.
The newspapers in the Russian language are amazing things. What do you think the following announcement could mean? “I have a perfect credit history, and I’m leaving the country in two weeks. Who needs my service please call #…”. It means that, before leaving the States, this guy wants to buy some goods, such as computers, on his credit card and then sell them for half price. Let the bank try to find him somewhere in the Moscow region or in the plains of the Ukraine. At the very same paper, for example, you will learn where to get American documents and a social security card. Of course, the document will be false. To get a real one you’ll have to go to Chicago. In Chicago, by the way, they can stamp visas in passports of people who crossed the line illegally. Last year, the pocket of documents would cost you around five thousand dollars, depending on your particular situation. Amazingly enough, those papers are valid, so you could get a driver’s license or open a bank account without any problems. I know a person on Long- Island who opened his own business with such documents. I don’t understand what the police are thinking about. It is probably too much work to leave the office and get a newspaper at any shop in Brighton Beach.
Of course, not every one in the Russian district leads such life. Some people work hard, open their own businesses and make huge money; they use absolutely different ways to fool the law.

LI 3.9.25

So cool today!!!

Men get greater satisfaction than women from seeing someone they dislike suffer pain, according to a study of how people react when witnessing revenge.
Scientists found highly significant differences between the two sexes in terms of how the male and the female brain responds to acts of retribution.
Both men and women feel empathy towards people they know experiencing pain but in men the empathy turns to pleasure when the victim is someone they dislike.
A team of researchers from University College London said that the findings are the first scientifically based evidence to suggest there is male schadenfreude - a feeling of pleasure at seeing revenge exacted.
Tania Singer of the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience used brain scanners to show that regions of the brain get activated when a person feels empathy for someone else suffering pain.
Her latest study, published in the journal Nature, attempted to explain whether this was simply an automatic response to seeing someone in pain or whether it can be affected by whether the victim is liked or disliked.

The scientists set up an experiment involving 32 male and female volunteers who were asked to play a game involving financial investments.
However, unknown to the volunteers, four of them were actors who deliberately played an unfair game by consistently sending very little money back to the other players - which made them unpopular.
"During breaks in the tests you could tell from the body language that both the male and female volunteers did not like the actors who had cheated them.
They tried to stay away from them as much as possible," Dr Singer said.
During the second part of the experiment each volunteer witnessed the application of mild electric shocks to the "fair" and "unfair" players while being monitored by a brain scanner.
When the fair players received the shock, which was equivalent to a short bee sting, both the men and the women showed empathy - the empathy-related areas of the brain, the fronto-insular and anterior cingulate cortices, lit up in the scanner.
Women continued to display some degree of empathy when an unfair actor was given a shock but the men showed no activation of the empathy-regions of the brain and in fact experienced a surge of activity in the "reward" or pleasure part of the brain.
Dr Singer said these emotional responses were later confirmed in questionnaires completed by the volunteers when they were asked to judge the actors.

"They consistently rated the fair player as being more agreeable, more likeable and even more attractive than the unfair actor," Dr Singer said.

The scientists believe that the findings may indicate fundamental biological differences between the sexes that may have its roots deep in evolutionary history.

Men and women both sympathise when others suffer pain, but men appear to have a greater predisposition towards wishing those who are unfair being punished.

"This type of behaviour has probably been crucial in the evolution of society as the majority of people in a group are motivated to punish those who cheat on the test," Dr Singer said.

"This altruistic behaviour means that people tend to protect each other against being exploited by society's free-loaders, and evolution has probably seeded this sense of justice and moral duty into our brains," she said.

"We need to confirm these gender differences in larger studies because it is possible the experimental design favoured men as there was a physical rather than a psychological or financial threat involved.

"However, this investigation would seem to indicate there is a predominant role for men in maintaining justice and issuing punishment," Dr Singer said.

LI 3.9.25

2006

LI 3.9.25