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Breaking the 140-character barrier is going to take a kind of stamina I have never tried to muster

With Twitter, Facebook and other blogging platforms, every written word and published item is increasingly rushed. That’s why I have decided that it will be an interesting experiment to try to slow down and write something that has length and, hopefully, longevity.

AS a modern journalist, I have been trained to have a short attention span. Twitter has taken that to a whole new level. It’s a self-styled “micro-blogging” platform and lets you share the interesting things going on around you in 140 characters in an instant.

But I have been thinking seriously about trying to write something more substantial than a tweet or a few paragraphs of a blog.

Read More »Breaking the 140-character barrier is going to take a kind of stamina I have never tried to muster

Welsh, it turns out, isn’t at all like French

I have learnt a lot of things since moving to Wales. Chief among those is the fact that the Welsh language isn’t at all like French.

THERE has been a flurry of St David’s Day celebrations across Wales this week.

Although most celebrations were on March 1 – the patron saint of Wales’s dedicated day in the calendar – many more have continued throughout the week.

Read More »Welsh, it turns out, isn’t at all like French

Two very different ways to react to rioting: Comparing the English legal system to Vancouver’s slower response

Riots were a huge talking point last summer. Although we saw inspirational images of people rising up against tyranny in Africa and the Middle East, we also saw – in Vancouver and England – people perpetrating mindless acts of vandalism and violence for no discernible reason. In the aftermath of those horrible riots, I think it’s interesting to compare Vancouver’s response with England’s.

CONSIDER this: The first rioters from Vancouver’s Stanley Cup disorder are only beginning to hear what they will face as punishment. Ryan Dickinson, from Surrey, B.C., was the first to be sentenced – eight months after the riots.

He was given a 16-month jail sentence for his part in the riots, which saw him, among other things, throwing a newspaper box at a car.

But some people are speculating that many of the other convicted rioters will get off lightly.

Read More »Two very different ways to react to rioting: Comparing the English legal system to Vancouver’s slower response

Britain is missing out on one of the joys of winter

Carefree moments are rare things – especially in the middle of winter. That’s why I don’t get why more Brits aren’t keen to embrace the cold, and enjoy the past-times winter can offer.

A CRISP, winter morning has a special quality to it. There is something wonderful about walking outside to see grass covered in frost and your breath in the air.

These kind of moments are pretty rare in the UK, with winter characterised more by rain than by chilly weather.

Read More »Britain is missing out on one of the joys of winter

An immigration policy that is both condescending and unfair

In today’s dire economy, immigration is increasingly seen as a cause of social problems. But not only do the ideas put forward by the government not address the problems, they’re also an insult to hard-working, low-income earners (who happen to be born elsewhere) who are putting tax revenue into government coffers. 

I couldn’t help but baulk at today’s announcement by Immigration Minister Damian Green.

The minister wants all non-EU immigrants to be commanding salaries of £31,000 and above. If you aren’t “adding to quality of life in Britain” in this way he said, the UK doesn’t want you living and working within its borders.

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I’ll admit it, I do feel “freakish” and “hideous” sometimes

There are plenty of reasons to ignore fashion and beauty advice. Here’s another one. My experience shows that even if women are the “freakish ideal” size, they won’t be satisfied with how they look. It’s human nature.

I’M about to write something that could make me extremely unpopular.

It’s a response to the various blogs and articles I’ve read this month on the subject of body image.

Many of these articles, and I’m particularly thinking of Mary Anne Sieghart’s January 9 story, What women see in the mirror is self-loathing, are in response to the ridiculous pressure put on women to lose weight in January after the excesses of the Christmas period.

Ms Sieghart has hit the nail on the head with a lot of her points, but I think she has missed a crucial one.

Read More »I’ll admit it, I do feel “freakish” and “hideous” sometimes

If you don’t mind, darling, we’ll keep on improving the English language

Language in Britain is evolving and Americans are being blamed for what many consider to be abuses of the English language. But I have created a list of words and phrases that suggests Brits don’t always know best when it comes to their native tongue.

I have met many people during my career who have complained about “Americanisms” in the English language.

As a Canadian living in the UK, I am often corrected by my British peers when I use certain phrases. There are language choices that seem to annoy Brits, particularly writers. One lives “in” a road, not “on” it, I’m told, and one does something “at” the weekend not “on” the weekend.

Read More »If you don’t mind, darling, we’ll keep on improving the English language