:: wikimiki.org ::

Billinge

Billinge

Billinge is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in Merseyside, England. It is part of the Billinge Chapel End parish. Billinge was originally considered to include the Billinge Higher End, now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. The Billinge and Winstanley area, southwest of Wigan, boasts two of the oldest surviving halls. Bispham Hall, built around 1560 for the family of the same name, was gutted by fire in 1978 but has now been superbly restored. The grounds are used by the Scouts. Dating from the same period, Winstanley Hall was occupied by the Bankes family for nearly 400 years until 1984, although it has now been sold for conversion to apartments. Two local beauty spots are Billinge Hill, the highest point on Merseyside, with fine views across the Lancashire plain, and the tranquil Billinge Plantations - an important local nature reserve. Winstanley has given its name to a popular residential area. Until 2004 Billinge was a familiar place for local parents as the home to the Wigan's maternity hospital.

Metropolitan Borough of St Helens

St Helens is a Metropolitan Borough in Merseyside, North West England. It is named for its main town, St Helens. Other settlements in the borough include Newton-le-Willows, Haydock, Rainhill, Eccleston, Clock Face, Billinge and Rainford. The Metropolitan Borough was formed on April 1, 1974 as a merger of the former county borough of St Helens, along with the urban districts of Haydock, Newton-le-Willows and Rainford, and parts of Billinge-and-Winstanley and Ashton-in-Makerfield urban districts, along with part of Whiston Rural District.

Parliamentary constituencies

:See also: List of Parliamentary constituencies on Merseyside
- St Helens North
- St Helens South ; External Links
- [http://www.sthelens.gov.uk St. Helens MBC] ---- Category:St Helens, Merseyside Category:Metropolitan boroughs

Merseyside

Merseyside is a metropolitan county, located in the North West of England. Merseyside is named after the River Mersey and comprises the conurbation by the Mersey estuary centred upon Liverpool. The county was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972. Merseyside contains the metropolitan boroughs of Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and the Wirral. The county is divided into two parts by the Mersey estuary, the Wirral is located on the west side of the estuary, upon the Wirral Peninsula and the rest of the county is located on the east side of the estuary. The northern part of Merseyside borders onto Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, both parts border Cheshire to the south. The two parts are linked by two road tunnels, a railway tunnel, and the famous Mersey Ferry. Other districts that are part of the urban area (but not part of Merseyside) are Ellesmere Port and Neston, West Lancashire and Halton, this area is known informally as "Greater Merseyside". It is traditional to express location within the Merseyside area by the pronoun on, thus "on Merseyside" as opposed to "in Merseyside" (after all, one would be "on the side of the Mersey" not "in" it). Current usage seems to be to make a distinction between the geographical "Merseyside" (The "Greater Merseyside" referred to above) for which "on" is appropriate and the county, for which "in" is used.

History and administration

Merseyside was created on 1 April 1974 from areas taken from the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. Merseyside was a controversial creation, especially amongst the inhabitants of the Wirral, who had a strong sense of belonging to Cheshire and amongst those of St Helens and Southport who had an equally strong sense of Lancastrian identity. Originally Merseyside was intended to be much larger than it finally turned out to be, with the inclusion of Ellesmere Port and Neston and Ormskirk. Between 1974 and 1986 the county had a two tier system of local government with the five boroughs sharing power with the Merseyside County Council. However in 1986 the government of Margaret Thatcher abolished the county council along with all other metropolitan county councils, and so its boroughs are now effectively unitary authorities. The easiest way of identifying which borough you are in is through observing the colour of bins. For example Liverpool has purple bins. Wool boroughs have other colours. Merseyside however still exists legally, and as a ceremonial county. Despite the abolition of the county council some local services are still run on a county-wide basis, now administered by joint-boards of the five metropolitan boroughs, these include the:
- Merseyside Police
- Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
- Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (who are responsible for public transport including Merseyrail)
- Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority

Towns and villages

See the list of places in Merseyside.

Places of interest

list of places in Merseyside
- Gambier Terrace
- Albert Dock
- Cavern Club
- Croxteth Hall
- Speke Hall - National Trust
- Mersey Tunnels - Queensway and Kingsway
- Tate Liverpool, a branch of the Tate Gallery
- Lady Lever Art Gallery
- Liverpool Museum
- Merseyside Maritime Museum
- HM Customs & Excise National Museum
- Museum of Liverpool Life
- Walker Art Gallery
- Liverpool Cathedral
- Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King
- Port Sunlight
- Leasowe Castle
- Bidston Windmill
- Leasowe Lighthouse
- Hilbre Island
- North Wirral Coastal Park
- [http://www.worldofglass.com St Helens' World of Glass]

Continued existence

Several organisations are still recognised using the old name of "Merseyside". The court service at Liverpool's Magistrate Court for example, registered the domain merseysidemcc.org.uk on 25th March 2005, more than a decade after the Merseyside Council was abolished.

External links

- [http://www.merseyside.police.uk/policeauthority/ Merseyside Police Authority website]
- [http://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/ Merseyside Fire and Rescue website]
- [http://www.merseyside.com/ Merseyside.com local guide, A-Z, street index] Category:Metropolitan counties ja:マージーサイド

England

:For an explanation of often-confusing terms like England, (Great) Britain and United Kingdom see British Isles (terminology). England is a nation and the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom accounting for more than 83% of the total UK population. It occupies most of the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and shares land borders with fellow home nations Scotland, to the north, and Wales, to the west. Elsewhere, it is bordered by the sea. England is named after the Angles, one of a number of Germanic tribes believed to have originated in Angeln in Northern Germany, who settled in England in the 5th and 6th centuries. It has not had a distinct political identity since 1707, when Great Britain was established as a unified political entity; however, it has a legal identity separate from those of Scotland and Northern Ireland, as part of the entity "England and Wales;". England's largest city, London, is also the capital of the United Kingdom.

History

Main article: History of England England has been inhabited for at least 500,000 years, although the repeated Ice Ages made much of Britain uninhabitable for extended periods until as recently as 20,000 years ago. Stone Age hunter-gatherers eventually gave way to farmers and permanent settlements, with a spectacular and sophisticated megalithic civilisation arising in western England some 4,000 years ago. It was replaced around 1,500 years later by Celtic tribes migrating from Western and continental Europe, mainly from France. These tribes were known collectively as "Britons", a name bestowed by Phoenician traders — an indication of how, even at this early date, the island was part of a Europe-wide trading network. The Britons were significant players in continental politics and supported their allies in Gaul militarily during the Gallic Wars with the Roman Republic. This prompted the Romans to invade and subdue the island, first with Julius Caesar's raid in 55 BC, and then the Emperor Claudius' conquest in the following century. The whole southern part of the island — roughly corresponding to modern day England and Wales — became a prosperous part of the Roman Empire. It was finally abandoned early in the 5th century when a weakening Empire pulled back its legions to defend borders on the Continent. Unaided by the Roman army, Roman Britannia could not long resist the Germanic tribes who arrived in the 5th and 6th centuries, enveloping the majority of modern day England in a new culture and language and pushing Romano-British rule back into modern-day Wales and western extremities of England, notably Cornwall and Cumbria. Others emigrated across the channel to modern-day Brittany, thus giving it its name and language (Breton). But many of the Romano-British remained in and were assimilated into the newly "English" areas. The invaders fell into three main groups: the Jutes, the Saxons, and the Angles. As they became more civilised, recognisable states formed and began to merge with one another. (The most well-known state of affairs being the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy.) From time to time throughout this period, one Anglo-Saxon king, recognised as the "Bretwalda" by other rulers, had effective control of all or most of the English; so it is impossible to identify the precise moment when the Kingdom of England was unified. In some sense, real unity came as a response to the Danish Viking incursions which occupied the eastern half of "England" in the 8th century. Egbert, King of Wessex (d. 839) is often regarded as the first king of all the English, although the title "King of England" was first adopted, two generations later, by Alfred the Great (ruled 871–899). The principal legacy left behind in those territories from which the language of the Britons were displaced is that of toponyms. Many of the place-names in England and to a lesser extent Scotland are derived from celtic British names, including London, Dumbarton, York, Dorchester, Dover and Colchester. Several place-name elements are thought to be wholly or partly Brythonic in origin, particularly bre-, bal-, and -dun for hills, carr for a high rocky place, coomb for a small deep valley. Until recently it has been believed that those areas settled by the Anglo-Saxons were uninhabited at the time or the Britons had fled before them. However, genetic studies show that the British were not pushed out to the Celtic fringes – many tribes remained in what was to become England (see C. Capelli et al. A Y chromosome census of the British Isles. Current Biology 13, 979–984, (2003)). Capelli's findings strengthen the research of Steven Bassett of the University of Birmingham; his work during the 1990s suggests that much of the West Midlands was only very lightly colonised with Anglian and Saxon settlements.

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,—
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

William Shakespeare
Richard II (Act 2, Scene 1)

The English are great lovers of themselves, and of everything belonging to them; they think that there are no other men than themselves, and no other world but England; and whenever they see a handsome foreigner, they say that 'he looks like an Englishman', and that 'it is a great pity that he should not be an Englishmen'.

Venetian ambassador to England
Early 16th century
Charlotte Augusta Sneyd
Italian Relations of England (p. 20)

Richard II] Richard II] In 1066, William the Conqueror and the Normans conquered the existing Kingdom of England and instituted an Anglo-Norman administration and nobility who, retaining proto-French as their language for the next three hundred years, ruled as custodians over English commoners. Although the language and racial distinctions faded rapidly during the middle ages, the class system born in the Norman/Saxon divide persisted longer — arguably with traces lasting to the modern day. While Old English continued to be spoken by common folk, Norman feudal lords significantly influenced the language with French words and customs being adopted over the succeeding centuries evolving to a Romance-Germanic hybrid of Middle English widely spoken in Chaucer's time. England came repeatedly into conflict with Wales and Scotland, at the time an independent principality and an independent kingdom respectively, as its rulers sought to expand Norman power across the entire island of Britain. The conquest of Wales was achieved in the 13th century, when it was annexed to England and gradually came to be a part of that kingdom for most legal purposes, although in the modern era it is more usually thought of as a separate nation (fielding, for example, its own athletic teams). Norman power in Scotland waxed and waned over the years, with the Scots managing to maintain a varying degree of independence despite repeated wars with the English. Although it was on the whole only a moderately successful power in military terms, England became one of the wealthiest states in medieval Europe, due chiefly to its dominance in the lucrative wool market. The failure of English territorial ambitions in continental Europe prompted the kingdom's rulers to look further afield, creating the foundations of the mercantile and colonial network that was to become the British Empire. The turmoil of the Reformation embroiled England in religious wars with Europe's Catholic powers, notably Spain, but the kingdom preserved its independence as much through luck as through the skill of charismatic rulers such as Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's successor, James I was already king of Scotland (as James VI); and this personal union of the two crowns into the crown of Great Brittaine was followed a century later by the Act of Union 1707, which formally unified England, Scotland and Wales into the Kingdom of Great Britain. This later became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801 to 1927) and then the modern state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1927 to present) For post-unification history, see history of the United Kingdom.

Politics

Main article: Politics of the United Kingdom, Government of England Since the promulgation of the 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan and the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542, Wales has shared a legal identity with England as the joint entity of England and Wales. The Act of Union with the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain, subsuming England, Wales and Scotland into a single political entity. Scotland, along with Northern Ireland, retain separate legal systems. The duchy of Cornwall also retains some unique rights. All of Great Britain has been ruled by the government of the United Kingdom since that date, although in 1999 the first elections to the newly created Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales left England as the only part of the Union with no devolved assembly or parliament. As all legislation for England is passed by Parliament at Westminster there are some complaints about the ability of non-English Members of Parliament to influence purely English affairs. This apparent anomaly has been highlighted by both English and non-English politicians, often those opposed to devolution, and has become popularly known as the West Lothian question. Administratively, England is something of an anomaly within the UK. Unlike the other three nations, it has no local parliament or government and its administrative affairs are dealt with by a combination of the UK government, the UK parliament and a number of England-specific quangos, such as English Heritage. There are calls from some for a devolved English Parliament and from others for the dissolution of the UK and an independent England. The current Labour government favoured the establishment of regional administration, claiming that England was too large to be governed as a sub-state entity. A referendum on this issue in North East England on 4 November 2004 decisively rejected the proposal. Some criticised the English regional proposals for not decentralising enough, saying that they amounted not to devolution, but to little more than local government reorganisation, with no real power being removed from central government. The English regions would not even have had the limited powers of the Welsh Assembly, much less the tax-varying and legislative powers of the Scottish Parliament. Rather, power was simply re-allocated within the region, with little new resource allocation and no real prospects of Assemblies being able to change the pattern of regional aid. Responsibility for regional transport was added to the proposals late in the process. This was perhaps crucial in the North East, where resentment at the Barnett Formula, which delivers greater regional aid to adjacent Scotland, was a significant impetus for the North East devolution campaign. There has also been a campaign for a Cornish assembly along Welsh lines by groups such as Mebyon Kernow, which recently collected 50,000 signatures in support. Some eurosceptics believe that the establishment of English regions as administrative entities is designed to undermine the concept of English nationhood and more easily fit England into a European federal model. Conventionally the national capital of England is London, although technically it would be more exact to call London the capital of "England and Wales" given England's lack of a distinctive political identity separate from the Principality. Winchester served as the country's first national capital until some time in the late 11th century after the Norman Conquest. The City of London became England's commercial capital, while the City of Westminster (where the Royal court was located) became the political capital. These roles have, broadly speaking, been maintained to the present day.

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of England Historically, the highest level of local government in England was the county. These divisions had emerged from a range of units of old, pre-unification England, whether they were Kingdoms, such as Essex and Sussex; Duchies, such as Yorkshire, Cornwall and Lancashire or simply tracts of land given to some noble, as is the case with Berkshire. Until 1867, they were subdivided into smaller divisions called hundreds. These counties all still exist in, or near to, their original form as the traditional counties. In many places, however, they have been heavily modified or abolished outright as administrative counties. This came about due to a number of factors. The fact that the counties were so small meant, and still means, that there was no regional government able to coordinate an overarching plan for the area. This was especially true in the metropolitan areas surrounding the cities, as the county lines were usually drawn up before the industrial revolution and the mass urbanisation of England. The solution was the creation of large metropolitan counties centred on cities. These were later broken up, with several other counties, into unitary authorities, unifying the county and district/borough levels of government. London is a special case, and is the one region which currently has a representative authority as well as a directly elected mayor. The 32 London boroughs and the Corporation of London remain the local form of government in the city. Other than Greater London, the official regions are:
- North East England
- North West England
- Yorkshire and the Humber
- West Midlands
- East Midlands
- East of England
- South West England
- South East England Outside London the regions have very little power and are not accountable to elected representatives; regional authority is placed in the hands of unelected assemblies. If, as now seems unlikely, regions opt to replace these bodies with elected assemblies, local government in England will remain as variable and, some might say, as confusing as ever

Geography

Main articles: Geography of the United Kingdom, Geography of England Geography of England England comprises the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, plus offshore islands of which the largest is the Isle of Wight. It is bordered to the north by Scotland and to the west by Wales. It is closer to continental Europe than any other part of Britain, divided from France only by a 38 km (24 statute mile or 21 nautical mile) sea gap. Most of England consists of rolling hills, but it is more mountainous in the north with a chain of low mountains, the Pennines, dividing east and west. The dividing line between terrain types is usually indicated by the Tees-Exe line. There is also an area of flat, low-lying marshland in the east, much of which has been drained for agricultural use. The list of England's largest cities is much debated because in British English the normal meaning of city is "a continuously built-up urban area"; these are hard to define and various other definitions are preferred by some people to boost the ranking of their own city. London is by far the largest English city. Manchester and Birmingham vie for second place. A number of other cities, mainly in the north of England, are of substantial size and influence. These include: Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bristol and Sheffield Using the standard U.S. city limits definition of a city the top six are: Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Liverpool and Manchester. Note that London is not on this list (Greater London is a region and the City of London is tiny), and that one of the two candidates for the status of England's "second city", Manchester, is down in sixth. In the UK, this method of ranking cities is generally used only by people whose own city is promoted by it. The Channel Tunnel, near Folkestone, links England to the European mainland. The English/French border is halfway along the tunnel. The largest harbour in England is at Poole, on the south-central coast. Internationally, it is the second largest harbour in the world, although this fact is disputed (See harbors for a list of other potential second largest harbours) The highest temperature ever recorded in England is 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) on August 10, 2003 in Kent. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3153532.stm]. The lowest temperature ever recorded in England is -26.1 °C (-15.0 °F) on January 10, 1982 at Newport in Shropshire. [http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/location/england/#temperature]

Major rivers

Shropshire.]]
- Thames
- Severn
- Trent
- Humber
- Yorkshire Ouse
- Tyne
- Mersey
- Dee
- Avon Main article: Waterways in the United Kingdom

Major Conurbations

:See main article: List of towns in England The largest cities in England are much debated but according to the urban area populations (continuous built up areas) these would be the 15 largest conurbations. (Population figures taken from 2001 census) #Greater London (8,278,251) #West Midlands (2,284,093) #Greater Manchester (2,244,931) #Leeds/Bradford (1,499,465) #Tyneside (879,996) #Liverpool (816,216) #Nottingham (666,358) #Sheffield (640,720) #Bristol (551,066) #Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton (461,181) #Portsmouth (442,252) #Leicester (441,213) #Bournemouth/Poole (383,713) #Reading (369,804) #Teesside (365,323)

Economy

Main article: Economy of England

Demographics

Main articles: Demographics of England, Population of England England is both the most populous and the most ethnically diverse nation in the United Kingdom with around 49 million inhabitants, of which roughly a tenth are from non-White ethnic groups. It is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe, second only to the Netherlands. This population is made up of, and descended from, immigrants who have arrived over millennia. The principal waves of migration have been in c. 600 BC (Celts), the Roman period (garrison soldiers from throughout the Empire), 350–550 (Angles, Saxons, Jutes), 800–900 (Vikings, Danes), 1066 (Normans), 1650–1750 (European refugees and Huguenots), 1840–1850 (Irish), 1880–1940 (Irish, Jews), 1950— (Irish, Caribbeans, Africans, South Asians), 1985— (citizens of European Community member states especially Ireland, East Europeans, Iranians, Kurds, refugees). The general prosperity of England as the largest partner of the UK, has also made it a destination for economic migrants particularly from Ireland and Scotland. This segment of English homogeneous society continues to create a diverse and dynamic language that is widely used internationally. The other image of foreign ethnic components in England is still mostly seen as a legacy of the British Empire; especially the Commonwealth of Nations.

English identity

The simplest view is that an English person is someone who is from England and holds British nationality, regardless of his or her racial origin. However, inhabitants of England quite commonly refer to themselves as "British" rather than "English"; centuries of English dominance within the United Kingdom has created a situation where to be English is, as a linguist would put it, an "unmarked" state (i.e. a British person, institution, custom, city, etc. is assumed English unless specified otherwise). The English frequently include their neighbours in the general term "British" while the Scots and Welsh, proud of their separate identities, tend to be more forward about referring to themselves by one of those more specific terms. Although currently a part of England, a notable percentage of those living in Cornwall feel similarly, considering themselves Cornish first. One significant exception is in Northern Ireland, where the Unionist community tend to identify very strongly as "British" (Republicans living in the province are more likely to consider themselves "Irish"), and there is not a "Northern Ireland" or "Northern Irish" identity to the same extent as there is (e.g.) a Scottish one. A person, therefore, using the term "English" to describe him or herself (regardless of personal history) may be going out of his or her way to do so; hence he or she may also be seen (rightly or wrongly, and not necessarily pejoratively) as nationalistic. While Scottish, Welsh, Irish and Cornish patriotism are widely exhibited, specifically English patriotism has often been viewed with suspicion, and most English people feel more comfortable identifying themselves with Britain as a whole. However, this may be to avoid being seen as bullies by their neighbours. The extent to which specifically English patriotism is linked to a right-wing xenophobic agenda has also generated discomfort. The appropriation of English symbols by racist far-right organisations such as the National Front made many people uncomfortable with expressions of Englishness. In recent years, English identity has recently been a topic of debate in the national press, with many English people trying to "reclaim" the term and the flag from the far-right. See English nationalism. One notable exception to the above is in relation to sports, in particular Association football, Rugby football and to a lesser extent Cricket. Transient successes are often accompanied by a revival of the use of the "St George's Cross". While it has not yet replaced the "Union Flag" its use is on the increase. Many English people who have spent a lot of time overseas fall into the habit of referring to themselves as "English". It is the most recognisable designation by speakers of many languages, especially where their own language uses a similar word. Even in other English-speaking countries, people are often perplexed by concepts of "British" or the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". All these distinctions are only possible because there is no "English citizenship" or legal definition of Englishness. Moreover, the hazy understanding many people have of the distinction between "England" and "Britain" compounds the confusion. If in doubt, refer to an "English" person as "British": this will always be correct. It may not be as precise as "English", but it will avoid offence in the event the person is actually from a different part of Britain.

Culture

Union Flag Main article: Culture of England
- English literature
- Sir Thomas Browne
- Geoffrey Chaucer
- John Milton
- William Shakespeare
- Jane Austen
- Mary Shelley
- Charles Dickens
- Thomas Hardy
- George Orwell
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- C. S. Lewis
- Douglas Adams
- List of national parks of England and Wales
- Food and Drink
- English folklore
- English art
- English school of painting
- Music of England

Languages

Music of England.]] As its name suggests, the English language, today spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, originated as the language of England, where it remains the principal tongue today (although not officially designated as such). An Indo-European language in Anglo-Frisian branch of the Germanic family, it is closely related to Scots and Frisian. As the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms merged into England, "Old English" emerged; some of its literature and poetry has survived. Used by aristocracy and commoners alike before the Norman Conquest (1066), English was displaced in cultured contexts under the new regime by the Norman French language of the new Anglo-French aristocracy. Its use was confined primarily to the lower social classes while official business was conducted in a mixture of Latin and French. Over the following centuries, however, English gradually came back into fashion among all classes and for all official business except certain traditional ceremonies. (Some survive to this day.) But Middle English, as it had by now become, showed many signs of French influence, both in vocabulary and spelling. During the Renaissance, many words were coined from Latin and Greek origins; and more recent years, Modern English has extended this custom, being always remarkable for its far-flung willingness to incorporate foreign-influenced words. The law does not recognise any language as being official, but English is the only language used in England for general official business. The other national languages of the UK (Welsh, Irish Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic) are confined to their respective nations, and only Welsh is treated by law as an equal to English (and then only for organisations which do business in Wales). The only non-Anglic native spoken language in England is the Cornish language, a Celtic language spoken in Cornwall, which became extinct in the 19th century but has been revived and is spoken in various degrees of fluency by around 3,500 people. This has no official status (unlike Welsh) and is not required for official use, but is nonetheless supported by national and local government under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Cornwall County Council has produced [http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/cornish/strategy/english/engl01.htm a draft strategy] to develop these plans. There is, however, no programme as yet for public bodies to actively promote the language. Scots is spoken by some adjacent to the Anglo-Scottish Border. Most deaf people within England speak British sign language (BSL), a sign language native to Britain. The British Deaf Association estimates that 70,000 people throughout the UK speak BSL as their first or preferred language, but does not give statistics specific to England. Like Cornish, BSL has no official status, but has been granted a degree of recognition by the government. The BBC broadcasts several of its programmes with BSL interpreters. Different languages from around the world, especially from the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations, have been brought to England by immigrants. Many of these are widely spoken within ethnic minority communities, including Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Chinese and Vietnamese. These are often used by official bodies to communicate with the relevant sections of the community, particularly in big cities, but this occurs on an "as needed" basis rather than as the result of specific legislative ordinances. Other languages have also traditionally been spoken by minority populations in England, including Romany. Despite the relatively small size of the nation, there are a large number of distinct English regional accents. Those with particularly strong accents may not be easily understood elsewhere in the country.

Nomenclature

The country is named after the Angles, one of several Germanic tribes who settled the country in the 5th and 6th centuries. There are two distinct linguistic patterns for the name of the country. The majority of European languages use names akin to "England":
- "England" (Danish, German, Swedish, Norwegian)
- "Engeland" (Dutch)
- "Inglismaa" (Estonian)
- "Angleterre" (French)
- "Inghilterra" (Italian)
- "Inglaterra" (Spanish, Portuguese, Galician)
- "Anglia" (Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian)
- "Anglija" (Russian, Slovene, Lithuanian, Ukrainian)
- "Engleska" (Croatian, Serbian)
- "Αγγλία" ("Anglía") (Greek)
- "Englanti" (Finnish) The Celtic names are quite different:
- "Bro-Saoz" (Breton)
- "Pow Sows" (Cornish)
- "Sasana" (Irish)
- "Sasainn" (Scottish Gaelic)
- "Lloegr" (Welsh) — but "Saeson" for the inhabitants.
- "Sostyn" (Manx Gaelic) Except for Lloegr, which is an ancient geographic term, these names are all derived from the Saxons, another family of Germanic tribes which arrived at about the same time as the Angles. See: Wiktionary:England for a further list of non-English names for England. "England" is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to the entire United Kingdom, the island of Great Britain, or the British Isles. This may offend people from other parts of the UK. Frequently the English use the less-specific "Britain" or "the UK", even when "England" is technically correct and commonly also use "England" when "Britain" would be correct. Alternative names include:
- the slang "Blighty", from the Hindustani "bila yati" meaning "foreign"
- "Albion", an ancient name popularised by Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy in the 1st century. Supposedly referring to the white (Latin alba) cliffs of Dover, this term has also been interpreted as a relative of Alba, today the Scots Gaelic name for Scotland. Whatever its origins, "Albion" originally referred to the whole island of Great Britain and is still sometimes seen that way today — but is more often used for England.
- More poetically, England has been called "this sceptred isle...this other Eden" and "this green and pleasant land", quotations respectively from the poetry of William Shakespeare (in Richard II) and William Blake (And did those feet in ancient time). The inhabitants of England are the English. The slang terms sometimes used for them include "Sassenachs" (from the Scots Gaelic), "Limeys" (in reference to the citrus fruits carried aboard English sailing vessels to prevent scurvy) and "Pom/Pommy" (used in Australian English and New Zealand English), but these may be perceived as offensive. Also see alternative words for British.

Symbols and insignia

alternative words for British.]] The two traditional symbols of England are the St. George's cross (the English flag) and the Three Lions coat of arms (see above), both derived from the great Norman powers that formed the monarchy – the Cross of Aquitaine and the Lions of Anjou. The three lions were first definitely used by Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) in the late 12th century (although it is also possible that Henry I may have bestowed it on his son Henry before then). Historian Simon Schama has argued that the Three Lions are the true symbol of England because the English throne descended down the Angevin line. A red cross acted as a symbol for many Crusaders in the 12th and 13th centuries. It became associated with St George and England, along with other countries and cities (such as Georgia, Milan and the Republic of Genoa), which claimed him as their patron saint and used his cross as a banner. It remained in national use until 1707, when the Union Flag (which English and Scottish ships had used at sea since 1606) was adopted for all purposes to unite the whole of Great Britain under a common flag. The flag of England no longer has much of an official role, but it is widely flown by Church of England properties and at sporting events. (Paradoxically, the latter is a fairly recent development; until the late 20th century, it was commonplace for fans of English teams to wave the Union Flag, rather than the St George's Cross). The rose is widely recognised as the national flower of England and is used in a variety of contexts. Predominantly, this is a red rose (which also symbolises Lancashire), such as the badge of the English Rugby Union team. However, a white rose (which also symbolises Yorkshire) or a "tudor rose" (symbolising the end of the War of the Roses) may also be used on different occasions. The Three Lions badge performs a similar role for the English national football team and English national cricket team.

National anthems

Although England does not have an official anthem of its own, the following are widely regarded as English national hymns:
- "Jerusalem:" Words by William Blake, Music by Hubert Parry
- "I Vow to Thee, My Country": Words by Cecil Spring-Rice, Music by Gustav Holst
- "Land of Hope and Glory": Words by A C Benson, Music by Edward Elgar (although this refers to all of Great Britain, not only England)
- "Nimrod": Music by Edward Elgar "God Save The Queen" (the national anthem for the UK as a whole) is usually played for English sporting events (e.g. football matches), although "Land of Hope and Glory" has also been used as the English anthem for the Commonwealth Games. "Rule Britannia" despite being a song about Britain as a whole was often used for the English national football team when they play against another of the home nations but more recently "God Save The Queen" has been used by both the rugby and football teams. Many believe that English teams should use their own anthems, most popular of which is the use of "Jerusalem".

References

- [http://www.statistics.gov.uk Office of National Statistics]

References

External links

- [http://www.enjoyengland.com/ The official website of the English Tourist Board — Enjoy England]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/nations/ BBC Nations]: articles on England and her neighbours Category:Monarchies Category:European countries als:England zh-min-nan:England ko:잉글랜드 ms:England ja:イングランド simple:England th:แคว้นอังกฤษ

Wigan

Wigan is a large town in the north-west of England, in the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester, traditionally lying in the historic and geographic county of Lancashire. It is the biggest town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, with a population of 81,203 (2001 census).Other neighbouring towns are St Helens and Warrington and it is roughly equidistant to Liverpool and Manchester.

History

Origins

The first people reported to have settled in the Wigan area were the Brigantes. The Romans took over “Chochion”, as it was then known, in around 79 AD during one of many wars with the Celts and renamed the settlement “Coccium”. The Romans left some time in the 5th century. Celts By the time of the Middle Ages, Wigan had become a constituent manor of the Barony of Makerfield, and received its Royal Charter from King Henry III in 1246 when it was made into a Borough in its own right. Its new status as a Royal Borough is reflected in the insignia of the town Coat of Arms. The earliest incorporation of the Town is actually mentioned in the report of the Norry King of Arms in 1613, that "The Towne and Bourrough of Wiggin was antiently incorporated by the most noble Kinge, Kinge Hen, the first, in the first year of his raygne," i.e. the year 1100. If so, this would make the borough the oldest in Lancashire, and one of the oldest in the country. How the town got its name is mysterious, although we know that it was named after 1086 (it is not mentioned in the Domesday Book). Some suggest the name is old Welsh Gwigan, meaning settlement whilst others attribute the name to Saxon English or Viking.

Industry

Wigan was once important for coal mining and cotton textile production. The Leeds-Liverpool canal was used extensively to transport local produce. In 1818 William Woods introduced the first power looms to the Wigan cotton mills. These mills swiftly became infamous for their dangerous and unbearable conditions, low pay and use of child labour. After the 1914-18 war there was a boom followed by a slump from which Wigan's textile industry did not recover. The last working cotton mill, the May mill, closed in 1980. The novel Rose by Martin Cruz Smith is centered around the Victorian era coal mining in Wigan.

Wigan Pier

Wigan is probably most famous for its pier, once an important loading/unloading building for the mills and collieries, now a popular local museum and nightclub. Wigan Pier is certainly most famous for its connection to George Orwell and his novel The Road to Wigan Pier. The town has a complex relationship with this association. Sometimes embracing it, the Orwellian link has provided the area with a modest tourist base over the years. However, most regard the insinuation that Wigan is in fact no better now than it was as the Victorian era slum with objection and frank hostility. A recent TV documentary about Orwell visited Wigan, and made the facile comparison to less-affluent areas such as Platt Bridge, commenting that not much had changed (see chav or scally). This was met with widespread local disapproval.

Culture

Proud Lancastrians

Many local residents still proudly regard themselves as Lancastrians, and disregard the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester, formed by the Local Government Act 1972. They use 'Lancs', (short for the County Palatine of Lancashire) in their postal addresses. The Loyal Toast, 'The Queen, the Duke of Lancaster' is also still in regular use at many formal social functions held within the area. See also the Duchy of Lancaster.

Music

Wigan has been well known for its popular music since the days of George Formby Snr and George Formby Jnr. More recently, The Verve were one of the most important British rock groups of the 1990s but did not actually come from Wigan but nearby Up Holland, to the West of the town. The Wigan Casino was, from 1973, the location for Wigans weekly Northern Soul all-nighters, until it was demolished in 1983 after a mysterious fire gutted it. Wigan remains a centre of popular music for young people in the Lancashire area, with the annual Haigh Hall music festival, and the many alternative clubs in the towns centre, including the Northern Lights club night which attracts over 500 people every Friday night.

Sport

Wigan's main sports teams are Wigan Warriors (rugby league) and Wigan Athletic (football). The two teams now share the JJB Stadium Wigan Athletic were elected to the Football League only in 1978 and had little success for many years, but they have recently gained promotion to the F.A. Premier League and the 2005/06 season will be their first ever in the top flight. Currently, they have surprised many football fans by holding 2nd place 10 games into the season. As Wigan RLFC, the "Warriors" in the eighties and nineties were one of England's leading Rugby League teams. While still a potent force in the game, recent changes to the structure and organisation of the game have diluted their dominance. Wigan is one of relatively few towns in the UK to have an international-standard swimming pool in the town centre. The resident swimming club, Wigan Wasps, has produced Olympic standard swimmers, including medal winner June Croft.

Famous Residents

- George Stubbs Artist
- Gerrard Winstanley Founder of the 17th century Diggers
- Mrs Hemans Poet
- George Formby Comedian
- Frank Randle Comedian
- Ted Ray Comedian
- John Rylands Philanthropist
- Leslie Cannon Trade Union Leader
- Joe Gormley Trade Union leader
- Wallace and Gromit Fictional inventors
- Dave Whelan Businessman [http://www.wigantoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=66&ArticleID=1255444] The extraordinary (Thomas) Beecham family and the Lindsay art connoisseurs are connected with the town as is John Charnley’s famous hip replacement department.

External links

- [http://www.british-publishing.com/Pages/wiganBG/Frame.html Online borough guide]
- [http://www.plattbridger.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.htm A look at Wigan through the eyes of the locals] Category:Towns in Lancashire Category:Towns in Greater Manchester

Scouts

:For professional sport scouts, see Scout (sport). Scouting is a worldwide youth organization. Its aim is to develop young people physically, spiritually and mentally so that youth may take a constructive place in society. This is achieved through non-formal education with emphasis on practical activities in the outdoors. The Scout Movement was founded in 1907 by Robert Baden-Powell, a retired Lt-Gen in the British Army. He was also at that time a senior member of the Boys' Brigade. Currently Scouting and Guiding have over 38 million members in 217 countries and territories. Note: The S in the word Scout is always uppercase when it refers to Scouting activities.

Origins

Lt-Gen. Sir Robert Baden-Powell founded the Scouting movement in 1907 in the United Kingdom. He also introduced the parallel movement for girls, the Girl Guides in 1910 with the aid of his sister Agnes Baden-Powell. The Guides are known as the Girl Scouts of the USA in the United States. United States The seeds of the idea of Scouting began during the Siege of Mafeking, South Africa, during the Boer War of 1899–1902, where Baden-Powell served as the commanding officer. Baden-Powell defended the town against the Boers (later known as Afrikaners), who outnumbered his troops eight to one. Volunteer boys in the town were formed into the Mafeking Cadet Corps, to help support the troops, carry messages, freeing up men for military duties and keeping the boys occupied during the long siege. The boys acquitted themselves well, helping in the successful defence of the town (1899–1900) over several months. Each Cadet Corps member received a badge, a combination of a compass point and a spearhead. This logo was similar to the fleur-de-lis, which Scouting later adopted as its international symbol. As a result of his status as a national hero, acquired as a result of his determined and successful defence of the town of Mafeking, Baden-Powell's military training manual, Aids to Scouting (written in 1899) became something of a bestseller and was used by teachers and youth organisations. In 1906, Ernest Thompson Seton sent Baden-Powell a copy of his book entitled The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians. Seton, a British-born Canadian living in the United States, subsequently met Baden-Powell and they shared ideas about youth training programs. Baden-Powell was encouraged to re-write Aids to Scouting to suit a youth readership. By 1907 he had finished a draft called Boy Patrols. The same year, to test some of his ideas, he gathered together 21 boys of mixed social background and held a week-long camp, beginning August 1, on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. His organizational method, now known as the Patrol Method, a key part of Scouting training, allowed the boys to organize themselves into small groups with an elected patrol leader. In the autumn of 1907, having his draft publication and a successful camp behind him, Baden-Powell went on an extensive speaking tour arranged by his publisher, Pearsons, to promote his forthcoming book. Beginning in January 1908 it initially appeared as six instalments in a boys' fortnightly magazine. The parts were subsequently published in book form as Scouting for Boys, now commonly considered the first version of the Boy Scout Handbook. At the time Baden-Powell intended that the book would provide ideas for established organisations, in particular the Boys' Brigade in which he held the position of Vice-President for some time. However, boys spontaneously formed Scout patrols and flooded Baden-Powell with requests for assistance. He encouraged them, and the Scouting movement developed by the weight of its own momentum. As the movement grew Sea Scout, Air Scout and other specialised units were added to the program options. Baden-Powell could not singlehandedly advise all the youth who requested his assistance. To provide for adult leadership, proper training was required. The Wood Badge course was developed to recognize adult leadership training. In 1919 Gilwell Park near London was purchased as an adult training site and scouting campground. Baden-Powell also wrote a book for the assistance of leaders entitled Aids to Scoutmastership, and others for the use of new sections that were formed later, such as Rovering to Success for Rover Scouts in 1922.

Early history

The members of a small number of Scout groups have the right to wear a green scarf/neckerchief in recognition of their membership of those groups founded in 1908. Scouting began to spread throughout Great Britain and Ireland soon after the publication of Scouting For Boys. The Boy Scout movement swiftly established itself throughout the British Empire. The first recognized overseas unit was chartered in Gibraltar in 1908, followed quickly by Malta. Canada became the first overseas Dominion with a sanctioned Boy Scout program, followed by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Chile was the first country outside of the British Dominions to have a recognized scouting program. The first Scout rally was held at the Crystal Palace, London, in 1910. It attracted 10,000 boys, as well as a number of girls, who turned out for this exhibition of scouting. By 1910 India, Singapore, Sweden, Denmark, France, Russia, Finland, Germany, Norway, Mexico, Argentina, Greece and the United States had Boy Scouts.

Conceptual Influences

Many elements of traditional Scouting have their origins in Baden-Powell's own personal education and military training. But it has to be remembered that the ideas that he promoted were revolutionary in education in his time. He was unique, a retired army general at 55 years of age, able to inspire and enthuse thousands of young people, from all parts of society, to get involved in activities most of them had never contemplated. The only comparable organisation (in the English-speaking world), the Boys' Brigade, has never been able to match the development of the Scouting movement. Some aspects of the Movement have been criticised as being too militaristic. Such things as military-style uniforms, badges of rank, flag ceremonies, and brass bands were commonly accepted in the early years because they were also a part of normal society, but many of those attributes have been watered down or abandoned in later times. Many other popular youth movements have also adopted similar attributes successfully. Local influences have also been a strong part of the Movement. By adopting and modifying local ideologies the Scouting Movement has been able to find acceptance in a wide variety of societies. In America, for example, Scouting uses images drawn from the U.S. frontier experience. This includes not only its selection of animal badges for Cub Scouts, but the underlying assumption that American Indians are more closely connected with nature and therefore have special wilderness survival skills which can be used as part of the training program. British Scouting, by contrast, makes use of imagery drawn from the Indian subcontinent, because that region was a significant focus in the early years of the Scouting Movement. Baden-Powell's personal experiences in India led him to adopt Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book as a major influence for the Cub Scouts — for example, the name used for the Cub Scout leader is Akela (whose name was also appropriated for the Webelos) is that of the leader of the wolf pack from this book. The name "Scouting" seems to have been inspired by the important and romantic role played by military scouts performing reconnaissance in many of the wars of the time. In fact, Baden-Powell's original military training book, Aids To Scouting, was written because he saw the need for improved training of British military enlisted scouts, particularly in the areas of initiative, self-reliance and observation skills. The book's popularity with young boys surprised him. So when he adapted the book for youth in Scouting For Boys, it was natural the movement took up the names Scouting and Boy Scouts.

World Membership Badge

Webelos The world membership badge is part of the official uniform of Scouts in all parts of the world. It is a purple, circular badge with a fleur-de-lis in the centre, surrounded by a piece of rope tied with a reef knot (also called a square knot). The fleur-de-lis is an ancient symbol, originally used by Baden-Powell for the enlisted scouts of the British Army and subsequently adopted and modified for the Scout Movement. The arrowhead represents the North point on a compass, and is intended to point Scouts on the path to service and unity. The three points on the fleur-de-lis represent the three duties, to God, self and others. The two five-point stars stand for truth and knowledge, with the ten points representing the ten points of the Scout Law (see below). The bond at the base of the fleur-de-lis shows the family of Scouting. The encircling rope symbolises the unity and family of the World Scout Movement. Historically in the United States, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) used this symbol as an award called the World Crest. It was given to Scouts and Scouters who had participated in an international Scouting event, such as a World Jamboree. In 2001, the BSA made it part of the uniform for all Scouts.

Scouting around the world

Main article: Scouting around the world Following its foundation in the UK, the Scouting movement started to spread around the globe. Today the World Organization of the Scout Movement is the governing body for the mainstream of the Scouting Movement. In addition to being the governing policy body it organizes the World Scout Jamboree every four years. Today, there are over 28 million registered Scouters around the world, participating from 216 different countries and territories. Top 15 countries with Scouting, sorted by membership. Full table on Scouting around the world.

Scout Promise (or Oath), Law, Motto, and Slogan

Scout Promises

Scout Promise (United Kingdom)

On my honour, I promise that I will do my best, To do my duty to God and to the Queen, To help other people, And to keep the Scout Law.

Scout Promise/Oath (United States)

On my honor I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Promise (South Africa)

On My honour, I promise that I will do my best; To do my duty to God, and my Country, To help other people at all times; To obey the Scout Law.

The Outlander Promise

On my honour, I promise that I will do my best, To render service to my country; To help other people, And to keep the Scout Law. Baden-Powell wrote this alternative oath called the “Outlander Promise” for Scouts who could not, for reasons of conscience, recognize a duty to a King, for individuals or members of religions that do not worship a deity, and for members of orthodox religions that do not use the name of God in secular settings.

Scout Laws

Scout Law (United Kingdom)

The original Scout Law, together with BP's commentary extracted from [http://www.gutenberg.net/catalog/world/authrec?fk_authors=2144 Young Knights of the Empire] #A SCOUT'S HONOUR IS TO BE TRUSTED. If a Scout says "On my honour it is so," that means it is so, just as if he had taken a most solemn oath. Similarly if a Scout officer says to a Scout, "I trust you on your honour to do this," the Scout is bound to carry out the order to the very best of his ability, and to let nothing interfere with his doing so. If a Scout were to break his honour by telling a lie, or by not carrying out an order exactly when trusted on his honour to do so, he may be directed to hand over his Scout badge and never wear it again. He may also be directed to cease to be a Scout. #A SCOUT IS LOYAL to the King, and to his officers, and to his parents, his Country, his employers, and to those under his orders. He must stick to them through thick and thin against anyone who is their enemy or who even talks badly of them. #A SCOUT'S DUTY IS TO BE USEFUL AND TO HELP OTHERS. And he is to do his duty before anything else, even though he gives up his own pleasure or comfort or safety to do it. When in difficulty to know which of two things to do, he must ask himself, "Which is my duty?" that is, "Which is best for other people?"--and do that one. He must Be Prepared at any time to save life or to help injured persons. And must try his best to do a good turn to somebody every day. #A SCOUT IS A FRIEND TO ALL and a Brother to every other Scout, no matter to what social class the other belongs. If a Scout meets another Scout, even though a stranger to him, he must speak to him and help him in any way that he can, either to carry out the duty he is then doing, or by giving him food, or, so far as possible, anything that he may be in want of. A Scout must never be a snob. A snob is one who looks down upon another because he's poorer, or who is poor and resents another because he is rich. A Scout accepts the other man as he finds him and makes the best of him -- "Kim," the boy scout, was called by the Indians "Little friend of all the world," and that is the name which every Scout should earn for himself. #A SCOUT IS COURTEOUS. A Scout should be polite to all--but especially to women and children, old people and invalids, cripples, etc. And he must not take any reward for being helpful or courteous. #A SCOUT IS A FRIEND TO ANIMALS. He should save them, so far as possible, from pain, and should not kill any animal unnecessarily, even if it is only a fly, for it is one of God's creatures. Killing an animal for food, or an animal which is harmful, is allowable. #A SCOUT OBEYS ORDERS of his parents, Patrol-leader, or Scoutmaster without question. Even if he gets an order which he does not like, a Scout must do AS soldiers AND SAILORS DO, or AS he would do if he got it FROM his CAPTAIN in a football match--he must carry it out all the same, because it is his duty; after he has done it he can come and state any reasons against it: but he must carry out the order at once. That is discipline. #A SCOUT SMILES AND WHISTLES UNDER ALL DIFFICULTIES. When he gets an order, he should obey it cheerily and readily, not in a slow, hang-dog sort of way. #A SCOUT IS THRIFTY. It is expected that a Scout will save every penny he can, and put it in the bank, so that he may have money to keep himself when out of work, and thus not make himself a burden to others; or that he may have money to give away to others when they need it. #A SCOUT IS CLEAN IN THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED. Decent Scouts look down upon silly youths who talk dirt, and they do not let themselves give way to temptation, either to talk it or to do anything dirty. A Scout is pure, and clean-minded, and manly. The Current UK Scout Law: A Scout is to be trusted. A Scout is loyal. A Scout is friendly and considerate. A Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts. A Scout has courage in all difficulties. A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property. A Scout has self-respect and respect for others. The Current UK Cub Scout Law is: Cub Scouts always do their best Think of others before themselves And do a good turn every day.

Scout Law (United States)

#A Scout is Trustworthy. #
- A Scout tells the truth. He is honest, and he keeps his promises. People can depend on him. #A Scout is Loyal. #
- A Scout is true to his family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and nation. #A Scout is Helpful. #
- A Scout cares about other people. He willingly volunteers to help others without expecting payment or reward. #A Scout is Friendly. #
- A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He offers his friendship to people of all races and nations, and respects them even if their beliefs and customs are different from his own. #A Scout is Courteous. #
- A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows that using good manners makes it easier for people to get along. #A Scout is Kind. #
- A Scout knows there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. Without good reason, he does not harm or kill any living thing. #A Scout is Obedient. #
- A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobeying them. #A Scout is Cheerful. #
- A Scout looks for the bright side of life. He cheerfully does tasks that come his way. He tries to make others happy. #A Scout is Thrifty. #
- A Scout works to pay his own way and to help others. He saves for the future. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property. #A Scout is Brave. #
- A Scout can face danger although he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at him or threaten him. #A Scout is Clean. #
- A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He chooses the company of those who live by high standards. He helps keep his home and community clean. #A Scout is Reverent. #
- A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.

Scout Law (South Africa)

# A Scout's honour is to be trusted # A Scout is loyal # A Scout's duty is to be useful and to help others. # A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout # A Scout is courteous # A Scout is a friend to animals # A Scout obeys orders # A Scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties # A Scout is thrifty # A Scout is clean in thought, word and deed

Scout Motto

Be Prepared.

Scout Slogan

Do a good turn daily.

Breakaway and nonaligned organisations

Scouting is first and foremost an educational game, one that benefits any youth that would learn from its method. Between the first publication of Scouting for Boys and the creation of the first supranational Scout organization, WOSM, fifteen years had passed and millions of copies of the appealing handbook had been sold in dozens of languages. By that point, Scouting was the purview of the world's youth, no longer containable by any one school of thought. Many groups have formed since the original formation of the Scouting "Boy Patrols." Some are a result of groups or individuals who refuse to follow the original ideals of Scouting but still desire to participate in Scout-like activities. Others maintain that the WOSM of today is far more political and less youth based than ever envisioned by Lord Baden-Powell. They believe that Scouting in general has moved away from its original intent, because of political machinations that happen to longstanding organizations, and seek to return to the earliest, simplest methods. There are at least 520 separate national or regional Scouting associations in the world. Most have felt the need to create international Scouting organizations to set standards for Scouting and to coordinate activities among member associations. Breakaway and nonaligned organizations can be divided into four categories:

Scouts-in-Exile

Scouts-in-Exile groups formed overseas from their native country as a result of war and changes in governments. For the Scouts-in-exile groups, serving the community outside their homelands, there is resentment that they were not recognized during their nations totalitarian periods. These groups often provided postal delivery and other basic services in Displaced Persons Camps (DP Camps).

Independent Scouts and Scout organizations

The first schism within Scouting occurred during November 1909, when the British Boy Scouts (later the Brotherhood of British Scouts, and known internationally as the Order of World Scouts) was formed, initially comprising an estimated 25 percent of all Scouts in the United Kingdom, but rapidly declining from 1911 onward. The organisation was formed because of perceptions of bureaucracy and militaristic tendencies in the mainstream movement. With several smaller organisations, such as the Boy's Life Brigade Scouts they formed the National Peace Scouts federation. The British Girl Scouts were the female counterpart of the British Boy Scouts. In 1916 a group of Scoutmasters in Cambridge, led by Ernest Westlake and his son Aubrey, who believed that the movement had moved away from its early ideals and had lost its woodcraft character, founded the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry. The order survives to this day in England. In the years following the First World War, the Commissioner for Camping and Woodcraft John Hargrave, broke with what he considered to be the Scouts' militaristic approach and founded a breakaway organisation, the Kibbo Kift, taking a number of similar-minded Scoutmasters and troops with him. This organisation was the direct antecedent of the Woodcraft Folk. Baden-Powell Scouts were formed in 1970, initially in the United Kingdom but now also elsewhere, when it was felt that the "modernisation" of Scouting was abandoning the traditions and intentions established by Baden-Powell. Another modern breakway group is the American Heritage Girls, formed in 1995 in response to the perceived growing liberalism in the Girl Scouts of the USA. In Canada and to some extent in the United States, there is a Traditional Scout movement, seeking to take Scouting back to the way it was in Baden-Powell's days. Other independent Scout organizations include
- Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme
- Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d’Europe
- World Federation of Independent Scouts

Scout-like youth organizations

There are also some similar organisations linked to movements such as organised churches, such as Adventism's Pathfinders and the pentecostal Royal Rangers.

Totalitarian youth groups

Scouting is banned by all totalitarian governments, which see the traditional Scouting movement as unacceptably pro-democracy. However, these same totalitarian governments recognize the power of Scouting and have incorporated at least some Scouting methods in their own youth organizations. Primarily among the reasons that Scouting may not be recognized in totalitarian societies is that it runs the risk of becoming mandatory, a tool of the state or used for political ends. Several times Scout organizations or their members have been involuntarily subsumed into a national indoctrinary youth organization. So that Scouting maintains an apolitical stance, formal recognition is withdrawn, even though the Scout organization may in fact still exist in some semblance of its original self. Prior to World War II, the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary and Romania disbanded Scouting. Germany created the Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth) organization; Mussolini had a fascist youth organization, the Balilla; and Romania under the Iron Guard had the Strajoria. In parts of Europe existed the socialist Red Falcons. The Communist Young Pioneers still exist in some fashion in the People's Republic of China, Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam, and have been turned into a nationalist movement in Tajikistan, the King Somoni Inheritance.

Controversy

See article on Boy Scouts of America controversies.

Coeducation

At the international level, there are separate umbrella organisations for organisations for boys, or for coeducational organisations (WOSM) and for organisations for girls solely (WAGGGS). The success of the Boy Scouts was also attracting girls. The mores of the times did not suit a coeducational paradigm. Scouting for girls was started by Baden-Powell with the aid of his sister Agnes who was the first Guide Commissioner. Later, his wife Olave took the leading role and became the Chief Guide of the World. Some countries have separate scouting organisations for boys and girls, while in other countries, there is a common organisation for boys and girls, which is a member of both WOSM and WAGGGS. In those countries, there are often mixed groups of boys and girls. In the UK, The Scout Association has been co-educational at all levels for many years, but this has been on an opt-in basis for individual sections or groups. Since 2000 any new sections that have opened have been required to offer provision for female Scouts. The Scout Association in the UK have decided that all Scout Groups should become coeducational by 1 January 2007 - Scouting's centenary.

External links

- [http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Baden_Powell B-P's quotes at Wikiquote]
- [http://www.scoutforum.tk Scout Forum - The UK Scouting Forum]
- [http://www.pinetreeweb.com/crest.htm The World Scout Emblem]
- [http://www.faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/rec/rec.scouting.misc.html Scouting Frequently Asked Questions]
- [http://www.scoutpedia.info Scoutpedia, The Scouting Encyclopedia]
- Two world-wide organizations coordinate the scouts and the guides of the world:
- The [http://www.scout.org/ WOSM] for boys and mixed groups.
- The [http://www.wagggs.org/ WAGGGS] for the girls-only groups.
- [http://www.scout.org.sg Singapore Scout Association]
- [http://n2zgu.50megs.com World of Scouting, describes history of Scouting organizations.]
- [http://www.pinetreeweb.com/bp-aids.htm Aids to Scoutmastership]
- [http://www.scout.org/wsrc/fs/miles.shtml Milestones in World Scouting]
- [http://www.noturtlescouts.com Parallel Scouting Organization]
- [http://www.scouts.org.uk UK Scout Association]
- [http://my.scout.net/a121.htm ScoutNet Malaysia]
- [http://www.jamboree1947.com Jamboree 1947] World Scout Jamboree of 1947 in Moisson, France.
- [http://www.scouts-europe.org Scouts in Europe]
- [http://www.Eurojam.org.uk EuroJam 2005]
- [http://www.scouts.com.au Scouting in Australia]
- [http://www.sethnas.org Sethnas 18th West Bombay Scout Group] India's oldest continuously running scout troop.
- [http://www.wyscouts.org.uk West Yorkshire Scouts] Official website for West Yorkshire Scouting
- [http://www.8thwimbledon.org/ 8th Wimbledon Scout Group] One of the world's oldest Scout groups, founded in 1909 in Wimbledon (where Baden-Powen wrote "Scouting for Boys).
- [http://www.sep.org.com Scouts of Greece (dead link)]
- [http://www.1st-crowborough-beavers-cubs-scouts.org.uk 1st Crowborough Scout Group] One of the largest Scout Groups in the UK, founded in 1908.

Notes

# Walton, Mike [http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle/crest.htm The World Crest Badge...(and why do we
- all
- wear it?)]. 1999. ms:Pengakap ja:ボーイスカウト zh-min-nan:Scouting
- Category:Youth organizations Category:Youth organisations of the United Kingdom Category:Voluntary organisations

Gyokuro

Gyokuro (玉露、ぎょくろ、 gyokuro o "roso juvelala") esas subtila verda teo de Japonia. Olua aromo esas dolca, delikata e kelke herbatra. La nomo Gyokuro relatas la pala verda koloro di la infuzuro. Kelka tempo ante la rekolto, la te-planti esas kovrita per kurteni por produktar kelka ombro. Pro to la rapideso di kresko dil te-folii plulentigeskas, kafeino augmentas e la folii divenas poke plu obskura kam ta dil maxim multa verda tei. Gyokuro esas konsiderata kom la maxim alta klaso di teo disponebla en Japonia ed ol esas sat chera e ne tre facile disponebla. La majoritato di ca premiala teo esas kultivata en Uji (Japonia).
Pro sua subtileso Gyokuro infuzesas ye basa temperaturo di cirkume 60°C dum 60 sekundi. Matcha (抹茶、まっちゃ）, qua esas uzata en la Japoniana te-ceremonio (chanoyu), esas produktata per muelar Gyokuro aden tre delikata pulvero. Pose ol esas mixita kun aquo per quirlilo. Category:Teo Category:Japonia ja:玉露

zujer wagi elektroniczne Varsavia appartamenti zawory metalowe Barcellona hotel

:: RELATED NEWS ::

Rauisuchia
Family Prestosuchidae
Family Rauisuchidae
Family Poposauridae
Rauisuchia are a poorly known assemblage of predatory and mostly large (often 4 to 6 meters) Triassic archosaurs. Originally it was believed that they were related to Erythrosuchids (Sill, 1974), but it is now kn