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BRITISH AND COMMONWEALTH SOCIETY

OF NORTH AMERICA

MARCH NEWSLETTER AND PREVIEW OF COMING EVENTS

*SUNDAY, 5 MAY 2013: 11:30 AM- 2:30 PM Sumptuous Champagne Brunch Commonwealth Day celebration & brief AGM at Fort Myer’s Officer’s Club 214 Jackson Avenue, Fort Myer, VA 22211 COST: $30 MEMBERS NON-MEMBERS $33. Cheque to be received by Monday, 29 April 2013. NO REFUNDS AFTER 29 APRIL Make cheques payable to B&CSNA, send with phone numbers and names of attendees to: Elizabeth Davis, 6314 Martins Lane, Lanham, MD 20706-1122. Phone: 301-731-0752 (after 9AM)

*SATURDAY, 22 JUNE 2013: TIME TO BE CLARIFIED, B&CSNA Day at the British Players— in Kensington, MD. For the 49th Old Time Music Hall. Contact person for the British Players will be given later. Other performance dates are June 7-22 For more information www.britishplayers.org [Money is paid to British Players. State you are with B&CSNA to get our group discount].

*SUNDAY, 28 JULY 2013: 1-3 PM “Downton Abbey and 1920s History” Talk and afternoon tea at Green Spring Garden, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA, 22312. COST: $29 This is a public event, so no cheques to B&CSNA. Reservations accepted only by phone (after event is formally advertised). From April 15 on by calling: Debbie Waugh, at 703-941-7987. State you are with the British and Commonwealth Society and she will sit members together. The 38 seats will fill up quickly so call ASAP after April 15. A chance to toast the Queen’s new great grandchild due in July!!

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING ON THE BOARD, LET ELIZABETH KNOW BEFORE MAY 5.

DOWNTON ABBEY CAST

(ABOVE)

Fort Myer’s O’Club

RIGHT: DOWAGER COUNTESS OF GRANTHAM—played by Dame Maggie Smith

*SUNDAY, 9 JUNE 2013: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM Curry Brunch at Indique Heights Indian Restaurant, 2 Wisconsin Circle, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 (301- 656–4822). COST: $21—Parking available at $3.00 No refunds after 5 June 2013. Cheques to be received by 5 June 2013, made payable to B&CSNA, to Deepak Malhotra, c/o WTS International, 3200 Tower Oaks Boulevard, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20852 Office: 301-622–7800 EXT 106 / CELL: 301-467-6793 E-MAIL: [email protected]

http://www.britishplayers.orgmailto:[email protected]

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BRITISH AND COMMONWEALTH SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA

BCSNA March Newsletter 2013

mi) wide, extends 74 km (46 mi) north-eastward to Cape Andreas. Cyprus has a total coastline of 648 km (403 mi). The capital city of Cyprus, Nicosia, is located in the north central part of the country.

TOURISM, TRAVEL,

AND RECREATION

Although Cyprus is located off the main routes of travel and has few luxury ho-tels, the island's salubrious climate, sce-nic beauties, extensive roads, and rich antiquarian sites have attracted numer-ous visitors. Water parks and cultural centers are also popular attractions. There were 2,303,246 tourists who ar-rived in Cyprus in 2003, of whom 95% came from Europe. In that same year there were 46,706 hotel rooms and 91,139 beds with an occupancy rate of 57%. The average length of stay was six nights. Tourism expenditure receipts totaled $2.2 billion.

All visitors must have a valid passport and an onward/return ticket. Visas are not required for stays of up to 90 days.

In 2005, the US Department of State estimated the daily cost of staying in Nicosia at $289. In other areas, expens-es averaged $226 per day. For more information on this member

see Encylopedia.Com Cyprus.

NICOSIA: THE

CAPITAL

Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus, a sta-

tus it has enjoyed for 1000 years since

the 10th century, though its beginnings

date back 5000 years to the Bronze

Age. It lies roughly in the centre of the

island in the Mesaoria Plain, flanked

by the beautiful northern range of

Kyrenia mountains with its distinc-

tive 'Pentadaktylos" - the five fin-

ger mountain. There are various

suggestions as to the origin of the

name Nicosia - or 'Lefkosia' In

Greek - but the most likely one is

linked to the popular tree, the tall

'Lefki ' which once adorned the city.

SOME PLACES OF INTEREST-

CYPRUS MUSEUM

Priceless and fascinating collection of Cypriot antiquities and art treas-ures from the Neolithic Age to the early Byzantine Period. BYZANTINE MUSEUM AND ART GALLERIES Largest collection of icons on the island, covering the period from 9th to 18th century. The Art Galleries contain oil paintings, maps, litho-graphs etc. FOLK ART MUSEUM Wide collection of Cypriot folk art of the 19th and early 20th century, including wood-carved objects, tap-estry, embroidery, pottery, national costumes and hand-woven materi-als. HOUSE OF HADJIGEORGAKIS KORNESSIOS Originally a Venetian Building. It is probably the most important 18th century building in Nicosia. It was once the house of the Dragoman Hadjigeorgakis Kornessios. The house is being restored and will house the Cyprus Ethnographic Mu-seum.

Editorial Note:

Articles with By-Lines, sources, items made

available to the Editor are published as submit-

ted, no punctuation changed, warts and all.

Commonwealth Corner

(continued)

CYPRUS

The Republic of Cyprus is one of the

smaller members of the Common-

wealth. The following is abstracted

from a much larger, 16 page article by

Encylopedia.Com

TIME: 2 pm = noon GMT. LOCATION, SIZE, AND EXTENT Cyprus is the largest Mediterranean island after Sicily and Sardinia. Includ-ing small island outposts of Cape An-dreas known as the Klidhes, its area is 9,250 sq. km (3,571 sq. mi). Compara-tively, the area occupied by Cyprus is about three-fifths the size of the state of Connecticut. Since 1974, the north-ern third of the island, or 3,367 sq. km (1,300 sq. mi), has been under the de facto control of the Turkish Cypriot Federated State (proclaimed in 1975), which on 15 November 1983 pro-claimed its independence as the Turk-ish Republic of Northern Cyprus; the southern two-thirds (5,884 sq. km/2,272 sq. mi) are controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus. A narrow zone called the "green line," patrolled by UN forces, separates the two regions and divides Nicosia, the national capital. Cyprus is situated in the extreme north-east corner of the Mediterranean; it is 71 km (44 mi) s of Turkey, 105 km (65 mi) w of Syria, and some 800 km (500 mi) e of the Greek mainland. Cyprus extends 227 km (141 mi) ene–wsw from Cape Andreas to Cape Drepanon and 97 km (60 mi) sse–nnw. The aver-age width is 56–72 km (35–45 mi); the narrow peninsula known as the Karpas, which is nowhere more than 16 km (10

Cyprus has many beautiful caves—warm

water, sun and blue skies, see above pic-

http://kypros.org/Cyprus/gifs/nicosia.jpg

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THE QUEEN'S FINANCES TO BE IN-

VESTIGATED BY POWERFUL WEST-

MINSTER COMMITTEE

The Queen is facing a tough inquiry into her finances and expenses by the most powerful watchdog in gov-ernment, it emerged last night.

The Public Accounts Committee is expected to launch an investigation into whether the monarch and the Royal Family provide value for money to the taxpayer. The inquiry, which will look at every aspect of the Queen’s expenditure including the cost of transport, is like-ly to cause concern in Buckingham Palace because of the PAC’s reputa-tion for grilling civil servants if it deems they have misused public funds. The Queen’s closest aides can expect a particularly rough ride by MPs about whether the Royal Family is providing value for taxpayers’ money. The amount of public funds going to the Royal Family soared last year, despite Government cuts. The investigation follows a change in the law which, for the first time, gives MPs oversight of royal finances. The PAC, chaired by the former La-bour minister Margaret Hodge, will decide on the scope of any inquiry after the National Audit Office is granted access to the Queen’s financ-es next month, according to a report in the Independent. Auditors will produce a report on their findings which will then be scru-tinised by the committee who will

decide whether to call palace officials to give evidence. Committee sources indicated that this was likely to happen. “Margaret wants to do it – but obvious-ly it’s got to be a decision of the whole committee,” a source told the newspa-per. “I’m all in favour of it,” said Austin Mitchell, a Labour MP who sits on the committee. “It’s not intrusive. It is about ensuring that the public are getting good value for money. “At the moment there is no accounta-bility for spending what is a considera-ble fortune.” Among the areas the committee is ex-pected to examine are transport costs including the Royal Train and the Royal Flight, as well as money spent on offi-cial entertaining and the upkeep of palaces. Money given to junior royals to support their work backing up the Queen will also be scrutinised while the com-mittee may also want to examine whether Buckingham Palace is doing enough to raise money itself by selling the royal brand. For example while Buckingham Palace now opens to paying visitors during the summer some have argued it should be open all year round. Two of the Queen’s other castles, Bal-moral and Sandringham, have no public access at all – despite their multimillion-pound maintenance costs. The change has come about after George Osborne scrapped the Civil List – an annual handout to the Royal Fami-ly that has had to be approved by Par-liament since 1760 – in favour of pay-ing the Monarch 15 per cent of the income from the Crown Estates as a new “Sovereign Grant”. Crown Estate assets include Regent Street in London, Ascot racecourse and Windsor Great Park, 265,000 acres of farmland, as well as ownership of our national seabed stretching out 12 nau-tical miles around Britain. The Estate’s profits have been paid to the Treasury and taxpayers since 1760,

after George III handed the Crown’s property to the state in return for an annual fee to support his duties. In April Buckingham Palace will receive £36.1m to fund the Queen’s official duties, a 16 per cent increase on the £31m paid by taxpayers last year.

Source: The Telegraph

LOOKING FOR MORE BONES

Now they're on a roll. British archaeol-ogists are looking for another lost king, the ninth-century's Alfred the Great. The University of Winchester has just applied for permission to investigate an unmarked grave in a local church.

Even if they find bones from the right

period, though, a DNA match might be

difficult to find. Scientists would have

to trace branches of the family tree

that lead from more than 1,100 years

ago to a living relative. But if they're

lucky, a reveal could come as early as

this summer.

Source: National Geographic

THE QUEEN AT SANDRINGHAM

MEMBERS OF THE KINGS TROOP, ROY-

AL HORSE ARTILLERY, FIRE A GUN

SALUTE IN HYDE PARK TO MARK THE

61ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE QUEENS

ACCESSION TO THE THRONE.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9848984/After-Richard-III-archaeologists-set-their-sights-on-Alfred-the-Great.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9848984/After-Richard-III-archaeologists-set-their-sights-on-Alfred-the-Great.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9848984/After-Richard-III-archaeologists-set-their-sights-on-Alfred-the-Great.html

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ALL DOGS WILL NOW BE MICRO-

CHIPPED, THE GOVERNMENT SAYS

All puppies will now have to be micro chipped to make it easier to trace the owners of dangerous dogs. Ministers will say that compulsory micro chipping will ensure that all dogs can in future be traced back to their owners, who will then be held accountable for the animal’s behav-iour. There have been growing calls for the Government to take action amid con-cern from animal charities about dan-

gerous dogs being used as weapons and status symbols. Under the measures to be unveiled by Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, dog owners will also now face prosecution if an animal attacks anyone in their home. Those plans will be welcomed by postmen, who have campaigned for a new law ensuring that dog owners are prosecuted even if their dog attacks someone on private property. Current rules mean that legal action is only taken if a dog attacks a person on public land. Source: The Telegraph

The most famous breach came in 1982 when Michael Fagan broke into the Queen's bedroom. In 2003, it emerged that a national newspaper reporter had worked under-cover as a footman there. In 1992 a helicopter carrying the Queen and Prince Philip was forced to divert as an intruder roamed the palace grounds. Kevin McMahon, 25, was detained but undeterred and broke into palace grounds again days later. And in 1994, a naked American paraglid-er landed on the palace roof. Source: SkyGrid

BUCKINGHAM PALACE KNIFEMAN RISKED

BEING SHOT

Police would not have hesitated in shooting the knife wielding man if they thought he was a threat to Buckingham Palace, even if the Queen was not there, the former head of royal protection said.

A string of high-profile breaches at the royal premises over the years means police take a “very strong line” over any incident, Dai Davies said. However Mr. Davies, the former head of royal protection for Scotland Yard, said officers now have an array of weapons available to them to end incidents with the minimum of force. Although the military stand guard in the front of the Palace, that is largely a ceremonial role and Scotland Yard is responsible for the security. Armed officers are ever present, re-gardless of whether members of the Royal family are in the building and there is an inner and outer ring of protection at the site. They are backed up by widespread CCTV and other security cameras. The Royal Protection Squad is made up of experienced officers who are all firearms and driving experts trained by the SAS. Because of the sensitivity of their role any serious lapse in security can cost the jobs of the Met Commissioner or the Home Secretary, Mr. Davies said. “Given the recent history of intru-sions, there must be a very strong line in situations like this,” he said. “Another intrusion or an attack and heads would roll.”

Quote: God made man before woman so as to give him time to think of an answer for her first question.

What's the difference between chopped beef and pea soup? Everyone can chop beef, but not everyone can pea soup! No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes!

THE QUEEN MEETS THE DUTCH AMBASSADOR TO THE

UNITED KINGDOM, MS LAETITIA VAN DEN ASSUM, THE

NEW AMBASSADOR PRESENTED HER CREDENTIALS TO HER

MAJESTY

SOME OF THE QUEEN’S RECENT

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

TONY CAR RECEIVES HIS MBE

Continued…..

A MAN HOLDING A KNIFE TO HIS NECK HAS

BEEN TASERED OUTSIDE BUCKINGHAM PAL-ACE DURING THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD

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SOME OF THE QUEEN’S RECENT

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: (continued)

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

TO THE QUEEN

The Queen has been pleased to ap-point the Right Reverend Dr. John Inge, Bishop of Worcester, to be Lord High Almoner to Her Majesty on the retirement of the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch.

Background The Lord High Almoner is appointed by Letters Patent under the Great Seal, and it is his duty to be in attendance upon, or represent, the Sovereign at the Maundy Service. It has been possible to trace the names of the Lord High Almoners to the early twelfth century. The Right Reverend Dr. John Inge

became Bishop of Worcester in 2007. The Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch

(Bishop of Manchester until his retire-

ment in January, 2013) was appointed

in May 1997.

JOB FIGHT BACKFIRE COSTS GAMEKEEPER

$25K—FROM NEW ZEALAND

A game keeper who sold off thou-sands of dollars' worth of antlers with-out his employer's permission has lost his claim of unfair dismissal and been told to pay up more than $25,000. David John Payne was employed for six years as a game keeper farm man-ager on Stravon's South Canterbury property, until his role was disestab-lished in June 2011.

Payne went to the Employment Rela-tions Authority (ERA) with a number of allegations, including claims of un-justifiable dismissal and that unlawful deductions had been made from his pay. His case backfired after the ERA found Stravon had had every right to termi-nate his role in its transition from farming to a safari-type tourist opera-tion. It also found Payne had been offered two other positions by Stravon, in an attempt to keep him on board, which he refused. In their determination, ERA found Payne owed his former employer $9,500 for the loss of nine fallow deer and $8,600 for cast antlers which he collected and sold. Source: New Zealand Herald

QUEEN APPOINTS DR. INGE

QUEEN RECEIVES THE CREDENTIALS FROM

THE NEW AMBASSADOR OF THE HELLENIC

REPUBLIC, MR KONSTANTINOS BIKAS.

HIS EXCELLENCY DR. ERNEST HILAIRE

IS RECEIVED BY THE QUEEN AT BUCK-

INGHAM PALACE ON HIS APPOINTMENT

AS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR ST. LU-

CIA IN LONDON.

WHY DO SUPERMARKETS MAKE THE SICK WALK ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE STORE TO GET THEIR PRESCRIPTIONS WHILE HEALTHY PEOPLE CAN BUY CIGA-RETTES AT THE FRONT?

It was all so different before

everything changed.

Some days you're the dog, some

days you're the hydrant.

http://www.stravon.com/http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/document/pdf/201310/deer.pdf

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Gareth Neame, the managing director of Carnival Films and executive pro-ducer, said the programmes would show Lady Mary rebuilding her life from the “depths of despair” towards happiness. “She has a long journey ahead of her before she can go on with life,” he said. “But the hope is, with the sup-port of her family, the servants and new characters she will be able to. “We all know that when it comes to romantic storylines, particularly in the hands of an amazing writer like Julian, that the 'will they, won’t they’ is much more interesting than a couple when they are married.

“We wanted to keep Dan [Stevens] in the show, but there is a great lesson in that what can seem to be the worst thing can actually be a brilliant oppor-tunity. “Now we have the added impetus of what on earth is Mary going to do next?”

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE

DASHING ARISTOCRATS LIN-

ING UP TO LIFT LADY MARY

OUT OF DESPAIR. The makers of Downton Abbey have revealed six new characters for the coming series, including a world-famous opera singer, a sharp-witted school friend of the Dowager Coun-tess and a dashing aristocrat to be-friend the grieving Lady Mary. The makers disclosed the next series would focus on Mary's struggle as a young widow

Two handsome young aristocrats will pay a visit to the stately home during series four. With producers drop-ping strong hints that one will attempt to mend Lady Mary’s broken heart. Played by Tom Cullen and Julian Ov-enden, the visitors are among a host of new characters, who will feature in the new series scheduled for the autumn. Filming began this week and rejoins the family six months after the funer-al of Matthew Crawley. It will see his

young widow struggling to come to terms with bringing up their baby son alone, as friends and family rally to lift her spirits. Cullen, 27, who was named most promising newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards in 2011, will play Lord Gillingham, an old fam-ily friend whose appearance could raise a smile from the face of the cynical Lady Mary.

TOM CULLEN AND JULIAN OVENDEN

He will make his debut at a party thrown by the family to cheer her up, with scenes including a performance from Dame Kiri, 68. It will mark a rare television appearance for the singer, who performed at the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spen-cer at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981. Ovenden, 36, an Old Etonian and Ox-ford graduate who is best known for his work on stage, will join the cast as the aristocrat Charles Blake. The Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by Dame Maggie Smith, will also have a new companion in the shape of an “old school chum” Lady Shackleton. Played by Dame Harriet Walter, the character is said to be a “force to be reckoned with” who can “hold her own” against the Countess’s barbed wit. Joanna David, the mother of the ac-tress Emilia Fox, will play the Duchess of Yeovil, another new guest. Below stairs, the servants will be joined by a “charismatic” new valet

named Green, played by the former East Enders actor Nigel Harman. Meanwhile, the ill-tempered ladies’ maid Sarah O’Brien, played by Si-obhan Finneran, will disappear myste-riously. While precise details for all six new characters are still being written by Julian Fellowes, the makers of the programme, Carnival Films, disclosed that the next series would focus on Lady Mary’s struggle as a young wid-ow and her “difficult” relationship

DR. CLARKSON WITH ISOBEL CRAWLEY

PLAYED BY PENELOPE WILTON AND

DAVID ROBB )

THE DOWAGER COUNTESS OF GRANTHAM

LADY MARY AND BABY SON

Source: The Telegraph.

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AND FROM AUSTRALIA WE

GET THE REPORT BELOW.

EAR BITTEN OFF IN PRIEST

V PRIEST FIGHT

A former priest allegedly bit the ear of another former priest. An 80-year-old retired priest allegedly bit an ear off another elderly clergyman during a violent brawl over a parking bay in their block of units. The punch-up broke out on Friday

afternoon in a Dianella complex, which houses three retired Catholic priests. Father Thomas Henry Byrne ap-peared in court yesterday charged with grievous bodily harm over the incident involving his neighbour, 81-year-old Father Thomas Joseph Cameron Smith. According to police, after the brawl Father Byrne told Father Smith to pick up an item up on the ground. It was not until Father Smith re-turned to his unit that he realised the item he had picked up and put in his pocket was his right ear. Father Smith wrapped his ear in a tea towel and drove to Dianella Medical Centre, where staff phoned for an ambulance and alerted police. He remained in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital yesterday after surgery to save the ear.

Father Byrne sported a black eye when he appeared in East Perth Magistrates Court yesterday morning where he did not make a plea. Police prosecutor Chris Lawler said Fa-ther Byrne did not have a police record but he had concerns for the safety of the victim if bail was approved. "They live in the same complex but they are both funded by the Catholic Church," he told the court. Magistrate Greg Benn imposed strict bail conditions on Father Byrne, includ-ing not going within 10m of Father Smith, nor acting in a violent or threat-ening manner towards him or attempting to communicate with him. He was released on bail to appear at Perth Magistrates Court on December 7 to allow him to seek further legal ad-vice. A neighbour living in the Chester Ave complex said he was "shocked" to learn about the fight yesterday. "I was shocked because we're all in our 80s and retired priests," he said. "It's very quiet, although they are always driving in and out of the complex." Source: Autoweek

IN NEED OF "SAUSAGE AND MASH"?

VISIT AN EAST LONDON ATM

In Need of "Sausage and Mash"? Visit an

East London ATM

You’d better know the difference be-

tween a Lady Godiva and a speckled

hen.

ATM machines in East London offer an

interesting language choice: Cockney.

Visitors to East London in search of a

cash machine while attending the Olym-

pics this past summer might have been

puzzled by the ATM on Commercial

Street. Tap the screen and a prompt

pops up: English or Cockney? If Cock-

ney is chosen, the next prompt advises

the customer in search of "fast sausage

and mash" (cash) to select the amount.

Among the options: A "Lady Godi-

va" (£5), "speckled hen" (£10), or

"horn of plenty" (£20), to be dispensed

after the customer enters a

"Huckleberry Finn" (pin).

The shtick (not a Cockney word) was

the idea of Bank Machine, an ATM

operator based in the United King-

dom. "We wanted to introduce some-

thing fun and of local interest to our

London machines," a company official

explained when the machines were

launched a few years ago. No one is

certain when Cockney rhyming slang

became the verbal currency of East

End London, but British lexicographer

Jonathon Green, author of Cassell's

Rhyming Slang, guesses it was around

the 1820s or '30s. Rhyming slang, he

says, was created by market traders,

or costermongers, in part for the

sheer pleasure of playing with language

but also, more subversively, as a way

of talking over the heads of authorities

and the police. In Cockney rhyming

slang, a common word is replaced by a

rhyming phrase traditionally, the sec-

ondary rhyming word is omitted). For

example: To use your loaf (short for

loaf of bread) in rhyming slang means

to use your head.

Continued on back page……...

ATM MACHINES IN EAST LONDON OFFER AN

INTERESTING LANGUAGE CHOICE: COCKNEY.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/08/east-london/newman-texthttp://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/united-kingdom-guide/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/united-kingdom-guide/http://jonathongreen.co.uk/http://jonathongreen.co.uk/

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DAMBUSTERS SAVED FROM AXE

TO FLY NEW FIGHTER

The “Dambusters” squadron has been saved from defence cuts be-cause it will be the first to operate the RAF’s new fighter jets.

The 617 Squadron was made famous for its heroics during the Second World War when bombers attacked dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley using “bouncing bombs”. It was feared it would be confined to history when the Ministry of De-fence replaces its Tornado aircraft with the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). But senior defence sources said the squadron has “privileged status” because of its history and its pilots will be the first in the RAF to operate the JSF. The new fighters are due to be intro-duced in three years while existing Tornados are expected to be gradu-ally phased out by 2019. Five RAF squadrons currently fly around 90 Tornados but it is be-lieved only one or two will convert to the JSF, leaving the others at risk of being axed. It was feared 617 squadron would have been the first to go because it is the youngest, having only been formed in 1943. However, it is because of its actions in that same year that means it is still considered a prize asset for the military.

In May 1943, Lancaster bombers attacked the German dams with bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis in the hope of crippling heavy industry that was helping in Germany’s war effort. The raid, known as Operation Chastise. caused huge amounts of damage but eight aircraft and 53 airmen were lost. The squadron’s exploits were later made in to 1955 film The Dam Busters, starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd. A defence source said 617 Squadron, which is based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, “has a unique status and its place in history is not under threat. Source: The Telegraph

Duchess of Cambridge 'has Irish ancestry and is related to Chris de

Burgh' The Irish tourism board is planning to use new claims that the Duchess of Cambridge is distantly related to Chris de Burgh to attract visitors to Ireland, it

was reported today. Family history researchers have uncov-ered evidence that the Duchess and the British-Irish singer, best known for his hit The Lady in Red, share a com-mon ancestor in Edward III. Niall Gibbons, the chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said at a genealogy roadshow last week that the duchess's links to Ireland had been authenticat-ed, The Sunday Times reported. Experts believe that Kate’s father, Mi-chael Middleton, is almost certainly related to Edward III through his links to William Fairfax, a 16th-century no-

bleman. It is thought that the connection to Chris de Burgh came about in the 14th century through the mar-riage of Edward III's son, Lionel

of Antwerp, to an Irish heiress called Elizabeth de Burgh. The singer expressed surprise at claims of his connection to the Duchess, tell-ing The Sunday Times: "I was unaware that there is a distant connection be-tween the de Burgh family and the Middletons. "There are probably many others also connected to both families. At least that will give us something to talk about should we ever have a cup of

tea together." Source: The Telegraph

WING COMMANDER PETER WARD-

HUNT (RIGHT) WITH FELLOW

'DAMBUSTERS' JOHN SEARBY AND

GUY GIBSON

A TORNADO GR4 AIRCRAFT OF 617

SQUADRON FLIES OVER ITS HOME:

RAF LOSSIEMOUTH IN SCOTLAND

LADY IN RED: THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE

AND CHRIS DE BURGH

CHRIS DE BURGH

A CLEAN DESK IS A SIGN OF A CLUTTERED

DESK DRAWER. NEVER LIE TO YOUR MOTHER

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT SHE KNOWS...

http://www.jokesandhumor.com/jokes/14.html

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STONEHENGE BELIEVED TO HAVE

BEEN AN ANCIENT BURIAL GROUND,

50,000 BONES FOUND AT SITE

Stonehenge is one of most famous prehistoric sites in the world and till today, it has been a great mystery as to its origins. British researchers have proposed a new theory, suggesting that it may have started as a giant burial ground for elite families around 3000 B.C.

University College London professor Mike Parker Pearson and colleagues unearthed over 50,000 cremated bone fragments belonging to 63 different individuals at the site. According to the Guardian, Parker Pearson believes the earliest burials long predate the monument in its current form. "These were men, women, children, so presumably family groups," Parker Pearson, who led a team that included experts from over a dozen different universities in the UK, told the Associ-ated Press on Saturday. "We'd thought that maybe it was a place where a dynasty of kings was buried, but this seemed to be much more of a com-munity, a different kind of power structure." "In many ways, our findings are re-writing the established story of Stone-henge," Professor Parker Pearson said yesterday. Further analyses of 80,000 animal bones excavated from the site also propose that about 2500 BC, Stone-henge was the site of vast communal feasts.

"Stonehenge was a monument that brought ancient Britain together," he said. "What we've found is that people came with their animals to feast at Stonehenge from all corners of Britain -- as far afield as Scotland." The remains of many cremated bodies were marked by the bluestones of Stonehenge, Parker Pearson noted. Several other theories have been pro-posed about Stonehenge, including that it was a place for Druid worship, an observatory for astronomical stud-ies or a place of healing built by early inhabitants of Britain who roamed around with their herds. Source: NatureWorldNews

CANADIAN HEADS INTERNATIONAL

SPACE STATION

Message to Colonel Hadfield from the Queen = below I am pleased to transmit my personal best wishes, and those of all Canadi-ans, to Colonel Christopher Hadfield as he takes command of the International Space Station on Wednesday. Our thoughts and best wishes are with him and the entire crew, as are our prayers for an eventual safe return to family, friends and fellow Canadians. ELIZABETH R. Source: Buckingham Palace

'BLACK DEATH PIT' UNEARTHED BY

CROSSRAIL PROJECT

Excavations for London's Crossrail

project have unearthed bodies be-

lieved to date from the time of the

Black Death.

A burial ground was known to be in

an area outside the City of London,

but its exact location remained a

mystery.

Thirteen bodies have been found so

far in the 5.5m-wide shaft at the edge

of Charterhouse Square, alongside

pottery dated to the mid-14th Centu-

ry.

Analysis will shed light on the plague

and the Londoners of the day.

DNA taken from the skeletons may

also help chart the development and

spread of the bacterium that caused

the plague that became known as the

Black Death. Charterhouse Square lies in an area that was once outside the walls of London, referred to at the time as "No-man's Land". By 1658, the area around Charter-house Square (centre) had escaped its status as "no-man's land" The skeletons' arrangement in two neat rows suggests they date from the earliest era of the Black Death, before it fully developed into the pan-demic that in later years saw bodies dumped haphazardly into mass graves.

Archaeologists working for Crossrail

and the Museum of London will con-

tinue to dig in a bid to discover fur-

ther remains, or any finds from earli-

er from earlier eras.

The £14.8bn Crossrail project aims to

establish a 118km-long (73-mile) high

-speed rail link with 37 stations across

London, and is due to open in 2018.

Because of the project's underground

scope, significant research was un-

dertaken into the archaeology likely

to be found during the course of the

construction. Continued……..

STONEHENGE

It's not hard to meet expenses.

They're everywhere.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/mar/09/archaeology-stonehenge-bones-burial-groundhttp://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/03/09/stonehenge-huge-graveyard/1975189/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/03/09/stonehenge-huge-graveyard/1975189/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml

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'BLACK DEATH PIT' UNEARTHED BY

CROSSRAIL PROJECT continued….

Taken together, the project's 40 sites comprise one of the UK's largest archaeological ventures. Teams have already discovered skeletons near Liverpool Street, a Bronze-Age transport route, and an array of other finds, including the largest piece of amber ever found in the UK. "We've found archaeology from pretty much all periods - from the very ancient prehistoric right up to a 20th-Century industrial site, but this site is probably the most im-portant medieval site we've got," said Jay Carver, project archaeolo-gist for Crossrail. "This is one of the most significant discoveries - quite small in extent but highly significant because of its data and what is represented in the shaft," he told BBC News.

The find is providing more than just a precise location for the long-lost burial ground, said Nick Elsden, pro-ject manager from the Museum of London Archaeology, which is work-ing with Crossrail on its sites.

"We've got a snapshot of the popu-lation from the 14th Century - we'll

look for signs that they'd done a lot of heavy, hard work, which will show on the bones, and general things about their health and their phy-sique," he added. DNA can be extracted from the teeth, which tend to better preserve it "That tells us something about the population at the time - about them as individual people, as well as being

victims of the Black Death." In addition, the bodies may contain DNA from the bacteria responsible for the plague - from an early stage in the pandemic - helping modern epi-demiologists track the development and spread of differing strains of a pathogen that still exists today. "It's fantastic. Personally, as an ar-chaeologist, finding good-quality ar-chaeological data which is intact that hasn't been messed around by previ-ous construction is always a great opportunity for new research infor-mation - that's why we do the job," said Mr Carver. "Every hole we're digging is contrib-

uting info to London archaeologists, who are constantly piecing together and synthesising the information we've got for London as a whole - it's providing information to slot into that study of London and its history." Source: BBC

RICHARD BRIERS

The actor Richard Briers, known to millions for his enduring role in TV sit-com The Good Life, has died at the age of 79. The star, who was also known for his Shakespearean roles, had been battling a serious lung condition for a number of years.

Briers, who also starred in shows such as Ever Decreas-ing Circles and Monarch Of The Glen, re-cently said years of smok-ing had been to

blame for his emphysema. Briers died "peacefully" at his London home. Earlier this month the he ad-mitted his smoking habit involving about 500,000 cigarettes had left him dying. The father-of-two admitted it was “too late” and that “the ciggies got me”. Source: The Telegraph

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12988980http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19834203http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19834203http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20796351http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20796351

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Queen backs calls for a national Shakespeare Night

He has long been feted in class-rooms as England's greatest play-wright. But now fans of Shakespeare are one step closer to establishing a national day of celebration in the writer's name after the Queen gave the seal of approval. A team at a Tudor museum in Stratford-upon-Avon is calling for a national Shakespeare Supper Night to celebrate Shakespeare in the same way that Scottish poet Robert Burns is remembered on Burns Night.

Now, they have received a response from the Queen, backing the idea and telling them she is forwarding the proposal to Maria Miller, the Culture Secretary. Janet Ford at the Falstaff Experience, a Tudor museum dedicated to one of Shakespeare's most famous comic characters, said she wanted to spark a tradition of celebrating Shake-speare. "It dawned on us that Burns Night has been going on for 200 years, yet Shakespeare, who is an international treasure and the most famous play-wright in the world, doesn't have a similar occasion," she said. "So we've come up with a format and we want to get it out there."

GREEN IN EVERY SENSE! DUCHESS

OF CAMBRIDGE RECYCLES

EMERALD outfit for St PATRICK'S

DAY MILITARY PARADE

The Duchess of Cambridge showed she is green in every sense as she recycled an emerald outfit to attend a St Patrick’s Day military parade. Pregnant Kate presented sprigs of shamrock to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards . The Duke and Duchess braved the rain to attend the special patriotic celebration at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire. Prince William, who wore full cere-monial uniform, took part in the parade as Colonel of the Regiment. Kate, 31, presented shamrocks to officers, including her husband, and the last sprig was given to new battalion mascot, eight-month-old Irish Wolfhound, Dohmnall, who was carrying out his first public engage-

ment.

Source:: Telegraph UK

Wearing a smart scarlet cape that matched the tunics of the soldiers, he was led over to Kate by his han-dler, Drummer David Steed. The expectant Duchess dressed her

bump in an Emilia Wickstead dress coat, bought especially for the occasion last year. She teamed the forest-green outfit with an updo and black hat, tights and trademark black heels. But she almost came a cropper after getting her stiletto stuck in a drain, grabbing onto William for support.

The presentation of shamrocks by a senior female member of the royal family is a century-old tradition which was started by Queen Alexan-dra, the wife of Edward VII, in 1901. The role was famously carried out

by the Queen Mother.

FURRY FRIEND: KATE PRESENTS SHAMROCK

TO THE BATTALION MASCOT, IRISH WOL-

FOUND DOHMNALL

OOPS: KATE ALMOST TAKES A TUMBLE AFTER GETTING

HER HEEL CAUGHT

"I'D LIKE A BOY": DUCHESS REVEALS BABY HOPES AT

ST PATRICK'S DAY PARADE - BUT SAYS WILLIAM

WANTS A GIRL

WHY WAS THE ENERGIZER BUNNY ARRESTED?

HE WAS CHARGED WITH BATTERY.

Source: Daily Mirror UK

WHAT DO YOU CALL TWO MEXICANS PLAY-

ING BASKETBALL? Juan on Juan.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/kate%20middleton,%20duchess%20of%20cambridgehttp://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/st%20patrick's%20day

P.O. Box 100171

Arlington, Virginia 22210

British and Commonwealth

Society of North America

www.bcsna.com

ATM Machines—Cockney—Continued

Rhyming slang, says Green, who has

spent his life career as its chronicler, is

the dark side of language. "It is what

Freud would call the id, or unfettered

self," he says. "The themes are sex, in-

sults, defecation, racism, nationalism, or

calling someone mad, fat, or stupid." So

it is with Cockney slang, where a "Johnny

Bliss" is a piss.

Changing Scene, Changing Sounds Is it still viable? East End London has changed. Displaced by the influx of immi-grants, not to mention the metamorpho-sis of gentrification, the original East Enders, the Cockney white working class, have long since moved to outlying areas east or northwest of the city. These days in East London you may hear more than 200 different languages—Bengali, Urdu, and Swahili among others—and the lin-gua franca of the younger generation is something called Multicultural London

English, a mix of West Indies, hip-hop, and bits and bobs of traditional Cockney. Cockney rhyming slang hasn't disap-peared, says Paul Kerswill, a professor in the University of York's Department of Language and Linguistics. "It's regener-ating itself in new circumstances." And so it has. These days the ne plus ultra of fame is to have a Cockney rhyming slang sobriquet named after you: A "Britney Spears" (or a "Britney" for short) is a beer. "Posh and Becks" (celebrity couple Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, and husband David Beckham) is Cockney slang for sex. Like much else in the world, Cockney slang has been commercialized. "It's like tourist London," says Jonathon Green, the lexicographer. "Think black cabs and red buses." It's also, predictably, been Hollywood-ized (think Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, Bert the Chimney Sweep in Mary Poppins, and Guy Ritchi-e's bumbling thugs.) There's even an app—TripLingo UK Edition, a cyber-translator with a Cockney option. And for

those in search of "bread and hon-ey" (money)—cash from a Cockney-speaking ATM. Source: National Geographic News

PEARLY QUEENS JACKIE MURPHY, DAUGHTER

TERESA WATTS, NIECE SHARON CROW, AND

COUSIN PHYLLIS BROADBENT SING IN A LEYTON

PUB. THE PEARLIES ARE A TRADITIONAL COCKNEY

CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION.

I wish the buck stopped here.

I could use a few..
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/projects/linguistics/multicultural/index.htmhttp://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/projects/linguistics/multicultural/index.htmhttp://www.york.ac.uk/language/people/academic-research/paul-kerswill/http://news.nationalgeographic.com

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