Language can be slow to catch up with changes in society, for example, we still talk about ringing someone up, even though phones no longer have a little bell attached as they did in the "good old" days, and we download "ring tones" for our mobile phones, even though half the time they are snippets of popular songs.  We also talk about dialling a number, although we no longer use phones where you have to put your finger into a dial with holes and move it round, but we don’t say we press or type a number, even though that is exactly what we do.

Many Europeans don't realise just how lucky they are to have such a vast spread of international cuisine right on their doorstep. From Finland in the north to Greece in the South, flavours vary greatly, and no country's cuisine replicates another's entirely.

Read on for just some of the highlights of Europe's delicious food map.

Having trouble learning English? Do it like the stars!

Many of Hollywood’s finest non-native speaking actors have had to learn English fast after realising that they were destined for movie stardom stateside. With this need to master fluent English to seize the opportunities of fame and fortune that Hollywood offers, it is no surprise that they have the inside scoop on some of the most efficient tricks to mastering English quickly.

THE former international footballer Gianluca Vialli, working as a pundit for BBC TV, described Spain as “awesome” and nobody can really argue with that expert assessment, especially coming from an Italian.

Spain's success at Euro 2012 and their 4-0 thrashing of Italy in Sunday's final was the icing on the cake for a tournament which produced plenty of great football and few examples of ill-discipline either on or off the field. A great way to finally end the 2011-12 season.

 
Photo by Fairfax County

Every day brings news about more layoffs, companies shutting down and escalating levels of unemployment. It's no wonder that students and employees find the entire situation overwhelming. In today's market, traditional forms of employment are becoming tougher to come by and looking for that 'perfect' job may seem impossible. But all is not lost. There are still some industries that are going strong and some perhaps doing better than ever before. These are the careers that will lead the future of business and discovering them at a time like this is invaluable. The earlier you start planning for these specific careers, the safer your future will be once the economy has regained stability.

There is a radio programme on at the moment about anthropology – in particular about kinship. As far as biological kin is concerned I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a sister, an aunt, a cousin and so on, but I am also a friend, a colleague , a customer, a client, and sometimes a patient.