February's Culture Article - Be My Valentine - Before there was a Saint Valentine to bring romance into the equation, mid-February was an important date for lovers. From 400 years BC, the Romans held an annual lottery in the name of their god Lupercus. The names of teenage women were put into a box and drawn at random by adolescent men. The 'winners' were legally paired for a year.

Learning A Foreign Language: The Psychological Factor

by Gabrielle Guichard edited by Lynne Hand

When it comes to learning a foreign language, many people wonder if they will be able to memorize enough vocabulary. But this question never occurs about their mother tongue, and yet, it was a foreign language once. Nevertheless, among all the questions that new parents ask, no doctor has ever heard: "Will my baby be able to learn my language?" Be honest. Do you know all the words of your mother tongue? The answer is: "no".

New words, and new ways of using old words, appear every day. Twenty years ago, who would have been able to understand a sentence like this: "Click here to download your digital book"? Nobody. You never stop acquiring new vocabulary and you never know how long you will need it. Do you still use "Tomagotchi"?

January's Culture Article

The History of New Year's Resolutions

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year

Should You Write in First or Third Person?

by Deanna Mascle

Traditionally, English grammar has divided references to people into three categories, to refer to I, you, and he or she. The first person is I, me, my, we, our, and so on. The second person is you and your. The third person is he, she, they, their, his, hers, him, her, and so on.

Fine food down at the local...

Source CC - https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/

Ever since David Eyre and Mike Belben bought a run down pub called the Eagle on London's Farringdon Road in 1991 and started serving their robust, unpretentious home-cooking, the gastropub has developed into a fully fledged British dining institution. As a result you get all the cosy warmth and neighbourliness of a local pub with some great food, too.

Where once pubs had a limited range of food, if any, now most have a tasty menu on offer at reasonable prices, but gastropubs are the thoroughbreds of the genre. They offer an array of delicious, seasonal, fairly priced food, usually sourced from local suppliers and growers. The gastropub has created a new platform for some of the country's most talented and energetic chefs, determined to show that food doesn't have to be formal to be fabulous.

December's Culture Article

Photo by Your Teacher

Christmas Markets

In many towns in Germany and in Austria, Advent is usually ushered in with the opening of the town's Christmas market or Weihnachtsmarkt. In southern parts of Germany and in Austria often they are also called "Christkindlmarkt" or "Christkindelsmarkt" (which translates as Christ child market). Generally held in the town square and pedestrian zones, the markets combine food and drink in the open air, shopping and pageantry as well as tradition. On opening night and, in some towns, every night, onlookers welcome the Christkind, or Christ child, in the form of a golden-haired angel played by a local youth.