The Daily: December 5
Warning- Heart Melting Story
"To John Lewis Cambridge I'm sorry I broke a Christmas bauble on Saturday. it cost two pounds here is the money for it. sorry again Faith (age 5)", this adorable handwritten letter arrived at John Lewis Christmas Department on Tuesday, warming everyone's hearts. The little girl apologetically came clean about her 'smashing' visit to John Lewis last Saturday- and has even reimbursed the multi-million pound chain with her pocket money! The staff at the Cambridge store were moved by the letter and have said, 'We'd like to thank her and because of her adorable letter maybe give her something from the store she would like!" (It looks like they aren't pressing charges then...) Yet as there was no return address, or indication of who little is Faith, John Lewis have taken to social media platforms with the hashtag '#findfaith' to thank her for her noble generosity!
Whistle while you Work
A recent survey has revealed that mothers are responsible for 24 jobs over the Christmas period - whereas fathers get away with carrying out just five; so it's no surprise that we all need a power nap after Christmas dinner! Wrapping presents, delivering cars, stuffing the turkey and even taking the kids outside to help them play with their new toys are just some of the tasks mothers embrace at Christmas time. Meanwhile, Dad simply carves the turkey and keeps everyone's drinks topped up before taking the rubbish outside at the end of the day. So although this festive time may be a break from hectic work schedules, there still seems to be a lot of work at home with 46% arguing with spouses over the Christmas chores. So let's ask Santa for a little extra help this year, or if that fails, just ask your husband!
The Silent Movie Treatment
A silence has truly fallen over this golden-age of cinema, after harrowing revelations showing that 70% of silent movies made between 1912 and 1930 have been lost, simply due to decay and neglect. The Library of Congress in Washington discovered that landmark films like Cleopatra from 1917 and The Great Gatsby from 1926, which many 21st century adaptations have been based on also have no remaining traces. The losses were partly attributed to the fact that the nitrate film stock was very vulnerable to fire and deterioration, but the study also blamed the movie industry's tendency, as MGM studio have been named and shamed for neglecting or simply destroying prints and negatives after new era of the 'talkies' were produced. However, all hope is not lost as carpenter Peter Massie found a silent movie from 1911 starring Mary Pickford, one of the era's biggest stars, when clearing out his barn in Hampshire three months ago; thus film lovers aren't letting this go quietly, with hope that others can be recovered.
The Toughest Tongue Twister of Time That is Tickling Throats
"Pad kid poured curd pulled cold"- try say that three times! We dare you! Although this jumbled sentence may sound like you've lost the plot, it is officially the world's hardest tongue twister. Researchers from the 'Massachusetts Institute of Technology' (MIT) in Boston have developed this phrase to trip up peoples tongues and train of thought, often stopping them from producing sound all together (that's one way to shut people up!) The research also highlighted that often one sound seems to replace another- for instance, 'toy boat' becomes 'toy boyt' and 'top cop' becomes 'cop cop'.
Pronunciation goes South
It is no surprise that regional dialect is being worn away, with new technology communicating nationally and easy transport across the UK we are not isolated to our own regional dialect- for instance, you don't hear many people speaking Cornish nowadays. Yet it is a shock to hear that pronunciation and idioms are all becoming more Southern- and it's unlikely it's just going South for the winter. Manchester University began this research by showing participants a picture of everyday objects including a bread baked good, and asked what word they would call it. The results showed that the terms 'barm' and 'muffin' are used in the North West, 'tea cake' Manchester and 'cob' in the Midlands. Yet there is one word that half of people opted for – 'roll', this is principally a Southern word is now used throughout the country. This expansion of typically Southern dialect was also apparent with words like 'trousers' and 'plimsolls', yet it is not sure why the nation is picking up on the Southern 'lingo'.
"To John Lewis Cambridge I'm sorry I broke a Christmas bauble on Saturday. it cost two pounds here is the money for it. sorry again Faith (age 5)", this adorable handwritten letter arrived at John Lewis Christmas Department on Tuesday, warming everyone's hearts. The little girl apologetically came clean about her 'smashing' visit to John Lewis last Saturday- and has even reimbursed the multi-million pound chain with her pocket money! The staff at the Cambridge store were moved by the letter and have said, 'We'd like to thank her and because of her adorable letter maybe give her something from the store she would like!" (It looks like they aren't pressing charges then...) Yet as there was no return address, or indication of who little is Faith, John Lewis have taken to social media platforms with the hashtag '#findfaith' to thank her for her noble generosity!
Whistle while you Work
A recent survey has revealed that mothers are responsible for 24 jobs over the Christmas period - whereas fathers get away with carrying out just five; so it's no surprise that we all need a power nap after Christmas dinner! Wrapping presents, delivering cars, stuffing the turkey and even taking the kids outside to help them play with their new toys are just some of the tasks mothers embrace at Christmas time. Meanwhile, Dad simply carves the turkey and keeps everyone's drinks topped up before taking the rubbish outside at the end of the day. So although this festive time may be a break from hectic work schedules, there still seems to be a lot of work at home with 46% arguing with spouses over the Christmas chores. So let's ask Santa for a little extra help this year, or if that fails, just ask your husband!
The Silent Movie Treatment
A silence has truly fallen over this golden-age of cinema, after harrowing revelations showing that 70% of silent movies made between 1912 and 1930 have been lost, simply due to decay and neglect. The Library of Congress in Washington discovered that landmark films like Cleopatra from 1917 and The Great Gatsby from 1926, which many 21st century adaptations have been based on also have no remaining traces. The losses were partly attributed to the fact that the nitrate film stock was very vulnerable to fire and deterioration, but the study also blamed the movie industry's tendency, as MGM studio have been named and shamed for neglecting or simply destroying prints and negatives after new era of the 'talkies' were produced. However, all hope is not lost as carpenter Peter Massie found a silent movie from 1911 starring Mary Pickford, one of the era's biggest stars, when clearing out his barn in Hampshire three months ago; thus film lovers aren't letting this go quietly, with hope that others can be recovered.
The Toughest Tongue Twister of Time That is Tickling Throats
"Pad kid poured curd pulled cold"- try say that three times! We dare you! Although this jumbled sentence may sound like you've lost the plot, it is officially the world's hardest tongue twister. Researchers from the 'Massachusetts Institute of Technology' (MIT) in Boston have developed this phrase to trip up peoples tongues and train of thought, often stopping them from producing sound all together (that's one way to shut people up!) The research also highlighted that often one sound seems to replace another- for instance, 'toy boat' becomes 'toy boyt' and 'top cop' becomes 'cop cop'.
Pronunciation goes South
It is no surprise that regional dialect is being worn away, with new technology communicating nationally and easy transport across the UK we are not isolated to our own regional dialect- for instance, you don't hear many people speaking Cornish nowadays. Yet it is a shock to hear that pronunciation and idioms are all becoming more Southern- and it's unlikely it's just going South for the winter. Manchester University began this research by showing participants a picture of everyday objects including a bread baked good, and asked what word they would call it. The results showed that the terms 'barm' and 'muffin' are used in the North West, 'tea cake' Manchester and 'cob' in the Midlands. Yet there is one word that half of people opted for – 'roll', this is principally a Southern word is now used throughout the country. This expansion of typically Southern dialect was also apparent with words like 'trousers' and 'plimsolls', yet it is not sure why the nation is picking up on the Southern 'lingo'.