Take the Downton Abbey personality quiz! – Season 3 returns January, 2013

  That’s right, our favorite British costume drama, Downton Abbey, returns on January 6, 2013, to PBS’ Masterpiece Theater. And because that is far too many months to wait, we have some Downton treats: Take the personality quiz – Are you imperious and aristocratic? Or industrious and hardworking? The Real Life History of Downton Abbey …

The Sikh’s have their own ferocious martial art – Shastar Vidiya – among the oldest in the world

Yesterday, after hearing a lot about the shooting at a Sikh temple, I spent some researching what the Sikh’s are. A fascinating people in many respects, one which is on the verge of extinction, the Sikh Warrior. I poked around a bit and learned that the Sikh’s once had a great empire in India. It existed …

Photos of the skydiver who parachuted into the Olympics dressed as the Queen

  God save the queen. And get her a razor for her five o’clock shadow. The stuntperson who was featured during that showstopping moment in Friday night’s Opening Ceremony when Queen Elizabeth jumped out of a helicopter with James Bond was a better actor than you ever knew. A closer look reveals it was a …

London Olympics may be the greenest, most sustainable ever

With the opening ceremony of the London Olympics only days away, organizers prepare to celebrate what may be the one of the greenest Olympic Games to date. For Olympic organizers, sustainability has been a major focus in planning the Games’ venues. Forbes notes that existing or temporary venues are utilized whenever possible. For permanent structures, …

Modern world: Bookstores with cafés increase sales – those without decrease

As Independent Booksellers Week gets into full swing, the Booksellers Association has released figures to suggest outlets with cafés are likely to have higher sales than those without. Figures based on a survey of 40 BA members reveal that bookshops with cafés saw a 3% growth in overall turnover in 2011, whereas those without experienced …

July 1 is the national day of Canada – Happy Canada Day!

Canada Day is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867, in Canada), which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Frequently referred to as “Canada’s …

Average annual hours worked per country

“Over the last century, you’ve seen a reduction from very long working hours – nearly 3,000 a year at the beginning of the 1900s – to the turn of the 21st Century when most developing countries were under 1,800 hours,” says Messenger. “And indeed some of the most productive countries were even lower than that.” …

Sir Jonathan Ive – Apple’s chief designer is knighted

Jonathan Ive – the British designer responsible for Apple’s iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad – has been knighted at Buckingham Palace. The 45-year-old said the investiture in front of the Princess Royal was “really thrilling and particularly humbling”. Now based in the US, Apple’s senior vice-president of industrial design flew in to the UK with …

Photos of Prince Edward, Agatha Christie surfing in the 1920s

An autographed photo of Edward, Prince of Wales, surfing in Hawaii in 1920 has been unveiled by the Museum of British Surfing. Prince Edward – later to become King Edward VIII before abdicating to marry American Wallis Simpson. This is considered the first photo so far of a Briton standing on a wave. via Surfer …

Modern Royals – Rainbow Queen in the British Vogue

Note that it says the Queen prefers: 29% – blue 13% – floral 11% – cream or green 10% – pink or purple 4%  – red, orange, or yellow 2%  – black 1%  – checkered or beige And, some close-ups.