Olympics 2012 - 3

 

Well the games have started, all be it before the opening ceremony, GB ladies soccer team beating NZ 1-0 and USA beating France 4-2.

 Of course there are some who already will not be taking part in the games. Greece with all it’s issues have already sent one of their smallest group of athletes ever, and this has been reduced even more by the banning of Triple jumper Voula Papachristou who was expelled from Greece's Olympic team Wednesday for her comments on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right party.

It was her attempt at a joke Sunday that went viral. Commenting on the widely reported appearance of Nile-virus-carrying mosquitoes in Athens, Papachristou wrote: ''With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!''. Her tweet prompted thousands of negative comments that snowballed Wednesday leading to her being banned.

 

She is not the only one however, Moroccan runner Mariem Alaoui Selsouli, one of the medal favorites for the woman’s 1500 meters has been tested positive for the diuretic furosemide at the Paris Diamond League meeting on July 6. 

 

Selsouli became an Olympic medal favorite after clocking 3 minutes 56.15 seconds in the 1,500 meters - more than four seconds below her personal best time at the Paris event…hmm wonder how she managed that?

 

To me perhaps the most worrying is for the French athletes…

 

A convoy of cars carrying French athletes and officials crawled through central London, enmeshed in a fiendish traffic jam.

 

To their right: A specially created and pristine Games Lane set aside for the exclusive use of the so-called "Olympic Family", much to the chagrin of many Londoners.

 

Alas, it appeared no-one had told the Gallic branch of the lineage.

 

So off they went, trundling east in the direction of the Olympic Park at 2mph, perhaps even grousing at the infamous London traffic.

 

One hopes for the sake of the French that their sprint relay tactics are a little more well-honed.

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Sunday UK Blog - No Beef from the Queen

This week as the clock ticked by the 1000 days until the Olympics opens in Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Olympic Park in east London to inspect preparations for the 2012 Games. Her Majesty planted the first of four thousand trees on the park site and met workers involved in the project. She walked along a section of what will be the 100-meter track and went to the top of the stands to view the work on the main stadium. Unlike some countries leaders the Queen at a sprightly 83 did not use fashionable transport. Instead her majesty, who will be also be celebrating 60 years on the throne when the Olympics open, traveled to the top of the stadium in a builder's lift, or as one official called it a "shabby cage".

While the Queen made no complaints about the trip, there was plenty to "beef" about at one of her castles. Two Yeoman Warders or "Beef Eaters" from the Tower of London were suspended and a third is under investigation over charges of bullying Moira Cameron, who two years ago became the first female beefeater in the tower's 1,000-year history.

The term Beefeater most comes from the original Wardens' payment in rations that included beef, as well as mutton and veal. Feeding beef to elite troops to make them strong is good nutrition planning for one's army. This may also be connected to the etymology of the word "beefy" meaning strong and large, since the general public would have been unable to afford beef as a regular part of their diet. Retiring as a Yeoman Warder and continuing to eat beef rations would have been seen as a generous reward in a society that may not otherwise have cared for their aging population.

Yeoman Warders began guarding the Tower of London in 1485; today there are 35 Yeomen Warders and one Chief Warder. All warders are retired from the Armed Forces of Commonwealth realms and must be former senior non-commissioned officers with at least 22 years of service.

The Tower of London said in a statement: "We can confirm that three Yeoman Warders are under investigation in response to allegations of harassment. Two have been suspended. We take such allegations very seriously and our formal harassment policy makes it clear that this is totally unacceptable."

It said an investigation was already under way and should conclude within two to three weeks. "Meanwhile, the Tower of London is a close-knit community and, understandably, this is a difficult time for us all."


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG - Halloween Goes Full Circle

When I went back to England a few weeks ago, it was interesting to see the increase that "Halloween" has encroached on the British public. There has always been a festival at this time of year, which I will blog about next week, Halloween however has only recently entered the British way of life.

This is actually quite funny seeing how the the festival actually started in the UK in the first place.

Halloween has its roots in Samhain (pronounced sow-in), an ancient harvest festival held at the end of the Celtic year. The festival marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark wintertime. It was believed the spirits of the dead returned on this eve to damage crops and play tricks on the living. It was also believed that the Celtic priests, or Druids, were able to make predictions about the future, which they did during large bonfire celebrations where they wore animal skins and sacrificed crops and animals to the spirits.

The Romans, were the first people to change this event, they brought with them the Britain their own Feralia, the day to "honor the dead" in late October, as well as another holiday to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. It is possible that this Roman influence is the reason apples are given out and bobbed for on Halloween.

By around AD 800, the Christian festival "All Hallows" replaced Samhain and became "All Hallows Eve," and eventually shortened to "Hallowe'en."

The celebrators of Samhain wore animal skins at their bonfire celebrations many often dressed as saints or angels. Later on men in Scotland would impersonate the dead on the day, explaining the ghoulish tradition we still observe.

During the mid 1800's, Irish and English immigrants flooded the United States and brought Halloween with them. From these immigrants we received the Halloween traditions we recognize today, however skewed they are now. For instance, the first "trick-or-treaters" were far from today's smiling children with commercialized costumes. They lived in Medieval England, and practiced "souling," in which poor people would beg for sweet breads, in return for praying for the families' souls. Later, the immigrants who brought Halloween to America would develop their own version of trick-or-treating, but it didn't become popular here until the 1930s.

HALLOWEEN FACTS:

Halloween is the second highest spending holiday after Christmas.

Harry Houdini died on Halloween

The first jack-o-lanterns were carved out of turnips

A quarter of all candy sold annually is for Halloween night.

About 21% of pet owners dress up their pets for Halloween

The original Halloween was so strapped for money the he prop department had to use the cheapest thing they could find, which turned out to be a spray-painted William Shatner mask. The film was made on a budget of $320,000 in about three weeks and grossed more than $65,000,000



Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG - "FOOD" FOR THOUGHT

I've been away for a few days signing copies of my book at "The Big E" a massive four week fair for the North East states of America. One of the major items one finds at such events is the wide range of snacks available

Every country and location has it's own special and in many cases weird foods. Scotland for instance has it's Haggis as immortalized by Robbie Burns (who also wrote Old Land Zine) For those who do not know it is actually a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours.



In London there is Pie, Mash and Liquor and of course Jellied Eels Pie and Mash is traditionally a mutton and cold water pastry pie and mashed potato. It is common for the mashed potato to be spread around one side of the plate and for a type of parsley sauce called liquor (although it is non-alcoholic) to be added. Liquor traditionally has a green color which is not from food coloring but the parsley. It is also traditionally made using the water kept from the preparation of the stewed eels.

Over the years strange foods have developed, for instance in Glasgow (sometimes known as the heart attack capitol of Europe) they have something totally different. A deep-fried Mars Bar. A mars Bar is very like the American Milky Way bar, which is confusing, as in England we also have a Milky Way bar but that is like an American Three Musketeers (are you following me so far?) The "delicacy" is an ordinary Mars Bar normally fried in a type of batter commonly used for deep frying fish, sausages, and other battered products, although a coconut batter is also used. The Mars Bar is typically chilled before use to prevent it from melting into the frying fat, though a cold Mars Bar can fracture when heated.

With all this it did not surprise me this week when appearing (signing copies of my book "Across the Pond" in the Connecticut Building) at the Big E. I heard about this years special "food". The Craz-E Burger, a bacon cheeseburger with grilled glazed doughnuts-for-buns.

Yes you read it right a cheese burger inside a glazed doughnut.

I did not manage to get to the location and try this heart stopper, but as I am back signing again this Wednesday on Thursday (do stop by if your attending the event) I'll make a point of trying it out.

Barry



Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
Across the Pond
http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com/
http://across-t-pond.com

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG - THIS ROYAL THRONE OF KINGS

I was thinking about what to write in todays Sunday Blog, when something my guest on yesterdays "A Book and a Chat" (Shelley Seale) said made me think, in fact I did mention it in yesterdays blog.

The number of homeless children in India is Twenty Five Million, but how could that relate to say the number of people in various states within the USA.

In doing this I started thinking about England and how large a country Americans imagine it to be.

The name "England" is derived from the Old English word Englaland, which means "land of the Angles". The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in England during the Early Middle Ages. The Angles came from the Angeln peninsula, flanked on either side by the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The oldest proto-human bones uncovered in the area date from 700,000 years ago/

Size wise, if we are just talking about England in comparison to US states, it would be the 32 largest in between Louisiana and Mississippi at 50,346 sq miles. England is such a small island, that the most you can be from the sea at any time is approximately 70 miles. There is a tree in Morton Derbyshire is marked as the center of England, the actual point is just outside Coton in the Elms in Derbyshire.

So England is small, narrow, yet the immigration levels have pushed population density in England to a higher level than any other major country in Europe. Within the European Union, only the island of Malta has a higher population density.

Population of England from the 2008 census was 61,000,000 people, so how does that figure compare to the American states?

California has by far the largest population of any American state with 36,756,666, Texas has 24,326,974. New York 19,490,297 and Florida 18,328,340 after which we're down to states under 13,000,000.

Of course like many states in American, England has more than it's fair share of illegal immigrants many coming from Europe and the eastern block, this made a lot more easy since the opening of the Channel Tunnel.

So next time something comes up about such and such going on in England, or how Britain stood against the might of Germany on it's own for two years before America joined in WWII just remember what a small dot of land England is.

Or as Shakespeare put it in Richard II

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,--
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.



Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
Across the Pond
http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com/
http://across-t-pond.com

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG

FRAGRANTLY SCULPTURED RED ROSE OF ENGLAND



I have just driving back from normal Sunday shopping trip, when I noticed a McDonald's advert for their Latia, not that I drink the stuff being a typical Englishman, it is "the leaf not the bean". In other words give me a good cup of tea any day. Any way the sign read "Deliciously Sculptured" something I could not quite get me wakening brain around. "Deliciously" is taste word, sculptured is a visual word. So can you taste visual?

It got me thinking about today's UK blog and using the McDonald's form of description the "FRAGRANTLY SCULPTURED RED ROSE OF ENGLAND"

Many countries have their own flower or emblem. Northern Ireland - has the Shamrock Scotland has two, the Thistle and Scottish Bluebell. As does Wales with it's daffodil and leek. For England however there is just one, the Red Rose. SO why the red rose? Where did it all come from? I have already had a few people contact me knowing I was going to write this blog reminding me of the rose of Yorkshire and Gloucester'

During the history of England, there have been two major civil wars. Thee one between the Royalist Cavaliers and the Roundheads which involved Oliver Cromwell , Charles I hiding in an oak tree and led to many people migrating from England for one reason or another to start a new life in the western colonies of America. While perhaps I'll go into that another time it's the other civil war I want to talk about today.

So here comes the history lesson...

THE WARS OF THE ROSES, was a series of civil wars fought by the rival houses of Lancaster and York between 1455 and 1485.

The struggle was so named because the badge of the house of Lancaster was a red rose and that of the house of York a white rose.

The initial opponents were the Lancastrian king of England Henry VI, aided by his queen, Margaret of Anjou, and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd duke of York. Because of the insanity of the king and military losses in France during the last phase of the Hundred Years' War, the authority of the house of Lancaster was badly shaken. York asserted his claim to the throne in 1460, after having defeated the Lancastrian armies at St. Albans in 1455 and at Northampton in 1460. In the latter year York was defeated and killed at Wakefield. In 1461, however, his son was proclaimed king as Edward IV and shortly thereafter he decisively defeated Henry and Margaret, who then fled from England. In 1465 Henry was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

WARWICK THE KING MAKER:

Richard Neville, earl of Warwick, or “Warwick the King Maker was one of the main protagonist, he was known as King Maker as what side he fought the leader became King. First he fought for the Yorkist faction, fighting against Henry VI, the then king of England.

Henry was deposed from the throne of England and the Yorkist Edward IV was proclaimed king in 1461. Warwick then virtually ruled the kingdom until 1464. Increasingly at odds with Edward, he fled to France in 1470 and allied himself with Margaret of Anjou, whose husband, the deposed Henry VI, was being held prisoner in the Tower of London. That same year Warwick invaded England as a Lancastrian and defeated Edward IV. Warwick had Henry released from imprisonment in September 1470 and restored him to the throne. When Edward IV returned and the Yorkists rallied to his banner, Warwick was outmaneuvered. He was slain in the Battle of Barnet. (My Home Town)

Shortly thereafter, the Lancastrians were totally defeated at the Battle of Tewkesbury, and Henry was murdered in the Tower.

After the death of Edward in 1483, his brother Richard usurped the throne, becoming king as Richard III, and the Lancastrians turned for leadership to Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, who later became King Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. In 1485 the forces of Richard and Henry fought the decisive Battle of Bosworth Field, the last major encounter of the war. After Richard's death in battle, Henry ascended the throne and married Edward's daughter, thus uniting the houses.

So if you followed that entire history lesson you will know why the emblem of England is the red rose.

In the end the Lancastrians won, their emblem was the red rose so that became emblem of England, if the Yorkists had won, then today we would be talking about the white rose of England. Still “fragrantly sculptured” or not; the Red Rose is and will always be, the emblem of England






Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
Across the Pond
http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com/
http://across-t-pond.com


OTHER SUNDAY UK BLOGSABOUT

THE GRAND NATIONAL
WHY UK DRIVES ON THE LEFT
MOTHERS DAY ACROSS THE POND
ABOUT THE UNION JACK
ENGLISHMANS VIEW ON BASEBALL
WHAT IS BOXING DAY
BRITISH TV TRANSPLANTS
WHO WAS SAINT GEORGE?
BOBS YOUR UNCLE
SWEET FANNY ADAMS
EUROPE'S GOT TALENT - WELL PERHAPS
GOBSMACKED, BOBBIES AND AN ARM AND A LEG
BIG BEN... OR IS IT?
THE USA NEEDS A CITIZENS CHARTER
FROM CHARIOTS TO NASCAR
WHAT IS FATHERS DAY?

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG - What is Fathers Day ?

First I must state, that "FATHERS DAY" is not one of my favorite days, and this coming from a Father. However for those of you who have read my blog MOTHERS DAY ACROSS THE POND, you know that I am not happy about America changing MOTHERS DAY. Fathers day is just another add on that the US has added to the card sellers calendar. After that of course it was Grandmothers day right down to second cousin twice removed day.

Despite that I thought I would go into the origins of Fathers Day.

There are two possible origins to Fathers Day:

The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on July 5, 1908 in a church located in Fairmont, West Virginia, by Dr. Robert Webb of West Virginia at the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South of Fairmont. The church still exists under the name of Central United Methodist Church.

The better known origin however is that it was started in Spokane, Washington, by a lady named Sonora Smart Dodd, in 1909.

While listening to a sermon on Mothers, day, and having been raised by her father, William Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

Dodd, had no problem with the commercialization of the holiday and endorsed several promotions to increase the amount of gifts.In this aspect she can be considered the opposite of Anna Jarvis, who actively opposed all commercialization of Mother's Day.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father's Day.


What Makes A Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

(Author is unknown)




Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
Across the Pond
http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com/
http://across-t-pond.com


OTHER SUNDAY UK BLOGSABOUT

THE GRAND NATIONAL
WHY UK DRIVES ON THE LEFT
MOTHERS DAY ACROSS THE POND
ABOUT THE UNION JACK
ENGLISHMANS VIEW ON BASEBALL
WHAT IS BOXING DAY
BRITISH TV TRANSPLANTS
WHO WAS SAINT GEORGE?
BOBS YOUR UNCLE
SWEET FANNY ADAMS
EUROPE'S GOT TALENT - WELL PERHAPS
GOBSMACKED, BOBBIES AND AN ARM AND A LEG
BIG BEN... OR IS IT?
THE USA NEEDS A CITIZENS CHARTER
FROM CHARIOTS TO NASCAR

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG - From CHARIOTS to NASCAR

In the week when Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronalda agreed to transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid for eighty million pounds ($131,215,730). The World Twenty20 crickets tournament is going on. in rugby the British and Irish Lions are touring South Africa heading for the first test match, France beat New Zealand, and lesser teams such as the USA, Canada, Russia etc are playing. And the Penguins finally pick up the Stanley Cup in the seventh and final play off game, more or less without the help of Sydney Crosby. I'd though for my Sunday blog I'd go into a sporting event, which unlike most of what I've listed above American's actually follow and "almost" understand. The sport of NASCAR... okay so I use the term sport loosely.


When NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) was formed in 1948, there was a definite shortage of new cars in the post-war era. The feeling was that race fans wouldn't stand for new cars being beat up on a race track while they were driving a rattletrap pre-war automobile, so "Modified" cars were the early staple of NASCAR racing. In some instances during the early days, rental cars were actually used as race cars by point-chasing drivers who had no locked-in "ride" for an event. Cars were typically either driven to the track or "flat-towed" behind pick-ups and family sedans. From those early days NASCAR now sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 states, Canada, and Mexico. NASCAR has presented exhibition races in Suzuka City, Japan, Motegi City, Japan, and Melbourne, Australia.

NASCAR is one of the most viewed professional sports in terms of television ratings in the United States. Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. NASCAR holds 17 of the top 20 attended single-day sporting events in the U.S., and claims 75 million fans who purchase over $3 billion in annual licensed product sales. Many marketers consider NASCAR fans the most brand-loyal in all of sports and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other Motor Sport.

SO WHY NASCAR?

Okay so NASCAR is popular, and in the southern states perhaps even a religion, but where did the idea come from.

Just think... highly sponsored teams, vehicles with tremendous horse power, cheered on by thousands, going round and round in a circle, with spectators dressed up in the colors of their favorites, and spectacular crashes that add to the mix.

Basically NASCAR is a modern version of Chariot racing.



The most famous arena was the Circus Maximus, which was 600 meter's long and 200 meter's wide. It could hold up to 250,000 people (25% of the population of Rome). Seats ran in tiers around the arena Chariots were pulled by two or four horses, and were driven seven times around the ring at extremely fast speeds. Great skill was needed and sometimes accidents happened, drivers were also trampled to death on a regular basis. Big crowds turned out to watch the races. The racers were divided into teams, red, white, blue and green, and their fans wore these colours. Huge bets were placed on the races.

At one end of the track, there were boxes where the chariots waited. The judges sat above them and started the race by dropping a white handkerchief. A fence ran down the middle, called a Spine, and the chariots went around this. Chariots were pulled by two or four horses, and were driven seven times around the ring at extremely fast speeds. Great skill was needed and sometimes accidents happened, drivers were also trampled to death on a regular basis. Big crowds turned out to watch the races. The racers were divided into teams, red, white, blue and green, and their fans wore these colours. Huge bets were placed on the races.

At one end of the track, there were boxes where the chariots waited. The judges sat above them and started the race by dropping a white handkerchief (flag?).

Even today, these arenas would be spectacular. Seating 250,000 people, it would be the biggest stadium in the world. Today the largest stadium can hold 120,000 people, so this shows how far advanced the Romans were two thousand years ago.

So the next time, you see a NASCAR event, just think.

"Are you really watching modern day chariot racing?"




Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
Across the Pond
http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com/
http://across-t-pond.com


OTHER SUNDAY UK BLOGSABOUT

THE GRAND NATIONAL
WHY UK DRIVES ON THE LEFT
MOTHERS DAY ACROSS THE POND
ABOUT THE UNION JACK
ENGLISHMANS VIEW ON BASEBALL
WHAT IS BOXING DAY
BRITISH TV TRANSPLANTS
WHO WAS SAINT GEORGE?
BOBS YOUR UNCLE
SWEET FANNY ADAMS
EUROPE'S GOT TALENT - WELL PERHAPS
GOBSMACKED, BOBBIES AND AN ARM AND A LEG
BIG BEN... OR IS IT?
THE USA NEEDS A CITIZENS CHARTER

Views, Reviews and Weird News

With having to change my radio show from Wednesday to a Tuesday, my Views, Reviews and Weird News blog has moved to a Wednesday. A blog about radio show guests, some of the interviews, book reviews and some weird news from Across the Pond.

VIEWS:

Last Wednesday I had one of the most enjoyable "Book and a Chat" radio shows with X Soap star and Emmy award winner, now author Louise Shaffer. I always enjoy doing these shows but Louise and I had so much fun, even after the show ended we were still chatting on the phone.

Thursday I appeared as a guest on WXCI radio at Central CT University, as always it was fun, and the 30 minutes show which is aired over much of Southern Connecticut went great.

Saturday at the last minute my friend, writer and fellow radio show host Kim Smith stepped in at the last minute and as normal, the Kim and Barry show was a period of news views and laughter.

Monday my special blog guest was Liv from LIV READ BOOKS, again a great interview.

As mentioned I've had to move my Wednesday blog radio show to a Tuesday (softball games are now on a Wednesday) and yesterday I my guest was young writer Esteven Vega, a young man whose first book was published when he was only 15, and whom I'm sure has a fantastic future. Another enjoyable chat.


I have also just signed an option that will now allow my POD books to be sold with "bye back" which means they can now be available in "normal book stores" not just online.

REVIEWS:

Last week as I typed the blog the number of interviews rose to the big 70, hence the picture, in the last seven days this number has climbed to 75.

Here are the last five reviews...

A teen romance that finds more than one reward..., May 26, 2009

"Across the Pond" starts out by a Mom and Dad in England who aren't able to take their son "Fred" with them on their vacation and decide to send him to the USA to stay with old friends. As a trade off he is given a project to work on "word differences" to earn a game and finds while he is there that his prize may be more than a game...he sees and finds may first things including "Brit" his first love. This was an easy read and a story that keeps you interested, until the end.

A delightful read full of emotions and humour., May 23, 2009

"Across the Pond" begins with a British teenage boy going to America. Although his stay was short, it was filled with comedy, emotion, romance, suspense, and action. I couldn't put the book down as I kept wanting to know what is going to happen the characters. If yo0u have teenagers, give them this book. If you a an adult, it is time for you to remember the passion you used to have. "Across the Pond" is a rare treasure you shouldn't pass on.

Well written story that can be appreciated by all ages, May 21, 2009

Brief overview of the story: Fred from England travels to visit family friends in America, where he encounters their daughter Brit, and they start a budding romance.
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It was an easy read, with the target audience clearly for middle/high school, yet, it still remained entertaining and had enough substance for older readers as well. I was a little skeptical at first, assuming the story would follow a cliché romance, but was pleasantly surprised at how tastefully the story was handled. Especially since it broke away from the stereotypical boy meets girl, and incorporated both different cultures and sports into the core of its plot. I would definitely recommend this book to friends and family!

What A Great Read!!!, May 21, 2009

What a wonderful book! I surprisingly read the book in one sitting as I was immediately taken by this book. It transported me back to my teenage years. This book is for both the young and the young at heart. I can not wait for the (hopefully soon to come) sequel. I would highly recommend this book!

Suprisingly Entertaining!, May 19, 2009

When I first picked up this book, I thought it was going to be another teeny-bopper book that only middle/high school females would like. Boy was I wrong! I thoroughly enjoyed the tale of a Brit, Fred, traveling to the US visiting a family friend while his parents were off in Australia. Another character in the book, Brittany, the daughter of the family friend, and Fred hit it off, first as friends, and then into a young romance.

My favo(u)rite part of the book was the differences in English (British and American.) I liked learning about the differences that I didn't know about.

Anyone and everyone should pick up this book and enjoy a great story that is humo(u)rous as well.

WEIRD NEWS:

Britain's longest living married couple have celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/8067752.stm

Three Year old Purchases earhdigger online
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8063769.stm

Today Wednesday May 27th ninety years ago, the Pop-up toaster was invented.


That's it for this week, more weird news next Wednesday



Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"