Tag Archive for England

For Fun–St. Pat’s Day Trivia

March 16, 2018 Comments Off on For Fun–St. Pat’s Day Trivia

Tomorrow everyone is Irish.  We joke, party, and parade in celebration of the Irish (born in England, by the way) St. Patrick.  We turn waterways green and drink green beer.  We wear green and cook special meals.  Did you know that 650,000 American babies have been named Patrick in the last century?  Or that 40 pounds of green dye go into the Chicago River on this day (even more this year)?

Discover more bits of St. Pat trivia at St. Patrick’s Day by the Numbers.

Top o’ the day, to ye.  Have a grand time tomorrow.

(From a Kelly who married an O’Donnell.)

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Women Soccer Champs Not Worth Much

July 7, 2015 2 comments

If your team wins the World’s Cup once–or even three times (more than any other country in the world)–what can you expect to earn?  A lot if you’re a man, not so much if you’re a woman.

Last year, the U.S. men’s soccer team, who lost, earned $9 million; this year’s winning women will get $2 million.  The average salary for these players is $305,000 for men and $14,000 for women.  And the prize for winning the World Cup?  $576 million for men and $15 million for women.

Why the difference?  I think it’s the way the world values women, as summed up by a tweet (now taken down) by England’s Soccer Federation, that their soccer team can now “go back to being mothers, partners and daughters.”

But I’m more concerned about attitudes in my own country, the U.S., including the ones that say that women, no matter how accomplished or hard-working, are worth less than men.

 

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Traditional Ash Wednesday Riot

February 18, 2015 Comments Off on Traditional Ash Wednesday Riot

A sanctioned riot on Ash Wednesday?  For most Western Christians, today is the day that kicks off a season of penance and atonement, reflecting Christ’s 40 days in the desert.  The kick-off in Ashbourne, England, is quite different, though.  It’s the second day (starting yesterday, Fat Tuesday–Shrove Tuesday to them) of a free-for-all soccer game that looks more like two mobs of rioters going at each other.

This Royal Shrovetide Football Match, also called “hugball,” is a tradition dating back to 1667 and involves hundreds of people and very few rules.  Read more about it at “This Soccer Match May Just Be the Craziest Ash Wednesday Tradition Ever.”

Not my cup of tea, I’m afraid.

 

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For Busy Chocolate-Lovers

March 25, 2014 Comments Off on For Busy Chocolate-Lovers

Happy news for us chocoholics! A study in England showed that employees who were given chocolate or shown videos of stand-up comics were actually 12% more productive.  OK, all you parents anticipating biting off chocolate bunny ears in a few weeks–your excuse is that you have a whole bunch of stuff to get done.

 

 

 

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