Earth Song

If you have ever been to Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks in northern England then you will have been, no doubt, struck by their incredible natural beauty.  They have never looked so magnificent in this short time-lapse film about the ever changing light and beauty in nature made by Alex William Helin. The stirring music is Epic Journey by David Tobin, Jeff Meegan and Malcolm Edmonstone.

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Star Wars Snowflakes

Be the Snow: A Pillow Runs Away to See the World

There are times in life when we have to leave our comfort zone behind and that is as true for pillows as it is for us.  This little guy decides to run away one night and discover the world.  How will he fare on his adventures?

This charming short combining live action and animation was created by Amir Honarmand for the National Film Board of Canada.

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Juhyo: The Snow Monsters of Japan

There are monsters, high in the Japanese mountains of the country’s northeastern region of Tohoku.  A few miles outside of Yamagata city the mountains rise and as the seasons turn and autumn becomes a memory, the monsters appear.  Winter isn’t coming here; it’s well and truly arrived.


Their shapes are not uniform. The imagination can truly take flight when considering what might lie beneath the snow. Is that a dragon? Is that a troll? Is that Sulley and Mike from Monsters Inc over there?

Eternal Flame Falls

At the base of a waterfall deep in the forests of the state of New York an eternal flame burns. A small grotto between the layers of shale protects this everlasting fire. Although it glows brightly throughout the year it radiates light and warmth more on Midsummer’s Night than on any other time on the calendar. Then, it is said that the fair folk…

Craco - The Abandoned Town

Back in 1963 massive landslides made the inhabitants of the hilltop town of Craco in Italy shrug their shoulders one last time and move elsewhere.  As no one wished to (or could…) move in the place was left to nature.  Today although the local authorities have made attempts to rehabilitate the town as a tourist attraction it remains eerily abandoned.  If a town could have a beautiful corpse this is it, as amply demonstrated by Walter Molfese’s amazing film.

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If You Have Never Wanted to Visit Saint Petersburg, You Will After Watching This

This is a stunning example of aerial motion photography at its very best.  The beautiful Russian city of Saint Petersburg is captured in all of its glory by Timelab, who enable us to see the place from heights and angles probably not captured on film before.  The result is an enchanting – hypnotising even – tour through this amazing city which the company call White Nights in Saint Petersburg.  Simply stunning.

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451°

If you are familiar with Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel, Fahrenheit 451 then you will love this.  Even if you’re not I think you will appreciate the message about a dystopia where books are banned and firemen are tasked to eliminate them. The title refers to the temperature at which paper will auto-iginite (although this has been debated, er, hotly).  This is a student film, created by Anastasia Chernova at the All-Russian State University of Cinematography : I think you will agree that it shows immense promise.

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Spin

A launderette may not be the first place you would think of when it came to dance but Mietta Gornall makes it beautiful (80s film fans will see what I did there).

Directed by LAW this is a beautifully put together piece of film – where elegance collides with this week’s washing.

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Bokor Hill Station – Cambodia’s Abandoned Town

The history of Cambodia in the twentieth century is one of almost continual struggle and conflict. One place which encapsulates the traumatic events which the country persevered is the Bokor Hill Station. This eerie ghost town has been abandoned not once, but twice in its history.

Image Credit Flickr User Atilla.szantner

Image Credit Flickr User An Agent

Even its birth was savage. Designed as a resort for the French colonists of the early twentieth century, the construction of Bokor Hill Station was complete by 1925. Built by indentured Cambodian laborers it took nine months to build. Almost a thousand men perished during that time.

Using Structure to Plan a Story for GCSE English

How many times have you had a student, pen in hand, poised over a blank and unspoiled piece of paper, look up at you and plaintively say “I don’t know where to start!”? Me too.

It’s not that they don’t have the words – they plainly do as otherwise you wouldn’t spend half the lesson telling (commanding, imploring, encouraging – the verb is interchangeable) half the class to be quiet.

Joking aside, it isn’t about a lack of language or vocabulary (or writer’s block as some of them insist!)  – it’s about structure.  They are thinking too much about content and not enough about organisation.

Jeremy Bentham once said: “Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet”.  We must forgive the very gender-specific language used by this pre-eminent eighteenth-century British philosopher and social reformer – but he wasn’t wrong.  In the case of GCSE English, language is “the stars” and structure “the flowers”.

Before you close the tab with a tut and move on, let me explain a little further.  Language is – or at least seems to me – hugely over-represented in GCSE English.  There’s a veritable tsunami of language for students to get to grips with – whether it’s in the twenty marks specifically targeted at the way that writers use language over the two papers – or the texts that must be read and understood to respond to Section A questions - not to mention the texts that students must themselves write for the final question of each paper.

Krampus – Santa Claus’ Secret Weapon

Image Credit Flickr User Tanya.Guettersberger

The song lyrics have never been truer.  Oh You better watch out,  You better not cry,  You better not pout, I'm telling you why.  Yet it isn’t Santa Claus that you have to watch out for – it is his sinister sidekick – Krampus. He has a whip – and he is going to use it.

Image Credit Flickr User gholzer

What on earth has this creature of the night – more orc than elf – to do with Christmas?  If you have children you may well be aware of the mantra – if you don’t behave then Father Christmas won’t bring you anything.  The idea behind Krampus is similar – only the threat is not that Santa won’t bring them anything but that Krampus will whip them in to the New Year.

Tis the Season

Have you ever wondered what Santa does with his time off? What about the reindeer, the presents and the Christmas trees? Not spared a second thought?

Well, perhaps it’s time for you to look in to the secret lives of these yuletide characters, take a peek through the proverbial keyhole as it were.  This marvelously silly animation comes courtesy of Jens and Anna of Animate Me.

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How Did Music Begin?

If you have a child who has asked this question then you know that, on first appearance, it sounds quite straightforward.  However, the answer is a little more convoluted than you might expect.

Instead of boring said child with your own answer, why not sit the little cherub down in front of this wonderful animation.  It manages to take in around ten thousand years of musical history in a little over three minutes and should answer the first question rather well - although it may provoke even more.

This short animation was part of the Science Club series on the UK TV channel BBC2 hosted by Dara O Briain.  It was created by Asa Lucander.

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The Northern Lights - Aurora Borealis

In 1621 the French scientist Pierre Gassendi (left) decided to name the strange natural displays of light he had observed in the sky. He took the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora and combined it with the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas.

The world had a name, finally, for these mysterious light shows – aurora borealis.

Image Credit Flickr User Omar Smith

For those who find Latin/Greek combination names something of a mouthful there is still the alternative name – the Northern Lights. The closer you are to the North Magnetic Pole the more likely you are to see the lights. Many confuse the magnetic pole with the geographic North Pole but they are not the same thing at all.

Epoch

A pair of demigods, Luna and Ram, alters the course of mankind through the selfish acts and desires of their timeless love affair. Directed by John Robson and starring Denise Xavier and Nick Denbeigh, Epoch is grandiose, epic and breath-takingly shot as it follows the trail of devastation left by the pair. Yet if not for our eyes, our hands, our dreams and our suffering they would cease to exist…

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The Bizarre Hammerhead Worm

Have you eaten recently? If so, then perhaps it’s not a wise idea to visit the Ark in Space today which has a feature on the bizarre hammerhead worm. It is an extraordinary predator which preys on mostly earthworms but the way that it attacks and feeds is, well, potentially quite disturbing if you are a gentle soul. For those of you brave enough to screw your courage to the sticking place (as Lady Macbeth said) then go take a look at this most bizarre of creatures. But expect carnage.

Image Credit Wikimedia

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Beerbug

Old Joe runs a struggling gas station and so he feels well within his rights to sink a few beers once the sun sets. Yet one evening his favorite beverage seems to be going down a little too quickly and he soon determines to grab his gun and hunt down the culprit. Yet when worlds collide there is, sometimes a solution as is shown in this very funny animated short written and directed by Ander Mendia and produced by Katue Studio.

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The Phantom Inventory

A bailiff visits the apartment of an old man who collects memories that people do not want.  As he takes his inventory of objects to be seized he discovers a giant attic which contains more than he had bargained for. 

If you love a good ghost story then I don’t think you will be disappointed by this  wonderfully done animated short by Franck Dion.

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Liverpool fans named the “sexiest” supporters in the Premier League

There is no doubt that football is a global sport loved by many people from all walks of life. Consequently, the English Premier League is one of the most popular football leagues globally. Football clubs from England have the largest fan base in the world.

Football teams such as Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal have hot football fans worldwide wearing their jerseys and supporting them whenever they are playing. However, it is hard to determine which football team has the most fans. Liverpool is one of the most popular teams on https://www.mightytips.com/bookmakers/portugal-betting-sites/ and was recently voted the team with the hottest football fans in the Premier League. Many funs bet to their favorite team and win.

The survey organizers asked fans to vote which football club has the hottest fans among the teams in the premier league. Liverpool football club came out on top after receiving 26% of the vote ahead of Chelsea with 20%. Manchester United and Arsenal, with 18 and 17%, completed the top four positions for the league's best-looking fans, respectively. However, the survey indicated that Southampton received one percent of the total vote.

So the South Coast club has the least attractive fans in the league. Football teams such as West Ham United, Wolves, Watford, and Norwich completed the bottom five.

Famous fans of Clubs in the Premier league

The Premier League top football clubs have their fair share of famous fans and celebrities that support them. However, the lesser-known clubs also have prominent supporters, including politicians. Here are some famous fans of football clubs:

●        Daniel Craig

007, aka James Bond, is a dedicated Liverpool supporter. He has attended many games at Anfield over the years. Craig has supported the "reds" since he was young. His love for Liverpool has generated controversy in recent times. Some people state that it is wrong for him to be affiliated with any club because of his role as “James Bond” since the character belongs to the whole of England.

 

●        Idris Elba

The famous London-born actor is an Arsenal fan. He has watched the Gunners many times. He complained about the club’s failure to win significant trophies in recent times.

 

●        Kelvin Costner

Costner became an Arsenal fan when he filmed the movie “Robin Hood” in England two decades ago and became enamored with England's football style and fan culture.

 

●        Samuel L. Jackson

The celebrated Hollywood star fell in love with Liverpool when he shot the movie “51^st state “ in the city, watching a game in Anfield. He has not stopped supporting the team since then.

 

●        Tom Hanks

The famous “forest Gump” and "Saving Private Ryan" actor is a big fan of football. Hanks support Aston Villa – not what you expect, right? He has been seen with the club jersey on many occasions.

 

●        Tim Lovejoy

The former soccer AM presenter is a lifelong celebrity Chelsea fan, and he can often be seen at Stamford Bridge.

 

●        Usain Bolt

The Jamaican athlete and Olympics gold medalist is a die-hard Manchester United fan. He attends games at old Trafford regularly and is seen with the club’s Jersey on many occasions. Bolt wanted to play for the club after retiring from athletics a few years ago.

Other famous names, including Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lopez, and Rihanna, have pledged their support to various English Premier League clubs. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are rumored to support West Ham United and Chelsea respectively.

Best football fans in the world

The answer to the best football fans in the world is complicated. But, it is a question every football fan will like to know. Although there is no definite answer, Real Madrid and Manchester United are broadly accepted as the football clubs with the largest supporters in the world.

While it’s hard to determine exactly how many fans do Liverpool have, their supporters are among the most committed fans globally. Fans of both clubs are committed to creating a cauldron of noise at home games.

Consequently, other football fans make their home matches as enjoyable as possible and find ways to boost the atmosphere at stadiums. So the exact answer to the question is subjective.

Celebrities married to footballers

These celebrities found love on the soccer field. Some are married, some are engaged. But all of them are known for their achievements. Below is the list of couples that made a list:

●        David and Victoria Beckham

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSG, and AC Milan players got married to the fashion designer, model, and singer in 1999. Victoria Beckham rose to fame with her girl pop group, the Spice Girls, and was called Posh Spice.

 

The couple has four children together.

 

●        Gerard Pique and Shakira

Pique is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team. He is in a committed relationship with Columbian singer, songwriter, dancer Shakira. The couple began dating in 2011 and had their first child two years later. Their second son came in 2015.

Many people around the world watch football daily. Most of these people support clubs in the English Premier League. You can learn more about celebrities and the club they support here.

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