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.

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.

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…

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

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.

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.

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.

The Rise of the Eagle Twins

Many people would like to start up a business over the internet yet many struggle to find the right product to market.  The Gradinar twins, Andrei and Igor, didn’t have to worry – they already knew the name of their “product” from the outset – themselves!  An interest in sports and fitness led the brothers, originally from Moldova, to develop an online presence which has proven a great success.

As well as containing some fantastic fitness advice, their videos and pictures show a great sense of humour that shows a lighter side to their personalities – not to mention a savvy understanding of the kind of content that goes down well on the internet.  As well as YouTube, they have online presences on TikTok and Instagram.

Their slickly designed Russian language website is called the Eagle Twins – which is a great name for a pair of young men who are set to fly high!  As well as appealing to the Russian fitness market, the twins are just launching their English language version on YouTube.

The twins started at Lewisham College when they were 16, successfully completing the L2 Business course. Now 17, they have progressed on to the Level 3 Diploma in Business. We took a little time out to ask Andrei and Igor some questions about how they developed their online business.  It’s an interesting story about how something that started just for fun became a serious business.

How did you first decide to create an online presence? Did you plan it as a business from the start?

When we first decided to start making content online, of course we hoped that someday we would get paid, but honestly, we didn’t really believe it would happen. We were doing it just for fun.

What was your vision when you started? Is it different today?

We were just having fun when we started making content online, now we have a clear vision of becoming TOP fitness bloggers in the world. We’ve a Russian language channel on YouTube with 120k subscriber and recently we started filming in ENG (channel: “Igor Graf”)

Where did you start? Facebook? YouTube? Instagram?

We started filming on YouTube, then Instagram and TikTok.

How fast did things start to happen? Did it take a long time?

It took around 3-4 months to gain 1000 subscribers on YouTube. In the next 3 months we got 10k and from there, step by step we’ve gained 120k subscribers, but for us we hope that is only the beginning.

Is there anything you know now that you wish you had known when you started?

Nothing comes easy, you have to work hard to see any results. A crazy idea is the most important thing when it comes to getting views on any platform.

Do you ever feel like giving up? What do you do to get past that?

Sometimes. When we feel like that, we just try to remember why we started and what we will get if we don’t give up and work even harder.

What advice would you give anyone who wants to start an online business?

Always keep in mind things that stands you apart from others. Your rewards in life will always be in the exact proportion as your service.

Why are you studying business at Lewisham College? What do you plan to do next?

I am studying Business L3 year 1, because I want to know more about business and it also improves my English, because I’m from Moldova.

Lewisham College is, of course, very happy to place host to Andrei and Igor’s study.  The Head of Faculty for Business, Digital Skills and Performing Arts, Adu Antwi is proud of their achievements. “It’s wonderful to see two of our young students doing so well as online entrepreneurs,” he said. “I hope that Andrei and Igor will use their Level 3 Business course to develop their business even further.  I’m sure that we have a lot to learn from them as well!”

You can find out more about Andrei and Igor and their fitness journey on the social media channels below.

YouTube

Instagram 

Tiktok 

Official Website

Pictures by permission.

Shift

Ever wanted to do something different? When life becomes a routine, step out of the ordinary and follow your dreams. Shift follows a white-collar worker who escapes the confines of his working environment, exploring and dancing freely through the outside world.

Award winning Director Patrick Ryder and renowned creative director and choreographer Del Mak team up to create and direct this inspirational narrative based dance short film. Shift stars Renako McDonald famed for achieving runner's up position on Got To Dance, UK and Ireland's biggest reality TV talent dance show as contemporary couple act 'Alleviate'.

Caminandes: Two Very Funny Llama Dramas

Caminandes is about as hapless a llama as you are ever likely to meet.  Yet through adversity our Patagonian friend makes it through – often by the skin of his teeth.    Of course, in the spirit of classic animation, you have to root for the guy! The first episode is above but I do have to say that the new episode below is my favorite of the two! Both episodes are Open Movies produced by the Blender Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Stingray

Struggling novelist Kurt endures a painful and unsuccessful pitch at the hands of a pair of publishers. He seeks refuge in his local aquatic design store only to receive ill-advice from the resident Stingray. Bemused but not swayed he attempts to connect with a nearby pretty young teacher.

This short black comedy stars Mat Horne (Gavin & Stacey), Andy Serkis (King Kong, Lord of the Rings), Dominic West (The Wire, 300), Lucy Punch (Hot Fuzz) and Kate Isitt (Coupling). It was directed by Neil Chordia and written by Charlie Gee.

Salina Turda: Romania’s Amazing Salt Mine turned Museum

The historic region of Transylvania has long been associated with vampires. Yet there is something in Transylvania which predates even the legends of blood-sucking fiends: salt mining has been going on in the area since Roman times.

Salina Turda is an ancient and wondrous example of a salt mine, now a museum and center for halotherapy - with a distinctively modern twist.

Image Credit Flickr User Christian Bortes

Yet as well as the preservation of historic mining facilities, Salina Turda holds some unexpected pleasures. It now looks as much like the lair of a James Bond villain as a salt mine – albeit a very playful Bond villain.

Out of Bounds

Paul 179 is a goldfish – the latest in a series owned by a young man with Aspergers.

He is determined to keep this latest fish alive but when the fish food runs out and its replacement is delivered to the wrong house he must venture out of doors.  This is a charming and unique little story by students at The Animation Workshop.

Machu Picchu: Diverse Perspectives

For most people, this view is the one most associated with Machu Picchu, the broad mountainous prominence dotted with ancient buildings, sharp peaks towering above them.  It is little wonder this place is the most instantly recognizable icon of Inca civilization for so many. Yet a closer look gives a greater insight in to how it must have felt to live there, its thick stone walls echoing to the sounds of everyday life. Take a look at Machu Picchu from different perspectives.

The walls are perhaps the most remarkable thing about the place.  They are known as dry stone and as such there was no mortar holding them together.  Their structural integrity came entirely from the forces of compression and the way that the stones interlock with each other.  At Machu Picchu this interlocking is an art from in itself. 

Roommate Wanted - Dead or Alive

If you have ever been a student then you have probably had to face the prospect of living with strangers in order to afford a place to live and all its associated expenses. So it is with this medical student in this entertaining short by students of the Animation Workshop. Yet smelly socks and untidiness are the least of this medical student’s problems when his prospective roommate turns out to be a zombie.

How Will The Universe End?

Science should be big, bright, bold and engaging – and you are going to find this video by Beakus all of those and more. It asks the question that, at some point or another, many of us ask – when is the universe going to end?

Fortunately the answer is not tomorrow or indeed the day after. Created for the Royal Observatory Greenwich this is science and art in blissful union.

A Strange Young Man: A Short Film about Autism

Erdem is the strange young man of this short film’s title.  Or, at least that’s how the rest of the world sees him.  Erdem himself lives in a world which amuses, perplexes but regularly frightens him.

Yet he navigates this bewildering array of sights and sounds with the help of his intimate knowledge of Hollywood movies (and see if you can get all the references!). 

We follow him through the course of his daily journey to class at the Autism Orientation Center.  Unsurprisingly, this film won both first place and the Audience Favorite Award at the Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival 2014 in Austin, Texas. It is in Turkish with English subtitles but please, please don’t let that put you off watching this remarkable short film directed by the very talented Emre Sert and Gözde Yetişkin.

Gea and Fossils

Don’t be put off by the rather uninspiring title.  This is, quite simply, the best educational animation I have seen for an age.  It’s about fossils and introduces us to Gea who has an inventor uncle (don't we all?).

He sends her a package and she finds Zum (pronounced Zoom), a flying robot designed to assist in the cataloguing of fossils.   Unfortunately, Zoom knows nothing about them so it’s up to Gea to show him the ropes – and the complete history of fossils. This explains the length of this animated short but believe me, the time will zoom by.

This animation is wholly delightful in as much as it makes what can be quite a difficult subject wholly accessible if not entertaining. It was created by Render Area, a visual effects, 3D animation digital production company based in Spain for Museo Geominero in Madrid. They have thrown the animation equivalent of the kitchen sink at this piece with so many different techniques used to form the whole.

So, if you happen to have a kid rampaging around your house at the moment (or one who is staring listlessly at the ceiling) who also happens to be fascinated by dinosaurs and how they came to be fossilised, plonk him or her down in front of this.  You will have peace and quiet for almost exactly half an hour.

On Scaffolded Descriptive Writing for GCSE English Language 9-1

Paper 1 Question 5 in the AQA GCSE English Language exam is worth 40 marks.  Put that in to a percentage and it’s worth 25% of the qualification.  So it’s vital that learners do well on this question.

Here, grandmother, suck on this egg… 

There is a however, of course (isn't there always?).  The however in this particular instance is that it is often quite difficult to give students a feeling of almost immediate success when approaching this question - this is a long-haul situation. The faint-hearted can give up almost before they begin. Not only that, a number of students have developed some very fixed ideas about what makes a descriptive text - I teach in FE - and quite often it bears only a passing resemblance to what examiners are looking for (at least in order to award it good marks!).

So I wanted to do something to address this. I did a little research (OK, I used a search engine) and found that some teachers were giving their students scaffolded writing tasks, at least for the first paragraph of a descriptive piece.  Here is an excellent article (the best I found, to be honest) on The Learning Profession blog about how scaffolded descriptive writing openings can work brilliantly.  The rest of this post details my journey from this point - it isn't advice about how to teach this part of the syllabus, it's simply about how I developed my ideas about scaffolding and how I then went on to embed it in my classes.

Hazed

Do you remember the story of the scorpion and the fox? Sometimes things are simply in your nature. So, what happens if you happen to be a factory, belching out smoke and noxious fumes? If you have anything approaching a heart then you might begin to feel a little guilty about what you are doing to the environment, despite the fact that it is what, essentially, you were created to do.

So it is with this animated short by Matt Hammill. Hazed was initially created as his grad film from Sheridan College. One thing before you click play – make sure to watch this to the very end, you may not quite get what you were expecting! We guarantee that you will laugh, however!

How does a Neurotransmitter work?

This is an animated film for people who want to learn more about the chemistry of our emotions in a humorous and entertaining way.

Take a journey through the human brain and experience the fantastic world of neurotransmitter.

Neurotransmitter was created by Katharina Petsche.

Koi No Yokan - 恋の予感

Koi No Yokan (恋の予感) is one of those Japanese sayings for which there is no real English equivalent.    It isn’t about love at first sight it is more a trust in the inevitability of love when you first meet someone – a presentiment if you like.   There is no implication that the feeling of love exists just that a union is inexorable. Directed by Kevin Chiu it follows a pair of New Yorkers just as koi no yokan kicks in.

A la Française

Versailles in 1700 and the court is in full swing – yet something is not quite what you might expect.  Yet even in this fowl world, the court recorder doesn’t miss a thing but the balance of courtly life can be upset by nothing more than a gust of wind.  An entertaining Supinfocom graduation short by four of their brightest - Julien Hazebroucq, Emmanuelle Leleu , Morrigane Boyer, William Lorton and Ren Hsien Hsu.

The Sky Blue Mushroom

It looks like it could be something offered to Alice just before she makes a journey in to Wonderland but this sky blue mushroom is not a product of the imagination of Lewis Caroll.  It can be found on both islands of New Zealand – and bizarrely enough in a few places in India.

Image Credit Flickr User Ewan-M

The Life of Death

It must be a lonely existence, being death – and although this topic has been covered in numerous films and TV shows, I really think it’s worth your while watching this touching animated short by Marsha Onderstijn.  Death is ever-present in the forest but he is halted in his tracks by the exquisite beauty of a young deer.  A tentative friendship ensues but can death ever escape his nature?

The Temples of Angkor: A Glidecam Tour

New York based videographer, cinematographer, photographer and editor Tyler Fairbank shot this over three days during a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. He and his companions visited the temples and ruins of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Preah Khan, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, Ta Keo, Banteay Srey, and Thommanom. Thanks to glidecam technology he was able to shoot and edict this visually stunning piece of film.  Enjoy!

Alberobello – Hobbiton on the Mediterranean

One glance at the Italian village of Alberobello and you know that you have stumbled across something unique.

Neat rows of whitewashed dwellings like something out of a fairy-tale.

It is almost as if the Hobbits of Middle-earth had set up a Mediterranean colony.

Image Credit Flickr User Loriszec

Image Credit Flickr User Cinzia A Rizzo

These strange but charming dwellings are known as trulli.  They are built without using mortar, part of a drywall culture of construction which predates written history in this part of Italy.  Many of the trulli pictured here are around six hundred years ago – the large slabs of limestone from which they are built was gathered from fields in the area.

The Old New World

Take a trip to times past in a steampunk time machine.  This amazing animation has been created with Camera projection based on photos.  The result is something wonderful – if eerie – as the past comes to life in front of your eyes.

A number of the large cities of the New World are included here, including New York, Washington and Boston.  Just wonderful!

My Stuffed Granny

Little Sofía loves her grumpy granny: even though she is always hungry and eats what little food they can buy. Her pension is the only thing keeping her and her father alive. To what extremes will they go to once granny is no more?

My Stuffed Granny is based on a story by Nina Kouletakis and directed and narrated by the wonderfully named Effie Pappa.