Hundreds of people are being prosecuted for refusing to complete the 2011 census because of its links to an arms manufacturer, campaign group Count Me Out has said.

Up to 400 are being chased up for not taking part in the nationwide survey, which the group said was believed to be due to Lockheed Martin being used as a technical consultant by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It said 120 people have already been found guilty, a huge increase on the last census in 2001, when only 38 people were prosecuted.

Count Me Out spokeswoman Kat Hobbs said: "Ten times more prosecutions than the last census shows that people are really angry about the involvement of an arms company.

"The Office of National Statistics can no longer deny that giving the census contract to Lockheed Martin was a mistake when so many people are being prosecuted as a result of it."

She said one of those to be taken to court is conscientious objector John Voysey, 82.

Published: 29 January 2012

Read more ...

Every year, the dictionaries teams at Oxford University Press in the UK and the US put their heads together and come up with a Word (or Phrase) of the Year. This year, for the first time, both the UK and US teams have agreed on a global Word of the Year: squeezed middle.

While squeezed middle is British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband's term for those seen as bearing the brunt of government tax burdens while having the least with which to relieve it, the Word of the Year committee in the US felt it had good resonance in the US, as well. Susie Dent, spokesperson for Oxford Dictionaries, said: "The speed with which squeezed middle has taken root, and the likelihood of its endurance while anxieties deepen, made it a good global candidate for Word of the Year."

This year saw a particularly strong shortlist of contenders for Word of the Year. The shortlisted words for the US and UK differ, reflecting differences between more local issues and culture. In alphabetical order, here is the US selection of shortlisted words:

Arab Spring n.: a series of anti-government uprisings in various countries in North Africa and the Middle East, beginning in Tunisia in December 2010. [After Prague Spring, denoting the 1968 reform movement in Czechoslovakia.]

Bunga bunga n.: used in reference to parties hosted by the former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, at which various illicit sexual activities were alleged to have taken place.

Clicktivism n.: the use of social media and other online methods to promote a cause. [Blend of click and activism.]

Crowdfunding n.: the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. [After crowdsourcing.]

Fracking n.: the forcing open of fissures in subterranean rocks by introducing liquid at high pressure, especially to extract oil or gas. [Shortened < hydraulic fracturing.]

Gamification n.: the application of concepts and techniques from games to other areas of activity, for instance as an online marketing technique.

Occupy n.: the name given to an international movement protesting against perceived economic injustice by occupying buildings or public places and staying there for an extended period of time. [From the imperative form of the verb occupy, as in the phrase Occupy Wall Street.]

The 99 percent: the bottom 99% of income earners, regarded collectively.

Tiger mother n.: a demanding mother who pushes her children to high achievement using methods regarded as typical of Asian childrearing. [Coined by Amy Chua in her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.]

Sifi n.: a bank or other financial institution regarded as so vital to the functioning of the overall economy that it cannot be allowed to fail. [Acronym from systemically important financial institution.  Pronounced "SIFF-ee", rhyming with "jiffy".]

NOTES FOR EDITORS and FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

About the Oxford Word of the Year

Among their other activities, lexicographers at Oxford University Press track how the vocabulary of the English language is changing from year to year. Every year, a 'Word of the Year' is debated and chosen, with the selection made to reflect the ethos of the year and its lasting potential as a word of cultural significance.

Why did you choose a word that is actually two words? 

From a dictionary-maker's point of view, a two-word expression is called a 'compound' and is treated as one word [a 'headword'] in the dictionary. This is not the first time that a two-word expression has been selected as our WOTY. In 2010, the UK Word of the Year was big society.

Published: 29 November 2011

Read more ...

Universities are facing a massive slump in entrants, with overall applications down 12.9%, official figures show.

With fees set to treble to a maximum of £9,000 in 2012, applications from UK students alone are down by 15.1%, according to statistics published by Ucas.

But while fewer UK students are applying to university, the number of applicants from overseas, outside of the EU, has risen by 11.8%, the data shows.

In total, 23,427 fewer people have applied to start degree courses at UK universities next autumn than at the same point last year.

The statistics also show that 13,665 fewer women have applied so far this year, compared to 9,762 fewer men.

Shadow universities minister Shabana Mahmood said: "These latest figures show that the Tory-led Government's decision to treble tuition fees is continuing to put people off applying to university.

Published: 28 November 2011

Read more ...

Labour has accused the Government of "rank populism" for adopting immigration policies they claim will harm the country's economic prospects.

Lord Liddle, an Opposition foreign affairs spokesman, said ministers were creating "crucial new obstacles" in the way of a successful economic relationship between the UK and India.

In a House of Lords debate on links between the two countries, Lord Liddle told peers: "The number of applications from Asia to Russell Group universities is falling very fast.

"How can any nation so comprehensively shoot itself in the foot simply in order to fulfil a stupid populist policy that was included in the Government's manifesto in terms of immigration? It is simply shooting our future prospects in the foot for the sake of rank populism."

And Labour academic Lord Parekh said the Government had made "a great mistake in restricting post-study work visas".

He added: "Under the current scheme students coming here after graduating or post-graduating can work for two years. This allows them to gain experience and to contribute their skills to this country. It benefits both sides.

Published: 19 October 2011

Read more ...

Some 50,000 families are to be given free parenting lessons as part of the coalition's drive to make society more responsible.

The classes are being piloted for mothers and fathers with children aged under five in Middlesbrough, High Peak in Derbyshire, and Camden.

They will be offered £100 vouchers to pay for the sessions, and organisations will bid for contracts to provide them.

Issues covered are likely to include communication, managing conflict, discipline, and creating routine and boundaries.

Children's minister Sarah Teather said the trials would start next summer and run for two years. The scheme will cost £5 million for the vouchers plus set-up costs.

"The overwhelming evidence from all the experts is that a child's development in the first five years of their life is the single biggest factor influencing their future life chances, health and educational attainment," she said.

Published: 16 October 2011

Read more ...

The union representing headteachers is to hold its first-ever strike ballot in the row over public sector pensions.

Members of the National Association of Head Teachers will vote from September 29 on whether to strike for the first time in the union's 114-year history.

Published: 22 September 2011

Read more ...

Photo by ukhomeoffice

Students coming to the UK from outside the EU to study should be stopped from seamlessly moving into work in order to give British graduates the best chance of finding a job, Immigration Minister Damian Green has said.

Plans to reform the current system that allows non-EU students to work in the UK for up to two years after completing their studies will be part of the Government's crackdown on student visas.

Graduate unemployment hit its highest level for more than a decade last week, with a fifth out of work.

"It seems to me that to allow unfettered access to the jobs market for two years to anyone with a student visa from abroad is putting an unnecessary extra strain on our own graduates," saidMr Green.

"That's clearly an area where the current system is too generous. We want to encourage people to stay in education for as long as possible.

"If they think they are going to incur the expense of a student course and then not have a job at the end of it, then that will discourage people from doing the best for themselves, which is to be as educated as possible. It's quite important that we have a proper fair playing field for British graduates in the jobs market."

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week showed 20% of new graduates were unemployed in the third quarter of 2010. This was almost double the rate before the start of the recession, when it stood at 10.6%.

Graduate unemployment also increased faster than for the UK as a whole, the figures showed.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved.

Published: 01 February 2011

Photo by Shawn Econo

Learning a foreign language can be a daunting task. But when we break it down, it's really a numbers game. How much time are you putting into it and how many words do you know? In most cases, you will require a few hundred hours of study time and overall 2000-3000 words of active vocabulary to be conversational with any hope of one day being actually fluent. Once you learn it to that point, it pretty much becomes self-sustaining, if you maintain it and continue to use it.

This sounds like too difficult a task for someone who casually says "hey i'd like to learn spanish!" but the reality is, you can learn to speak a language at a daily conversation level much more quickly if you apply a few additional techniques to supplement your language method or class. You can be functional with a lot fewer words and you can significantly reduce the number of hours necessary to learn the foundation of the language.

Flashcards Pound for pound the single best and most efficient use of your time when learning a language. Ten seconds of free time becomes a quick quiz - whip card number one out of your pocket "what is the spanish word for ... food? comida? flip the card over ... correct!" Two minutes is a major review session. Look at it this way - if you spent ten seconds on one word, for two minutes - that's twelve words in two minutes. Twelve words a day for five days a week is 3000 words in one year. All the words you need to be conversational in just two minutes a day. That doesn't account for grammar and pronunciation, but still - one year to learn all the vocabulary you need. Don't say you don't have time to learn a language. Remember this the next time you are on line at the bank or the grocery store, doctors office, waiting at a red light etc.

Read Once you have some basic understanding of the language, get some reading material. Here's the important part - something you are interested in. If you're into gardening then get a magazine or print out an online article on gardening in your target language. You'll be learning vocabulary and phrases that really interest you, and that will help you pick it up that much quicker.

Audio If your language method doesn't have an audio component then get one. If it does then get another one anyway. Hearing the language is the most important aspect of learning if you intend to speak it. Give yourself opportunities to use it during otherwise non-productive times like while driving or just relaxing.

Internet Radio Following the above advice, give yourself more (and free!) opportunities to hear your new language. Radio can expose you to new vocabulary and fresh content daily. Don't overdo it with your one audio cd. Mix up your audio with other sources, and constantly changing ones like music and internet news broadcasts from other countries. The more sources you have to hear from, the better.

Daily Contact This is probably the cardinal rule when it comes to learning languages. You must expose yourself to the language every day if possible. Studying ten minutes a day is better than cramming for an hour once or twice a week. Frequent review, even if only a few minutes, is essential. This is true for maintaining a language after you have learned it too. Long periods off are deadly.

Penpals Use the power of the internet to hook up with other people around the world who speak the language you are learning. They can help you immeasurably. You can help them with English and they can help you with your target language. There are plenty of free sites and forums to find people who will be happy to work with you.

Study With Others Studying and practicing with other people can give you instant feedback and interactivity that you just can't get from a book or even audio or software. Even if you only know very little, you will absorb it quicker and with more enjoyment than just studying alone. Ultimately, that's the purpose of learning a foreign language anyway - to communicate with other people.

So, try applying some different techniques to your language learning regimen. You will probably find that you can add a few techniques without requiring any more time from your already overtaxed schedule. You may find that you can actually use less time studying as you streamline your learning process. Learn to learn more effectively and remember to keep your eye on the goal whether you put a number on it or not.

Ron Tichenor

Published: 22 December 2010

Police are warning that this week's anti-fees protests could be hijacked by "violent youths".

Thousands of students and lecturers are expected to take to the streets on Wednesday and Thursday to demonstrate against the Government's plans to treble university tuition fees.

But the Metropolitan Police raised concerns that troublemakers could use the protests as an "excuse" for violence.

Protests held last month against the proposals were marred by violent clashes and resulted in numerous arrests.

Commander Bob Broadhurst, head of the Met's Public Order Branch said: "We have seen groups of youths descending on the last few student protests as the day progresses, purely with the aim of using the event as a venue for violence and to attack police.

"It has been obvious that these particular elements are not genuine protesters and they have no intention of protesting about cuts to tuition fees or any other issue. They have turned up purely to take part in violence and disorder.

"We will work with all protesters who want to peacefully protest and we acknowledge and respect their right to do so, but I would warn them to be aware of this violent element, which could harm them and their cause."

Mr Broadhurst called for parents to advise their children of the dangers of attending a protest as youngsters are more at risk if violence breaks out.

Many school children, including some dressed in school uniform, attended previous demonstrations, and the Met was criticised after pupils were "kettled" for several hours during the second of a series of protests on November 24.

"Violence and disorder is often a result of a minority who are determined to cause trouble," Mr Broadhurst said.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved.

Published: 07 December 2010

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has confirmed he will vote in favour of tuition fee rises, as he tried to minimise damage from a three-way split in his party.

Mr Clegg said he had hopes MPs could "walk through the fire" together by collectively abstaining in the key ballot on Thursday, but it is clear that is not possible.

He accepted that all Lib Dems hold strong views on the issue, and praised the way they have conducted themselves in a "difficult" situation without showing personal animosity.

A significant number of the party's MPs - including potentially some Government members - are expected to go against the coalition agreement by voting no to fee hikes.

There could be repercussions if ministers decide to abstain rather than actively backing Government policy.

Addressing his parliamentary party, Mr Clegg said there had been a "lot of pressure" from the media and protesters.

But he insisted that "to govern was to choose" and, with money tight, the coalition had decided to pump funds into early years education.

The Deputy Prime Minister thanked Business Secretary Vince Cable for forging a "fair" policy that meant no-one had to pay upfront for their studies.

Mr Clegg also set out the mechanism for dealing with MPs and Government members who decided they could not support the fees measures - but aides refused to reveal those details.

Lib Dem grandees Lord Ashdown and Lady Williams have come to Mr Clegg's aid by appealing to the party's MPs not to vote against the reform package, which will treble the maximum annual charge to £9,000.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved.

Published: 07 December 2010