London: In a poll outcome set to delight children worldwide, British adults have voted Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and J K Rowling as their three favourite writers, putting them well ahead of authors of the critically acclaimed 'serious stuff'.
A nationwide poll of adult British readers, commissioned to mark the 2008 Costa Book Awards, saw English literature stars William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen trail behind children's authors in the list of the top 50.
Geoffrey Chaucer, whose Canterbury Tales is considered one of the seminal texts of English literature, came bottom of the list.
Beatrix Potter, another children's favourite (remember Tom Kitten and Peter Rabbit), also appeared in the top 10, as did Agatha Christie - whose detective novels are a favourite of many older children - and J R R Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings.
And C S Lewis, whose Narnia series is a children's classic, nudged Potter at number 11.
The love affair between British adults and the page-turner adventures of Blyton, Harry Potter creator Rowling and Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and many other popular books) did not come as a surprise to some.
Jeff Norton of Chorion, owners of the Enid Blyton estate, said: 'We are delighted that the British public has voted Enid Blyton its best-loved author. Her storytelling is timeless and this result confirms that her books are still a firm favourite today.'
Eight million Blyton books are sold worldwide every year, including more than a million of her Famous Five series.
Also crowding the list were children's authors Jacqueline Wilson, Judy Blume, Jilly Cooper and the ever-popular cartoonist-writer Dr. Seuss (his titles include: Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish).
In fact, the first serious contemporary writer - Martin Amis, a critically acclaimed chronicler of the post-modern condition - managed no better than number 22.
The following is the ranked list of the 50 best-loved authors, as voted by British adults:
* Enid Blyton
* Roald Dahl
* J K Rowling
* Jane Austen
* William Shakespeare
* Charles Dickens
* J R R Tolkien
* Agatha Christie
* Stephen King
* Beatrix Potter
* C S Lewis
* Catherine Cookson
* Martina Cole
* Bill Bryson
* Charlotte Bronte
* Jacqueline Wilson
* Oscar Wilde
* Maeve Binchy
* Dan Brown
* Emily Bronte
* Jackie Collins
* Martin Amis
* Isaac Asimov
* Margaret Atwood
* John Grisham
* Marian Keyes
* H G Wells
* Alan Bennett
* Arthur C Clarke
* George Orwell
* Danielle Steel
* Iain Banks
* Judy Blume
* Jodi Picoult
* Arthur Conan Doyle
* Peter Ackroyd
* Kingsley Amis
* P G Wodehouse
* Dr Seuss
* Mark Twain
* J G Ballard
* Thomas Hardy
* James Patterson
* Ian Rankin
* Leo Tolstoy
* Irvine Welsh
* Jilly Cooper
* Beryl Bainbridge
* Ray Bradbury
* Geoffrey Chaucer
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Olymipic Movement
Source : http://www.olympic.org/uk/passion/studies/index_uk.asp
Olympism
"Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."
(Olympic Charter, Fundamental Principles, paragraph 1)
Olympism
"Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."
(Olympic Charter, Fundamental Principles, paragraph 1)
Badminton - Glossary
Source : http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/equipment_uk.asp?DiscCode=BD.&sportCode=BD
Attacking clear: An offensive stroke hit deep into the opponent's court.
Backhand: The stroke used to return balls hit to the left of a right-handed player and to the right of a left-handed player.
Base position: The location in the centre of the court to which a singles player tries to return after each shot; also called "centre position".
Baseline: The back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net.
Battledore and shuttlecock: A game played with a battledore and shuttlecock, the forerunner of modern badminton.
Carry: An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before being released; also called a "sling" or "throw".
Centre line: A line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service courts.
Centre position: The location in the centre of the court to which a singles player tries to return after each shot; also called "base position".
Clear: A shot hit deep into the opponent's court.
Doubles: A game where two people play two people as teams.
Doubles sideline: The side boundary of a doubles court.
Drive: A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.
Drop shot: A shot hit softly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net in the opponent's court.
Fault: A violation of the rules.
Feint: Any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the serve; also called a "baulk".
Flick: A quick wrist-and-forearm rotation used to surprise an opponent by changing an apparently soft shot into a faster passing shot.
Forecourt: The front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.
Forehand: The stroke used to return a ball hit to the right of a right-handed player and to the left of a left-handed player.
Game: The part of a set completed when one player or side has scored enough points to win a single contest.
Hairpin net shot: A shot made from below and very close to the net and causing the shuttle to rise, just clear the net, then drop sharply down the other side so that the flight of the shuttlecock resembles a hairpin.
Halfcourt shot: A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles play against the up-and-back formation.
High clear: A defensive shot hit deep into the opponent's court.
Kill: A fast shot hit straight down into the opponent's court so that it cannot be returned.
Let: A minor violation of the rules allowing a rally to be replayed.
Long service line: The back line for the area into which a serve must land (also the back boundary line in singles play, but a line 83 centimetres inside the back boundary line in doubles play).
Match: A series of games to determine a winner.
Mid court: The middle third of the court.
Net shot: A shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply.
Passing shot: A shot which passes the opposing player or team.
Poona: A 19th-century game in India, named after the city of the same name, with similarities to lawn tennis.
Push shot: A gentle shot played by pushing the shuttlecock with a little wrist motion.
Rally: The exchange of shots that decides each point.
Serve: The stroke used to put the shuttlecock into play at the start of each rally; also called a "service".
Service: The stroke used to put the shuttlecock into play at the start of each rally; also called a "serve".
Service court: The area into which a service must be delivered.
Set: To choose to extend a game beyond its normal ending score if the score is tied with one point to go.
Short service line: The front line of the service courts 1.98 metres from the net.
Singles: A game where one person plays one person.
Singles sideline: The side boundary of a singles court.
Sling: An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before being released; also called a "carry" or "throw".
Smash: A hard-hit overhead shot slammed straight down into the opponent's court.
Throw: An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before being released; also called a "carry" or "sling".
Wood shot: A legal shot in which the shuttle hits the frame of the racket.
Attacking clear: An offensive stroke hit deep into the opponent's court.
Backhand: The stroke used to return balls hit to the left of a right-handed player and to the right of a left-handed player.
Base position: The location in the centre of the court to which a singles player tries to return after each shot; also called "centre position".
Baseline: The back boundary line at each end of the court, parallel to the net.
Battledore and shuttlecock: A game played with a battledore and shuttlecock, the forerunner of modern badminton.
Carry: An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before being released; also called a "sling" or "throw".
Centre line: A line perpendicular to the net that separates the left and right service courts.
Centre position: The location in the centre of the court to which a singles player tries to return after each shot; also called "base position".
Clear: A shot hit deep into the opponent's court.
Doubles: A game where two people play two people as teams.
Doubles sideline: The side boundary of a doubles court.
Drive: A fast and low shot that makes a horizontal flight over the net.
Drop shot: A shot hit softly and with finesse to fall rapidly and close to the net in the opponent's court.
Fault: A violation of the rules.
Feint: Any deceptive movement that disconcerts an opponent before or during the serve; also called a "baulk".
Flick: A quick wrist-and-forearm rotation used to surprise an opponent by changing an apparently soft shot into a faster passing shot.
Forecourt: The front third of the court, between the net and the short service line.
Forehand: The stroke used to return a ball hit to the right of a right-handed player and to the left of a left-handed player.
Game: The part of a set completed when one player or side has scored enough points to win a single contest.
Hairpin net shot: A shot made from below and very close to the net and causing the shuttle to rise, just clear the net, then drop sharply down the other side so that the flight of the shuttlecock resembles a hairpin.
Halfcourt shot: A shot hit low and to midcourt, used effectively in doubles play against the up-and-back formation.
High clear: A defensive shot hit deep into the opponent's court.
Kill: A fast shot hit straight down into the opponent's court so that it cannot be returned.
Let: A minor violation of the rules allowing a rally to be replayed.
Long service line: The back line for the area into which a serve must land (also the back boundary line in singles play, but a line 83 centimetres inside the back boundary line in doubles play).
Match: A series of games to determine a winner.
Mid court: The middle third of the court.
Net shot: A shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply.
Passing shot: A shot which passes the opposing player or team.
Poona: A 19th-century game in India, named after the city of the same name, with similarities to lawn tennis.
Push shot: A gentle shot played by pushing the shuttlecock with a little wrist motion.
Rally: The exchange of shots that decides each point.
Serve: The stroke used to put the shuttlecock into play at the start of each rally; also called a "service".
Service: The stroke used to put the shuttlecock into play at the start of each rally; also called a "serve".
Service court: The area into which a service must be delivered.
Set: To choose to extend a game beyond its normal ending score if the score is tied with one point to go.
Short service line: The front line of the service courts 1.98 metres from the net.
Singles: A game where one person plays one person.
Singles sideline: The side boundary of a singles court.
Sling: An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before being released; also called a "carry" or "throw".
Smash: A hard-hit overhead shot slammed straight down into the opponent's court.
Throw: An illegal stroke in which the shuttle is not hit, but caught and held on the racket before being released; also called a "carry" or "sling".
Wood shot: A legal shot in which the shuttle hits the frame of the racket.
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