English grammar is a minefield, not least because it is often dependent on intention and that was always brought home when observing Russian teachers of English. The Russians are pedantic in all things official, as distinct from the way they run their daily lives and continually demanded, ‘Which is the correct answer?’ I tried to explain that, in English, it’s more accurate to as...

The IPCC’s Fourth Assessment claimed that ‘there is strong evidence’ of sea level rising over the last few decades. It goes as far as to claim: ‘Satellite observations available since the early 1990s provide more accurate sea level data with nearly global coverage. This decade-long satellite altimetry data set shows that since 1993, sea level has been rising...

You could raise a lot of money if you sold the future rights to tax North Sea oil for example. But no the Scots lead government of the anti-English Labour party instead plans to: 1) Sell the right to Tax the English for a crossing they have already more than paid for at Dartford. 2) Sell the English student loan book ( maybe some Welsh and Irish in there somewhere ). 3) Sell the Channel Tunnel rai...

What is the most effective way to achieve the missions of the US Navy: sea control, sea denial, power projection or protection of open commerce?The Janes Defense Weekly (subscription) opinion by David W. Wise posted for discussion yesterday raised several interesting questions for community comments. I appreciate those who contributed thoughtful comments in yesterdays post. As we head into a three...

I remember sitting under Caribbean skies at the Preparatory Committee for the UN Law of the Sea Convention. As we discussed thorny compromises over the regime to govern extraction of minerals from the bed of the deep sea, my friend Dolliver Nelson would break into flights of poetry. As many Jamaican weeks were passed, Dolliver introduced me to the extraordinary passion for the English language of ...

Early this morning the Ex-Varyag was assisted by several tug boats as the ship ventured out on sea trials. Several of the early reports in Chinese news were short and to the point, but it didn't take long before this English language article appeared with a big picture to punctuate the political perspective. Today China has taken the next step in what is a very long road towards the operation...

Whenever there is a discussion of an English parliament on the website, the objection is raised that there is no support for this from people in England. We are also told that Englishness and England are racialised concepts, whereas Britishness and Britain are allegedly more racially inclusive. For example, North Swindon Labour MP, Michael Wills said in

South China sea disputes and US plan for a military base in Australia raised at Asean summit

Galrahn is out for a few days fighting the war against Irene, so I’ll stand in for another post or two. Good piece here from Hugh White on “Sea Denial” versus “Sea Control” in relation to China. One disagreement here: “But only aircraft carriers offer the round-the-clock protection for other ships needed to achieve sea control.” This was true before the ad...

David Cameron has finally said that purely English issues would only be voted on by English MPs. He promised to set up a special English-only committee at Westminster which would be closed to MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and which – apart from exceptional circumstances – could not be overruled by the Commons as a whole. ‘For English-only legislation, we would hav...