Recent Articles From All Categories
The Race is on : Why the Greek Hero Hercules Can Never Beat a Tortoise in a Race – Zenos Paradox
Philosophy is full of perplexing paradoxical thought experiments and Zeno’s paradox is a real brain bender. It is about a race between the fleet-footed hero of the Trojan War Achilles and a tortoise.
New Jersey – How & When did it Get It’s Name?
New Jersey – What’s in a Name?
What is the Origin of Saluting and Why is the Royal Naval Salute Different to the Army?
In this platinum Jubilee year of Queen Elizabeth II we will see many military parades and salutes to her. But what is the origin of the military salute and why is the Royal Naval salute different to that of the British Army?
“Sarnia Cherie” – Guernsey’s Unofficial Anthem
The song “Sarnia Cherie” is arguably Guernsey’s most well known “Unofficial Anthem”. It gets sung on numerous ‘patriotic’ and sporting events from Liberation day on 9th May each year to the Island Games medal ceremonies. But if you look at the lyrics it isn’t extolling any particular patriotic fervour of people on the island but rather a melancholic longing of someone who is far from Guernsey shores. In this article we look at its origins and place in Guernsey social history.
Why Do Onions Make us Cry When We Cut them ?
Why Do Onions Make us Cry When We Cut them ? : In a Nutshell : Breaking open onion cells which releases enzymes which in turn react with other released substances to release a volatile gas – which when it reaches our eyes, it reacts with the water that is intended to keep our eyes moist.
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New Jersey – How & When did it Get It’s Name?
New Jersey – What’s in a Name?
“Sarnia Cherie” – Guernsey’s Unofficial Anthem
The song “Sarnia Cherie” is arguably Guernsey’s most well known “Unofficial Anthem”. It gets sung on numerous ‘patriotic’ and sporting events from Liberation day on 9th May each year to the Island Games medal ceremonies. But if you look at the lyrics it isn’t extolling any particular patriotic fervour of people on the island but rather a melancholic longing of someone who is far from Guernsey shores. In this article we look at its origins and place in Guernsey social history.
The “Other” Guernsey – Guernsey County : Guernsey Pioneers in The New World
Most people will be familiar with our sister island’s namesake in the US – New Jersey, but less well known is that there’s also a Guernsey in the US , or to be precise a Guernsey County in Ohio. Guernsey County is almost as old as the United States itself. It was formed on the 10th March 1810 when the US was only 24 years old. The County is located in the State of Ohio and rests in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
What is the Origin of Saluting and Why is the Royal Naval Salute Different to the Army?
In this platinum Jubilee year of Queen Elizabeth II we will see many military parades and salutes to her. But what is the origin of the military salute and why is the Royal Naval salute different to that of the British Army?
Why Do Onions Make us Cry When We Cut them ?
Why Do Onions Make us Cry When We Cut them ? : In a Nutshell : Breaking open onion cells which releases enzymes which in turn react with other released substances to release a volatile gas – which when it reaches our eyes, it reacts with the water that is intended to keep our eyes moist.
They have a word for that in German / Scots / German… (things you can’t say in English Kummerspeck; Guddle & Bourach; Schnapsidee & Fremdschämen)
If you look at the statistics around the English language you’d think that we already have more than enough words in this ‘language of the World’. However as much as we like to think of English as the biggest and best of all the World languages, it turns out there’s just some things you can’t express in one word … but you can in other languages. Kummerspeck(German); Guddle & Bourach (Scots); Schnapsidee (German); Fremdschämen (German)
The “Other” Guernsey – Guernsey County : Guernsey Pioneers in The New World
Most people will be familiar with our sister island’s namesake in the US – New Jersey, but less well known is that there’s also a Guernsey in the US , or to be precise a Guernsey County in Ohio. Guernsey County is almost as old as the United States itself. It was formed on the 10th March 1810 when the US was only 24 years old. The County is located in the State of Ohio and rests in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Guernsey and the French Revolution
The years following the French Revolution in 1789 were dramatic in the history of the island. Many emigres found refuge in Guernsey and the island even ended up as a centre for a spy network operating against the newly formed republic. In this article we look at this pivotal period in Guernsey history.
Columbanus – The Monk Who Saved Europe
You may never have heard of Columbanus, but this radical-thinking monk can be credited with helping to save Europe in crisis after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Bonus Question : Is Hell Exothermic or Endothermic?
We at guernseydonkey.com are always keen to promulgate that ever exapanding ‘body of knowledge’ we like to call “intenet fluff”. Accordingly we recycle here for your delectation a story that seems to have begun its life way back in 1997 when the internet was still young. Multiple examples now exist and its opening often varies – who the setter supposedly was and at what institution – but the core of the piece is always the same. Enjoy! 🙂
The One Man Invasion of Sark
Not a lot happens on the island of Sark, that was until August...
The Four Stages of Public Opinion
Humans are a fickle lot. You only have to look at how public opinion seems to swing wildly from day to day. So, it might come as rather refreshing to hear how British biologist, Thomas Henry Huxley, 150 years go made a rather pithy observation called “The Four Stages of Public Opinion”.
What’s the Meaning and Origin of the Phrase Catch 22
The phrase “catch-22” is, in short, common parlance for when someone is trapped in an inescapable dilemma. But where does the phrase come from?
Time for a Party Game – Pub Quiz Challenge
Party time is always a good time for a game or two and everyone loves a “good ol’ pub quiz”. To test your knowledge we’ve gathered together a few pub-style quiz questions to challenge the “little grey cells”. 40 questions guaranteed to tempt & tease out those nuggets of information that we’re sure you will have squirrelled away somewhere.
Why Do Our Fingernails Grow Faster Than Our Toenails?
No, you’re not imagining it – your toenails really do grow much more slowly than your fingernails. In this article we look at some theories
