Zut Alors, Jeremy Paxman! French Isn't A 'Useless' Language

By Emmanuelle Labeau, Aston University

Presenter Jeremy Paxman recently hailed the victory of English “in the battle of global tongues” in an article for the Financial Times in which he also claimed that French was “useless” and “bad for you”.

Why such a needless attack on Britain’s closest neighbour and favourite enemy – unless he is trying to court controversy to generate interest in his forthcoming documentary on the UK’s relationship with Europe?

Do Penguins Meditate? - New Crowdfunding Techniques In Film Funding

Documentaries are so serious, so you'd expect a documentary about meditation would be really serious. But not for filmmaker Ken Sheetz who walked away from a seriously successful career in Chicago real estate to pursue his passion for filmmaking...

Since building a skyscraper and Oprah's first studio Harpo Studios, Ken's two decades in "Hollywoodland" have produced over 400 films - a serious track record for a funny guy. 

Sheetz's current IndieGogo crowdfunding campaign, "Do Penguins Meditate," breaks new ground with tax deductible donor perks from visionary scientists, artists and health experts.

How #Brexit Would Reduce Foreign Investment In The UK – And Why That Matters

Slowing down: the UK’s car industry could suffer from a Brexit. Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

By John Van Reenen, London School of Economics and Political Science

Foreign investors love Britain, but Brexit would kill the vibe. According to new research colleagues and I have conducted at the Centre for Economic Performance, leaving the European Union could lead to a fall in inward foreign direct investment into the UK of close to a quarter. This would damage productivity and could lower people’s real incomes by more than 3%.

Case studies of cars and financial services – two UK success stories – show, that Brexit would also lower EU-related output of goods and services, and erode the UK’s ability to negotiate concessions from regulations on EU-related transactions.

According to government body UK Trade and Investment, the UK has an estimated stock of over £1 trillion of foreign direct investment (FDI), about half of which is from the EU. Only the United States and China receive more FDI than this.

What 17th-Century Politics Can Teach Us About The Brexit Debate

Charles I attempts to arrest five members of Parliament in 1642.
(Charles West Cope/Wikimedia Commons)

By Philippa Byrne, University of Oxford

If you heard someone claim that a powerful and unaccountable institution was trying to take control of the law away from the British parliament, you might assume you were talking to a Brexit campaigner in 2016. But you could equally be listening to the complaints of an English lawyer in 1616.

Canada: Malala Yousafzai Honoured By Toronto Charity Daughters For Life

The Daughters for Life Foundation 4th Gala Dinner, 2016 - Peace and empowerment through education. On Wednesday, May 25 the DFL Gala will honour Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace prize winner, for her courage promoting education for girls. Other awardees include Maria Campbell, Stephen Lewis and Michele Landsberg. (CNW Group/guard.me International Insurance)

Every year, Toronto charity Daughters for Life (DFL) honours individuals who have made significant contributions to promoting the rights of girls and women around the world. This year, at its 4th annual Gala, DFL will be celebrating the achievements of Malala Yousafzai, the global icon for girls' education and the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala will be receiving the Courage and Inspiration Luminary Award for her ongoing campaign for education for girls in her native Pakistan. 

In addition to Malala, First Nations writer and playwright Maria Campbell, best known for her groundbreaking book Halfbreed, will be awarded the Trailblazer Luminary Award. 

For the first time, the Life Achievement Luminary award will go to a couple, Michele Landsberg and Stephen Lewis, for their joint efforts in advocating for the rights of girls and women.

"I'm delighted that so many wonderful people will be joining us this year," says Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, founder of Daughters for Life. "This is shaping up to be our most exciting gala ever, but more than that, it is creating a groundswell of interest around a constructive dialogue for peace in the Middle East, one focused on girls' education and the critical role that girls and women play in improving the lives of their countries, communities and families."

Dr. Abuelaish, now living in Canada, was a Palestinian doctor who practiced formal medicine in Israel. Already a celebrity for his work in using health as a bridge for peacebuilding, Dr. Abuelaish had been interviewed by Life & Style and People Magazine. Then in 2009, his three daughters and a niece were killed in the conflict in Gaza. 

He chose to transform his grief into purpose and has received global recognition for his book, "I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity".

Also at the event will be Shlomi Eldar, the Arab affairs journalist who was the first to speak to Dr. Abuelaish after the attack. Well-known radio personality, Erin Davis, the host of the Morning Show on 98.1 CHFI will MC the gala.

The DFL Gala dinner will be held on May 25th, 2016 at the Carlu in downtown Toronto. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit daughtersforlife.com/gala2016

The Premier Sponsor for the gala is the International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC), Canada's leading English language school. Gomberg Mediation Solutions Inc. is the Gold Sponsor, followed by Spin Master at the Silver Level.

About Daughters for Life
The Daughters for Life Foundation is a registered Canadian charity that provides scholarships and other programs to young women from the Middle East to help them achieve their potential, irrespective of ethnic or religious background.

SOURCE: guard.me International Insurance

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Where Is The Next TV Smash Hit Coming From?

There is no doubt that many people all across the world are waiting eagerly to see where the next TV smash hit will come from. Viewers are now desperate to find great new shows from the start, allowing them to say that they backed the big shows from the seconds that they dropped. TV companies are keen to find these shows so that they can share them with their audience and the amount of people involved in TV are all looking to get on board with what is hip, in fear of being left behind.

UK: #Brexit Campaign Is Doomed – If Bookmakers Are Right Again

Backed the wrong horse? EPA

By David Bell, University of Stirling

As we edge closer to the EU referendum on June 23, the latest opinion polls put the Remain and Leave campaigns either neck and neck or at least close together.

But the reputation of opinion polls has plummeted following their abject failure to predict the winner of last year’s general election. According to a recent independent review by Professor Patrick Sturgis of the University of Southampton, inadequate sampling procedures led to biased estimates of party support.

Holy Land Principles Under Vicious And Violent Attacks

Fr. Sean Mc Manus 

"I will not be deterred by cyberbullies," says Catholic priest

 A Catholic priest has vowed not to be intimidated or scared into quitting his work on fair employment.