School subjects

[Sylvester 15]

What is or what was your favourite subject at school?

[Emperor Oli 0]

History!

[Sylvester 15]

Mine was Chemistry.

[Emperor Oli 0]

I used to like it but now I'm doing GCSEs, empirical formulae come into it, so do alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, carboxylic aciids. Give me history - or biology - anyday.

[Sylvester 15]

I used to like it but now I'm doing GCSEs, empirical formulae come into it, so do alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, carboxylic aciids.  Give me history - or biology - anyday.

I used to love having to think about balancing chemical formulas and doing such things as displacement reactions and working out whether it was ionic or covalent bonding and the best bit was the shell structures. 8 is stable! Except it was 2 on the first shell.

I didn't persue the subject beyond GCSE because my mathematic skills were appalling and i disliked biology and i had a love/hate relationship with physics (i hated all the forces/motion/electricity stuff) too much maths, but i loved the nuclear physics (Which was really chemistry when all said and done) side of it and of course the space/solar system etc side (which was kind of an abstract almost philosophical side of physics, Big Bang theory, steady state theory etc.)

History was my second fave, with drama in third.

English i merely disliked, Geography i hated with a passion.

[Sylvester 15]

Actually until year 9 when i got introduced to the wonders of chemistry, history had been my fave subject.

But in Y9 the history we were doing went down hill fast as it was not my preferred period. We started on the god awful Industrial Revolution, farming, then we moved to Czarist Russia and the Russian Revolution, then WWI (probably the most boring historical event), the the gloom of the depression. Y10-11 was slightly better, American West, History of Medicine from Prehistoric-20th century and Irish Political History 1921-1997.

I figured out long ago that i hate modern British history with a passion and anything after say 1660 is not all that interesting to me, and i'd go miles to avoid it. I'd rather do the French Revolution. (which i am actually doing).

Y7-8 was the best; The Norman Conquest to Charles I. Anything medieval or Early modern and you've got my interest. Anything Henry VII or Mary Tudor and you've really got my interest.

Good old Henry pity his son was such a waste of space, and alot of space too.

[Emperor Oli 0]

I idn't like Y7/8 history but then when Y9 started and Lizzie came along, the modern period started. I agree that the Industrial Revolution is boring, at least the 18th century part. I enjoyed the 19th century Industrial Revolution because my forefathers owned a mill at the time.

World War I we didn't do too much on, but in GCSE we do all the peace treaties etc. which I find incredibly interesting. Also, I can't wait to do the Depression and the WSC! The schools get a choice on which syllabus to pursue and ours chose some ridiculous parts like "The Role of Women in the 20th century" and "Vietnam". Who really (a Brit at any rate) wants to learn about an American war when we could be doing stuff like, well, I don't know, but anything else is infinitely more interesting. I'd have rather done the History of Medicine. Anything including and post-Elizabeth is my passion.

We're doing astronomy at the minute in Physics and how the Big Bang wasn't actually a bang etc. I find Physics intolerable, except POWER! I adore learning about power plants - how the generators and turbines work, the different fuels used, non-renewable and renewable etc. I read a book a few months ago on nuclear fusion and its application in power stations which interested me.

[Sylvester 15]

Nuclear physics is fantastic. Dunno why but it extremely intriguing. I almost saw myself quite wanting a job along those lines, but i decided that working in a nuclear power plant would not help me in the long run. Yeah they say they are safe, but are they really. There's probably alot of cutting corners that even the management don't know about. I once heard a bus driver who had worked in a chemical plant say that the plant had some rather dubious practices, one guy didn't follow the safety procedures correctly and had a very nasty accident with highly concentrate sulphuric acid... he survived but he needs alot of surgery, a few skin grafts, a new arm and a new face.

[Sylvester 15]

Anything including and post-Elizabeth is my passion.

Hmm i'd say it the other way cos i like religious history the most, the Reformation. Although the Ancient pagan religions are more up my street.

I've studied the German Reformation under Martin Luther (that is the only period of German history i've studied in any great depth).

I still view the Reformation with mixed feelings, the iconoclasm of the reformers was terrible so many nice colourful churches and buildings plain destroyed by a bunch of vandals, but likewise they were the pioneers that saw a shift away from Rome towards a society that could begin to think more rationally and not one that would always believe adamantly that the world is flat and the sun goes around it just cos the Church said so. If the Reformation hadn't happened the few that did question the church would have found themselves more easily singled out for elimination, not that it helped Galileo much.

Then we come to the utter indecisiveness of Henry VIII, the little brat that was Edward VI, the Marian burnings, Elizabeth I's indecivness and shrewd move towards Protestantism.

One slight problem i have with this period is that i have a habit of taking sides and not remaining objective. It's almost a god given fact that regardless of the situation i always side with the looser or with the oldest of the two. So i always side with the Catholics against the Protestants, i know that shouldn't happen but it does. (Like i always side with Harold II rather than William I, Or with Æthelred II rather than Swein, or Richard II rather than Henry IV... and even Richard III rather than Henry VII even if the latter was my fave king).

Having studied both early modern Catholicism and Protestantism, i've got to admit Catholicism seems the best of the two in that period. Lemme see;

Catholics = Many holidays, talking in church, attend irregularly but at least for once near easter for recieving the wafer, many festivals and lots of opportunity to get drunk if you like that kinda thing.

Protestantism (Calvinist form as was the standard in Elizabethan England) = Read the bible in English, understand the bible, good works do not matter cos it's already been decided whether you are going to heaven or hell regardless of what you do (double predestination), must wear drab colours, must fast, no alcohol, no festivals, no enjoyment, wear black and white, live an humble life, go to church at least twice a day and more on sundays, all churches should have all statues, stained glass windows and all other ornament removed and the altar replaced with a table, walls white washed. (Oliver Cromwell came from this viewpoint).

Who would you have sided with? If it hadn't been for Luther i could have been buying an indulgence right now.

[Emperor Oli 0]

Your Protestantism definition is taking it to the extreme - Puritanism - isn't it?

[Master Jmd 88]

History, Physics and Chemistry...

It used to be just Physics and Chemistry, but when i started to collect coins i seemed to like history far more

[Sylvester 15]

Your Protestantism definition is taking it to the extreme - Puritanism - isn't it?

I did state clearly Oli that it was the Protestantism of the time, it's what is known as Calvinism (the Puritans went one further by living in small social groups and considering themselves the elect and would refuse to have an dealings with the remaining members of society who were the damned).

The Protestantism of the period was persued rigorously by the intellectual elite, the majority of the main population were still really Catholic at heart (and you could argue that many members of todays society in the Anglican Church [CofE] still are. It's still all about ceremony and a bit of superstition).

Elizabeth I was Protestant as far as we can conclude in belief but Catholic in practice... (maintaining church heirarchy), the true Protestant want to move to an elected system whereby the preacher was chosen from the elect group rather than picked by the institution, cos of course the Calvinists wanted to go back to a Jesus and diciples set up without any trimings whatsoever.

The Elizabethan religious settlemnt of 1559 set down the laws in English that the church hierarchy would remain intact, colourful clerical vestments would be retained, the Pope and Purgatory etc. were dispensed with. Double Predestination (you go to heaven or hell and it's decided before birth which) was the accepted as the official religious doctrine that everyone was to be taught. She abhorred preaching and fell out with her ministers because of that issue.

The interlectuals expected that there would be further reform towards their more extreme beliefs and no one ever thought that the Queen would sit unmovable on the '59 settlement, indeed nothing then changed until 1603 and as far as i'm aware the only thing to change in 1603 was the king became head of the church rather than governor. By the time we get to Charles I the Anglican set up moves in with a shift back towards Catholic practices, the abandonment of double predestination (which was reinstated under Cromwell).

Undoubtedly a shift occured after this point away from the predestination back to the Catholic notion of Good Works and salvation by doing good not just by belief that you were elect.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

I enjoy History mainly because of the topics we are studying...History of Medicine, Elizabeth I, and Local history are all facinating. But my faviorite subject has to be French......foreign languages always facinate me.

[Sylvester 15]

I enjoy History mainly because of the topics we are studying...History of Medicine, Elizabeth I, and Local history are all facinating. But my faviorite subject has to be French......foreign languages always facinate me.

French now there was a subject i didn't mind actually, it wasn't all bad. We had an evil teacher (but a very good one) i still think learning French at school was one of the best things i ever learned (i'm very rusty with it now) but sometimes when studying the French Revolution some of the books have quotes in French and depending upon the context sometimes i can figure out the overall jist of what it's going on about. Sometimes i can't, but it's more useful that i thought it would be.

I can't remember anything from German that's a language i found just too difficult by the end, French was a doddle in comparison.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

I can speak french near enough fluently. Everyone in my 'top-set' class hasn't got a clue so I help the teacher when teaching the class sometimes! We have a good teacher though but she is very strict.

[Sylvester 15]

I can speak french near enough fluently. Everyone in my 'top-set' class hasn't got a clue so I help the teacher when teaching the class sometimes! We have a good teacher though but she is very strict.

The only bit of French you ever need is this.

Je Nais pas parlez Francais, Je suis Anglais!

(haven't got a clue on the spelling but it sounds right verbally).

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Interesting spelling Sylvester!

My dad's theory on languages is that we don't need to learn any foreign languages because different countries learn english intensivly. Also, different countries communicate in English because they all can speak it. (It applies to business anyway)!

[Sylvester 15]

Interesting spelling Sylvester!

My dad's theory on languages is that we don't need to learn any foreign languages because different countries learn english intensivly. Also, different countries communicate in English because they all can speak it. (It applies to business anyway)!

yeah well i haven't done French for 4 years, i would like someone to type out the correct spelling though!

I just wish my scholl had done latin (or any school/college in my area) had even offered it, cos it would have been the biggest help ever.

[Emperor Oli 0]

French is the language of diplomacy though! I would rather learn a language fluently so I wouldn't have to tolerate the foreginer's awful accents - they would have to tolerate mine! I speak German, French (although like Sylvester I am slightly rusty), Spanish, Latin (nowhere near fluently but I can fluff my way through) and the barebones of Russian (my friend is learning it at the minute, so I read the books he's got on it!)

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Je Nais pas parlez Francais, Je suis Anglais!

The correct wording and spelling would be:

Je ne peut pas parler le francais, je suis anglais! Parlez is associated with 'vous'. If you wanted to be really french, you could say je peut pas parler le francais, je suis anglais (you miss out the 'ne' to make it slang)!

[Sylvester 15]

The correct wording and spelling would be:

Je ne peut pas parler le francais, je suis anglais! Parlez is associated with 'vous'. If you wanted to be really french, you could say je peut pas parler le francais, je suis anglais (you miss out the 'ne' to make it slang)!

Yorkshire all over really, even in English we miss out words altogether. The word 'the' is seldom used in my neck of the woods.

"Shut winder would yer cos it's far too drafty. And i think i'd better go to shop, yeah that one dahn road."

Although admittedly i do pronounce the words more towards the Standard English than most around here, but i do slip sometimes in broadish Yorkshire, but the word 'the' is one i only use in about 50% of the cases when it should be used. Some people don't use it at all ever.

*phone rings* "yeah i'm on bus".

But i slip in an out of accents all the time so it annoys everyone... i have a very good French accent apparently, and i have a decent American accent, i also enjoy doing the Brummie accent, it makes me laugh.

P.S i hate the Yorkshire accent with a passion everyone around here sounds thick... long drawn out and flat 'a's for everything including 'car', 'bar', 'Yalkshur'. *shudder*

[Master Jmd 88]

P.S i hate the Yorkshire accent with a passion everyone around here sounds thick... long drawn out and flat 'a's for everything including 'car', 'bar', 'Yalkshur'. *shudder*

Londoners are the worst in my opinion, they sound very thick...and if you think of all the intelegent people of london, they sound all upper class and posh

[Sylvester 15]

Londoners are the worst in my opinion, they sound very thick...and if you think of all the intelegent people of london, they sound all upper class and posh

I like the London accent.

[Emperor Oli 0]

I agree with Sylvester on the Yorkshire accent, I don't like it either. The Lancashire one too is annoying, but nowhere near as bad as the Yorkshire one!

[Sylvester 15]

I agree with Sylvester on the Yorkshire accent, I don't like it either.  The Lancashire one too is annoying, but nowhere near as bad as the Yorkshire one!

I'd agree with you, Lancashire is more tolarable until you go further west and 'there' becomes 'thur' and then it gets a bit too much, i really don't like Merseyside accents at all. I used to leave the room when Brookside was on cos it was like nails going down a blackboard to me... *shudder*

Sorry to any Scousers.