LEARN ENGLISH WITH STORIES

Queen Elizabeth I is considered to be one of the greatest monarchs (kings or queens) in England's history. Loved by many and feared by others, Elizabeth ruled England for 44 years. During her reign, she oversaw the defeat of the mighty Spanish Armada and helped England become a strong and independent nation. Her power and intelligence, along with the fact that she never married, caused some to even question whether she was in fact a man, and not a woman.

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Elizabeth I was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, the second of six wives of King Henry VIII of England.

Elizabeth I was Queen of England for 45 years during the late 1500s. Her nickname was the Virgin Queen.

The Queen was highly-intelligent and fluent in six different languages. Despite countless marriage offers, Queen Elizabeth never took a husband. She was the equal of any King and claimed she was married to her kingdom.

It has strangely been suggested that Queen Elizabeth was a man.

Many people would dismiss such a theory as sexist twaddle. Not according to author Bram Stoker. The man who wrote Dracula in 1897 first stumbled across the theory in the village of Bisley, England. Every May Day, their village May Queen dresses as a boy in Elizabethan clothing.

Stoker decided to investigate the curious tradition further. The villagers believe a young Elizabeth was sent to Bisley in 1543 to avoid the plague. One day Henry VIII planned to visit his child and then disaster struck.

According to the theory, Elizabeth became sick and died. Fearing the King’s reaction, Elizabeth’s Governess took matters into her own hands. She looked high and low for a girl of Elizabeth’s age to replace her. She could find no girls, but there was a boy who strongly resembled Elizabeth.

The boy was quickly dressed in Elizabeth’s clothes before King Henry’s arrival. To everyone’s surprise, the plan went off without a hitch. Perhaps because Elizabeth was notoriously shy around the king, he did not notice anything different about her.

The few people who knew about the deception faced a problem. If the King ever found out, it would cost them their lives.

They decided the truth was best buried. The real Elizabeth was hidden in a stone coffin and a small boy was condemned to live a terrible lie.

Over 300 years later, the body of a young girl in Elizabethan dress was found in Bisley. It was accidentally discovered during building work.

Stoker firmly believed that buried girl was Elizabeth and the later Queen Elizabeth was actually a man. His theory didn’t stop with the story he found in Bisley.

Queen Elizabeth refused to conform to the expectations of what a woman should be. She was subservient to no man and ruled with an iron will.

Her rousing speech to the troops at Tilbury before defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588 is a shining example.

Elizabeth declared, “ I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.”

Elizabeth’s tutor Roger Ascham declared her too clever to be a woman. He wrote, “The constitution of her mind is exempt from female weakness.”

Was Queen Elizabeth a man? Or is it sexist hogwash?

The age in which Elizabeth lived expected women to know their place. It also expected them to marry and bear children. Elizabeth did neither.

Queen Elizabeth I continues to enjoy a cast iron reputation as a fair and popular ruler. Under her rule, the arts and science blossomed and England knew a longstanding peace. She became the most powerful woman in the country. Yet she was still subject to gender stereotypes.

Celebrity
Prince Harry's Friends Reportedly Have an "Issue" with Meghan Markle
InStyle Isabel Jones

Though we’re universally enamored with Meghan Markle stateside (give or take a few brash family members), it seems the actress-turned-duchess is not quite as beloved among a certain British subset: Prince Harry’s friends.

Harry’s pals, among them billionaire heirs and avid hunters, reportedly have an “issue” with the Duke of Sussex’s new wife and her political views.

According to writer and royal family friend Lady Colin Campbell, Markle’s “politics are an issue” for the Prince’s inner circle. “She is ultra-liberal and that trendy-lefty stuff does not go down well with some of Harry’s friends,” Campbell told The Daily Beast. “He has introduced her to them all at parties and weddings and private dinners, but she is very anti- a lot of the things that their world functions upon, such as shooting.”

This may be a good time to recall that Harry is (or perhaps was) an accomplished marksman — a fact that has stirred much controversy through the years. However, the prince reportedly chose to forego the annual Boxing Day shoot at Sandringham last December at the request of his animal rights activist fiancée. That being said, he went on a hunting trip in Germany earlier that same month, reportedly killing 15 wild boars.

Celebrity
How Meghan Markle's Mom Is Stepping into Royal Life — While Kate's Mom Stays Behind the Scenes

Meghan Markle has already been the subject of many royal firsts, but she added another to her growing list on Thursday: bringing her mother, Doria Ragland, to her first royal hosting event.


Doria joined Prince Harry in accompanying Meghan to Kensington Palace for a celebration marking the publication of Together: Our Community Cookbook, which the Duchess of Sussex helped create to benefit those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy. Doria met members of the Hubb Community Kitchen and beamed as Meghan spoke about how the women welcomed her.

Doria told guests she was “head over heels” about her daughter’s accomplishment.

Although Meghan has only been married to Harry for a few months, she’s already changing things up by bringing her mother into her royal life.

Kate Middleton‘s mom, Carole Middleton, has stayed mostly behind the scenes. While it’s common to see her at major events such as Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding in May and her grandson Prince Louis‘ christening in July, she has never joined her daughter and son-in-law, Prince William, on official business.

Of course, that’s not to say that Carole hasn’t been embraced by the royal family. In 2016, Kate’s family got to experience a favorite spot: the Scottish estate Balmoral Castle. Queen Elizabeth was spotted behind the wheel of her Range Rover as she chauffeured Carole from a picnic during a late summer getaway to the highlands hideaway. The families enjoyed one of their favorite pastimes, a country shoot.

In many ways, the two royal mothers-in-law are very similar. Both are fitness fanatics — Carole is a tennis fan, often seen cheering on athletes at Wimbledon, while Doria has worked as a yoga instructor in Los Angeles and ran the L.A. Marathon — and both share a close bond with their daughters.

Of course, both also share that their families were thrust into the spotlight due to their daughters’ relationships.

One area where the two women differ? Their style!

Carole and Kate sometimes borrow from each other’s closets, especially in the hat department! Carole is a big fan of designer Catherine Walker & Co., choosing her outfits for both daughter Pippa Middleton’s wedding last year as well as Meghan and Harry’s nuptials in May.

Meanwhile, Doria often shows off her boho chic fashion sense. For Thursday’s event, she went with a head-to-toe beige ensemble, topping a pair of slacks and top with a shall slung over her shoulders.

Like Carole and Kate, Doria’s style has influenced her daughter.

“I think as you get older you feel more confident and you don’t need to put that much effort in — to be able to throw your hair up in that very French way doing things” Meghan told Glamour in 2017. “If your outfit is on point, one thing has to be off for you to look perfect.”

Pregnant Pippa Middleton Shows Off Burgeoning Baby Bump After Workout Class

Ain’t no big, cozy coat able to hide Pippa Middleton’s baby bump!

The brunette beauty and her burgeoning baby belly were snapped out and about in London, U.K., on Tuesday.

Wearing a warm blue coat and white sneakers, the 35-year-old Brit had just completed a dance-heavy fitness class, according to US Weekly. Yet, she still managed to look effortlessly glam!

“Pippa seemed happy and was smiling,” an eyewitness told the magazine. “She has been keeping fit with ballet training.”

Since announcing her pregnancy with husband James Matthew in June, Middleton has shared her ballet adventures in her column for U.K. grocery store site Waitrose.

“I feel far from a ballerina, but I’m equally determined not to break into a penguin-style waddle and plod around with bad posture,” she shared. “So, with this in mind, I’ve continued to embrace barre-inspired workouts throughout pregnancy; a form of exercise taken from ballet which involves the small, isolated movements that develop flattering muscle tone. It’s hugely beneficial in elongating, strengthening and protecting the back and spine – plus engaging the lower body (hips, abs, buttocks and particularly the legs.)”

“It’s excellent for pregnant women in all trimesters as you mostly rely on your body weight, so it means little impact for your joints and is generally low risk,” she continued.

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In another column, Kate Middleton's sister also talked about how much she was enjoying swimming as a pregnancy workout, particularly the “wonderful feeling of weightlessness.”

"As the months pass, you feel heavier by the day, but being in water gives that floating, light-as-air feeling that soothes and relieves the body, counteracts increased back strain and stretches the legs from the growing bump,” she wrote. “It’s non-impact, gentle and relaxing."

Jane Austen

- a woman with determination and ambition

Jane Austen (/ˈɒstɪn, ˈɔːs-/; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her use of biting irony, along with her realism and social commentary, have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.

With the publications of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816), she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818, and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. She also left behind three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript and another unfinished novel, The Watsons. Her six full-length novels have rarely been out of print, although they were published anonymously and brought her moderate success and little fame during her lifetime.

A significant transition in her posthumous reputation occurred in 1833, when her novels were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series, illustrated by Ferdinand Pickering, and sold as a set. They gradually gained wider acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, fifty-two years after her death, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience.

Austen has inspired a large number of critical essays and literary anthologies. Her novels have inspired many films, from 1940's Pride and Prejudice to more recent productions like Sense and Sensibility (1995), Emma (1996), Mansfield Park (1999), Pride & Prejudice (2005), and Love & Friendship (2016).

Amal Clooney Wore a Powerful Red Dress to the United Nations General Assembly

Photo credit: Splash News

From Harper's BAZAAR

Amal Clooney is in New York City this weekend to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Clooney was photographed in a stunning red dress and nude shoes on her way to a UN event yesterday.

Photo credit: Splash News

Clooney kept her accessories low-key, letting her red Oscar de la Renta caped dress take centerstage in the street style photos paparazzi snapped while she was en route to the UN.

Photo credit: Splash News

On Friday, the celebrated human rights lawyer attended Press Behind Bars: Undermining Justice and Democracy, an event for the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Clooney is representing Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were arrested in December 2017 and sentenced this month to seven years in prison after being found guilty of possessing Myanmar state secrets. Many, however, see the journalists' arrests and subsequent convictions as punishment for reporting they did on the killing of 10 Rohingya men in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, according to Time.

Photo credit: ANGELA WEISS - Getty Images

Clooney called the process a "sham trial" and called on Myanmar's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to pardon the journalists.

"[Aung San Suu Kyi] knows that mass murder is not a state secret and that exposing it doesn’t turn a journalist into a spy," Clooney said. "She is the Nobel Peace Prize winner whose name was whispered in the halls of St. Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she and I both studied. When I was a student, she was a hero to me, as she has been to so many human rights advocates around the world and to so many of the 50 million people in Myanmar, whose lives she promised to change."

Photo credit: ANGELA WEISS - Getty Images

Clooney continued with a direct call for Suu Kyi to take action.

"Aung San Suu Kyi knows better than anyone what it is like to be a political prisoner in Myanmar. She has slept in a cell at the prison where Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo now sleep," Clooney said. "But today, she holds the key…History will judge her on her response."

World
War in the South China Sea: 3 Ways America and China Fight it Out
The National Interest Robert Farley,The National Interest

Robert Farley

Security, Asia
"If China decides to go ahead and declare an ADIZ over the South China Sea, matters could become even more complicated." 
War in the South China Sea: 3 Ways America and China Fight it Out

What’s less than clear is that Beijing fully understands the risks of this strategy, or the dangers of pushing the United States Navy on freedom of navigation, one of the long-term core interests of the United States. And given that governments sometimes don’t even understand that they’re playing a dangerous game until they find themselves in the middle of it, a great deal of caution is warranted.

It’s easy to imagine an even more serious confrontation in the SCS.  Another accidental collision would be bad enough, but if a scenario developed similar to that of the downing of KAL 007, with a Chinese fighter jock actually opening fire on an American plane, the situation could get ugly very quickly.  And if an American pilot fired upon a Chinese plane, the reaction of the Chinese public could become too much for Beijing to reasonably handle.

Neither China nor the United States want war, at least not in the near future.  China’s military buildup notwithstanding, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its components are not ready to fight the United States.  The U.S., for its part, would surely prefer to avoid the chaos and uncertainty that any military conflict with China would create.

Nevertheless, both China and the United States are making commitments in the South China Sea that each may find difficult to back away from. Over the past two weeks, these commitments have generated a war of words that analysts of the relationship have found troubling.  The key problems focus on China’s efforts to expand (or create) islands in the Spratlys, which could theoretically provide the basis for claims to territorial waters.  The insistence of the United States on freedom of navigation could bring these tensions to a boil. Here are three ways in which tensions in the South China Sea might lead to conflict.

Island Hopping in the SCS

Over the past several months, China has stepped up construction of what observers are calling “The Great Wall of Sand.”  This “great wall” involves expanding a group of islands in the Spratly chain so that they can support airstrips, weapons, and other permanent installations. It appears that Beijing is committed to defending these new islands as an integral parts of Chinese territory, a position that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not support.  Washington has other ideas, and has maintained that it will carry out freedom-of-navigation patrols in areas that China claims as territorial waters.

The prospects for conflict are clear. If U.S. ships or aircraft enter waters that China claims, then Chinese sailors, soldiers, and pilots need to take great care about how they respond.  A militarized response could quickly lead to escalation, especially if American forces suffer any kind of serious damage.  It’s also easy to imagine scenarios in which island-building leads China to become embroiled against an ASEAN state. In such a case, a freedom-of-navigation patrol could put China in an awkward position relative to the third party.

(This first appeared in 2015.)

Excitable Fighter Jocks

China and the United States have already come close to conflict over aircraft collisions.  When a P-3 Orion collided a PLAN J-8 interceptor in 2001, it led to weeks of recriminations and negotiation before the crew of the P-3 was returned to the United States, and the plane was returned… in a box.

It’s easy to imagine an even more serious confrontation in the SCS.  Another accidental collision would be bad enough, but if a scenario developed similar to that of the downing of KAL 007, with a Chinese fighter jock actually opening fire on an American plane, the situation could get ugly very quickly.  And if an American pilot fired upon a Chinese plane, the reaction of the Chinese public could become too much for Beijing to reasonably handle.

If China decides to go ahead and declare an ADIZ over the South China Sea, matters could become even more complicated.  The United States made an elaborate display of ignoring China’s ADIZ in the East China Sea, but China has greater interests and a greater presence in the South China Sea. Another declaration would almost certainly incur a similar reaction from the United States, putting American and Chinese planes into close proximity.

Submarine Misunderstanding

In the Cold War, the Soviet Union and NATO suffered innumerable submarine “near misses,” as boats hunted each other, and occasionally bumped each other, in the Atlantic, the Arctic, and the North Sea. The dynamics of U.S.-Chinese sub interaction hasn’t yet played out in quite the same way, in part because China has yet to establish a sustained SSBN patrol, and I part because Chinese boats do not range as far as their Soviet counterparts. But as the submarine force of the PLAN becomes more adventurous, submarine incidents may increase.

Many analysts are arguing that the PLAN needs to push its submarines past the first island chain in order to seriously threaten U.S. access to China’s littoral.  Preparing for this would require increasing the tempo of the PLAN’s submarine operations, which would more often put China’s boats in proximity with Japanese and American subs.  To be sure, Chinese submarines are loud enough that U.S. boats should have plenty of time to get out of their way, but the same could be said of Soviet boats for much of the Cold War.

If a major submarine incident happened between the United States and China, the nature of the medium might offer some hope for de-escalation (we often don’t hear about these accidents until much later). But such an incident would also put more lives and property at stake than a fighter collision.

Concluding Thoughts

Accidental war is rare, but not impossible. Common to all of these scenarios is the potential that Chinese (or less likely, American) public opinion might become so inflamed as to box in policymakers. If Xi Jinping, who has made assertive foreign policy a cornerstone of his administration, feels that he cannot back down and survive politically, then things could get unpredictable very quickly.

As Denny Roy has argued, China is playing offense in the South China Sea. By establishing facts on the ground (indeed, establishing “ground”), it is creating a situation in which normal U.S. behavior looks like destabilizing intervention. What’s less than clear is that Beijing fully understands the risks of this strategy, or the dangers of pushing the United States Navy on freedom of navigation, one of the long-term core interests of the United States. And given that governments sometimes don’t even understand that they’re playing a dangerous game until they find themselves in the middle of it, a great deal of caution is warranted.

This first appeared in 2015.

Octogenarian Nancy Blackman gets around on her trusty Raleigh bicycle
that she has had for 67 years.