British Council and the FCO

The British Council promotes wider knowledge of the UK and the English language abroad, encourages co-operation with the UK (science, technology, culture, education). It is set up as a charity governed by Royal Charter (a formal document issued by a monarch) and sponsored by the FCO (often referred to informally as "The Foreign Office").  The head of the "Foreign Office" is the "Foreign Secretary" (more formally, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs). It is regarded as one of the four most prestigious positions in the Cabinet - Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.

Ten Fun Facts about Oxfordshire

1. Oxfordshire is often abbreviated Oxon (from Oxonium, the Latin name for Oxford).

2. Oxfordshire is North West of London.

3. Reading, in Berkshire, is at the South East corner of Oxfordshire.

4. The University of Oxford has evidence of teaching as far back as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English speaking world.

5. Twenty Seven British Prime Ministers have attended Oxford, including Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and David Cameron. Thatcher was unusual in being the first Prime Minister with a scientific background, having studied Chemistry at Somerville College, at the time a women's only college. Mary Somerville, from whom the college is named, wrote about the deadlock in British mathematical sciences in her time. She was a close friend of Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and Lady Wentworth.

6. Merton College claims to be the oldest Oxford College founded in the thirteenth Century (1264) by Walter de Merton, Lord Chancellor and Bishop of Rochester (Rochester, Canterbury). His name is believed to come from Merton, Surrey, where is believed to have been born.

7. Merton College has a lecture theatre named after T.S. Eliot, a former member of the college.

8. The National Trust has many sites in Oxfordshire

9. Conurbations include Banbury, a historic market town, famed for the Banbury Cake (spiced raisin cake), similar to the Eccles cake, but oval in shape

10. Bicester, a market town in northeastern Oxfordshire, in the Cherwell district, is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxforshire (Cherwell is the northernmost tributary of the Thames). Proximity to junction 9 of the M40 linking Bicester to London (Uxbridge) and Birmingham is part of the reason for its growth.

Rupert Friend

Rupert Friend is an English actor, director and producer who grew up in Oxfordshire. He played Peter Quinn in the political thriller Homeland. He made his stage debut in 2010 as Mitchell in UK premiere of Tony Award-nominated play, The Little Dog Laughed, written by American playwright, Douglas Carter Beane. In 2010, he also starred in the film The Kid, based on the real-life story of Kevin Lewis.

Temple of Apollo and Significance of Apollo in the Greek Pantheon

The Temple of Apollo is the oldest Doric temple in Sicily.

Doric refers to the so-called Doric "architectural order" the other canonical orders being Ionic and Corinthian. Fluted columns are quintessential to the Doric style.

The original structure consisted of 6 columns on the short side and 17 on the long side. It is located in Ortygia in Syracuse.

Apollo is associated with music, truth, prophecy, knowledge and healing. His abode is Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. Wild boar live in the foothills of Mount Olympus.

Nautical Miles and Knots

A nautical mile is 1.852 kilometres. 

A regular mile is 1.6km. So a nautical mile is greater than a mile, by around 200m.

The knot is defined as one nautical mile per hour.

What is Gaia?

Gaia is a satellite engaged in astrometry - mapping the locations of celestial objects. It was launched from French Guiana in 2013. It is a French overseas territory, north of Brazil and east of Suriname.