Articles written by John Welford

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About me - John Welford

I'm John Welford, a freelance proofreader and indexer, part-time librarian, and also sub-channel steward for the English Language section of the Languages sub-channel (which can be found under Arts and Humanities).

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Politics, News & Issues > Pulitzer Center In a closed society like the military dictatorship of Burma, how can journalists find the truth?: 1 of 22
This question presupposes that there is a single answer in all closed societies, of which Burma is the supreme example. To an extent this is true, because there are certain principles of journalism that are universal, but there are also circumstances that vary between different trouble spots, and journalists need to be very c... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Helping Kids Cope Child custody battles and how parents can cope: 2 of 31
Marital breakdown is always a tragedy of dashed hopes, but at least most adults know that they can get over it, build new relationships, and start all over again. However, for the children of the marriage this is not so easy. If they have spent their whole lives being looked after by two people, and one of them suddenly leave... More..
Entertainment > Music Education Ways to ruin a classical music concert: 1 of 14
Of course, if you are actually conducting the orchestra, or playing the trombone, you have so many opportunities to ruin the experience for an entire audience. Not turning up would be quite effective.There is a famous story of a concert that was ruined by somebody who was not even in the building. The piece called for a dista... More..
Style & Beauty > Makeup Are women more attractive without makeup on?: 5 of 67
This is a question that could, in theory, be decided by experiment. You take 100 pairs of identical twin women, you apply makeup to one of each pair but not the other, you stand them in a room opposite a group of men (say 1000 or so), and see which member of each pair attracts more men. You will then know which women are more... More..
Arts & Humanities > English Language Improving your English: 5 of 61
The concept of improvement implies that there is something already there that needs to be improved! In this case, you are presumably a learner of English who has reached a certain standard and who needs to go up to the next level.It makes a difference as to whether it is your spoken or written English that you wish to improve... More..
Arts & Humanities > British Authors Biography: Thomas Hardy: 1 of 12
At his Westminster Abbey funeral in 1928, Thomas Hardy's pallbearers included the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and some of the most celebrated writers of the time, namely George Bernard Shaw, A. E. Housman, James Barrie, John Galsworthy, and Rudyard Kipling. No literary figure had been so honoured since Charl... More..
Arts & Humanities > Museums & Galleries (Other) Best art galleries in London: 1 of 11
The art lover is spoiled for choice when visiting London. There is so much wonderful art here that you could stay for a month (at least!) and not see it all. You also need to be aware that it is housed in a large number of art galleries throughout the city, and there are treasures to be found in many different places.What cou... More..
Autos > Driving & Safety How to avoid car accidents: 1 of 11
To be absolutely accurate, an accident cannot be avoided. By definition, an accident is something beyond the control of an individual. You might as well talk about preventing a ball from landing in a particular slot on a roulette wheel.However, there are certainly ways of minimising the possibility of being involved in a car ... More..
Pets & Animals > Birds Bird facts: Mallard duck: 1 of 11
To British ears of a certain age (50+ that is), the name "Mallard" will always mean the A4 class steam railway locomotive that, at 126 miles per hour, broke the world speed record for steam in 1938, and still holds it to this day.However, the association between a streamlined loco, built for speed, and a bulky dabbling duck s... More..
Sciences > Zoology Biography: Charles Darwin: 1 of 10
It is hard to bring to mind any scientist who was as controversial and misunderstood as Charles Darwin, not only in his own time but even to the present day.He was born on 12th February 1809 in Shrewsbury, in the north midlands of England. His father was a doctor, himself the son of Erasmus Darwin, who was an early advocate o... More..