Scotland is an amazing, unique country with so much to celebrate: spectacular islands, mountains, glens and lochs; a... More > wonderful culture of music, poetry and dance; a proud, though sometimes tragic history; a national football squad that can hold its own against some of the best Girl Guide teams in the world... Then there's haggis, the Loch Ness Monster, the kilt, whisky, Irn-Bru, heather, thistles, bagpipes and so on...

But there's one thing the Scots as a nation do particularly well: they take the piss out of all of this! Yes - when the Scots tell a joke it's usually at their own expense. So this collection of gems pokes fun at just about everyone and everything from kilts and haggis through footie and thriftiness to Sassenachs, Teeries, and Glaswegians. Some of the jokes are old favourites retold, some are brand new, and some are a few specimens found on that internet thingy which have been massaged to make them almost funny. < Less

Cockney is the dialect of East London. It was back in the 14th century that the term ‘cockney’ was first coined, as an... More > insult by country folk to describe working class Londoners and their speech – cockeneyes meaning rotten egg, or, more literally, the egg of a cock. The dialect developed as the capital grew in Tudor and Georgian times, but it didn’t become an identifying feature of London life until Charles Dickens popularised it in the 19th century. By this stage anyone born within the sound of the bells of St Mary Le Bow church, about a mile East of the City of London, was deemed to be a Cockney.
And it is for rhyming that Cockney is most famous. The origins of this are unclear, but it was probably done to keep non-Cockneys ignorant of what was being said.
The dialect is full of pitfalls for the innocent, but with this easy-to-use dictionary you should be able to slip into Cockney circles smoothly, without anyone ever suspecting that you are some sort of West London Charlie Ronce. < Less

When we think of laws in the UK we recall the Magna Carta of about 800 years ago. All over Europe laws were formed and had... More > time to mature over the centuries. Not so in the USA which grew to be a world power in a relatively short period. As a new country, laws would spring up wherever people would settle. Any educated man could become a lawyer and any local judge could pass laws in his town that he felt appropriate.
Although most of these laws seem very silly to us now, at the time they must have been passed for a reason and because the town’s leading citizens wanted to stamp out a particular problem.
The section on funny American laws, which takes up most of the book, is divided alphabetically by State. It is an eclectic set of laws chosen for their weirdness and comic aspects. Each State’s motto is noted after the State heading. A random collection of funny laws from other parts of the world follow but really, as you will see, America has the crown! < Less

Welcome to the 'Daily Dose' series: 365 quotes, jokes and proverbs on different subjects to keep you amused all year round.... More > This is the second volume in the series and we’re focusing on money.

Are you deep in debt but shallow in pocket? Rich in ideas but poor in results? Don’t worry! 'Daily Dose: Money' is here to help lighten the load and make you smile.

“Saving is a very fine thing. Especially when your parents have done it for you” Winston Churchill...

“Make lots of money. Enjoy the work. Operate within the law. Choose any two of three” Jack Dee. < Less

The world is full of philosophy – everywhere you look people are trying to unravel the deep meaning of life, even if they... More > don’t realize it. Yet, though nearly everyone does it, there is a great image of pretentiousness surrounding the sport, as if philosophy were difficult to do! Well, I can tell you for a fact that I know nothing about philosophy. Yet was it not Socrates who advocated that the only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing?

Bertrand Russell wrote that ‘the point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as to seem not worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it’.

Just remember – if you can argue it, it’s philosophy. So sit back, put on your favourite smoking jacket, draw your pipe, and fill it with cannabis: for today, gentlemen, we shall philosophize... < Less

The internet has changed the way we live today and we cannot now imagine what life would be like without it. Along with... More > Amazon and Google, eBay has become an integral part of our daily existence.

In this book we have collected some of the strangest and funniest items that have turned up on eBay.

Marvel at the haunted painting that was put up for sale with a warning. Stand back in amazement at the sale of seeds to grow your own cows. And prepare to be shocked and repulsed at the same time by the serial killer’s signed fingernails.

Enjoy! < Less

Here is a guide to the student, that inherently useless proportion of the population that nonetheless requires a vast amount... More > of government funding and acts as though it has the right to an opinion, just because it is ‘educated’.

Whether you are one, have been one or would cross the road to avoid one, read on to find out more about this fascinating species!

Topics covered range from Student Spotting and Tips For Blending in as a Student, through Student Issues, to Breeds of Students. < Less

Welcome to the Daily Dose series: 365 quotes and jokes on different subjects to keep you amused all year round. This is the... More > first volume in the series and we’re focusing on getting old . . .

We all know that, barring accidents or illness, we will live to a ripe old age and see Mother nature run her course. As long as we keep an open mind, have a sense of humour and are not easily embarrassed, then being a senior citizen can be a lot of fun.

This book is dedicated to old age and everyone who gets there. Enjoy it and don’t give a monkey’s what the younger generation think! Remember: their time will come! < Less

Faith:
- A complete trust or confidence in someone or something
- A strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on... More > spiritual conviction rather than proof
- A belief that is not based on proof
- A belief in anything as a code of ethics or standards of merit
- An allegiance to duty of a person
- Being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see...

However you wish to define ‘faith’, it is a very personal thing; the force of life, as Tolstoy said. Faith offers with it the comforts of optimism and hope, goodness and light. It’s still believing the best in everyone even when you’ve seen the worst in some.

We hope this collection of faith quotes will uplift and inspire you. < Less

“Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen; soccer is a gentleman’s game played by beasts; football is a beastly game... More > played by beasts” Henry Blaha.

Rugby, the full contact team sport that originated in England in the 19th century, is followed by millions of avid fans the world over.

Here is a collection of mostly comical quotes encapsulating the humour of the sport and those who play and follow it. < Less