It’s that time of year again when the Queen of England compiles her list of those worthy and deserving enough to be a recipient of one of her birthday honours. It’s an incredibly privileged award and usually only issued to those who have contributed in a highly significant way to their community or country.
And though we generally only hear of the more famous recipients, the honours are issued to members of the general public across all sectors particularly to those who have achieved or accomplished something worthy of being recognised at the highest level.
For example, over 275 people were awarded the British Empire Medal for the Queens Birthday Honours just recently and they included everyday people for services to policing, local government, to their community and for their charitable work.
For those of us who are more familiar with some of the titles, the OBE is one which garners a lot of publicity. it is the Order of the British Empire and recognises distinguished service to those involved with charities, welfare organisations, public services and the arts and sciences.
It was created in 1917 during World War 1 when King George V saw the need to create a new list in a bid to more widely recognise those that were helping the war effort both on the front lines and at home.
Fast forward to 2013 and the range of people included has widened and though there are still a large number of soldiers honoured, it has extended beyond that even if sometimes the service appears on the surface as being quite frivolous such as for services to fashion journalism as in the case of Hillary Alexander who is the fashion editor of The Daily Telegraph.
I only say that as others on the list include Professor Wendy Atkin a Professor in gastrointestinal epidemiology at the Imperial College London in recognition for her services to bowel cancer prevention which seems a little more worthy on the face of things.
A more familiar face in the UK is Clare Balding who most of us recognise for her TV racing coverage, particularly the Grand National, and her OBE is for services to broadcasting and journalism.
Those in the Armed Forces, on the recommendation of the Ministry Of Defence, are also eligible for an honour for exceptional gallantry, achievement or service and can qualify for both civilian and military decorations.
The highest Military Award issued for the Queens Birthday 2013 was to General Sir Peter Anthony Wall of the Royal Engineers who was given the Knights Grand Cross of the Order Of Bath (GCB) with the Knights Companion of the Order Of Bath being given to Lt Gen Richard Barrons of the Royal regiment of Artillery and Lt Gen Adrian Bradshaw of the Kings Royal Hussars.
Most illustrious of all though must be the Knighthoods. From a regular everyday person to ‘Sir‘ or ‘Dame’ in the length of time it takes for the Queen to bestow it using the sword also previously used by her father.
The latest of those indoctrinated into this very exclusive club includes the much loved Anthony Robinson for his public and political service although we all know him better as the hapless and dry-witted Baldrick from Blackadder, one of only 29 men to be knighted this time around.
About The Author:
Paul Warrander is a leading contributor on some of the interest’s best horse racing websites. Connect with him on Google Plus.
The act was never passed through a true democratic process. It was slipped through congress at the time in a “must-pass” Iraqi War/Tsunami relief supplement bill. The Real ID Act hence lacks legitimacy that comes from being studied, debated, considered, and directly voted upon by America’s elected representatives. While Congress passed it, state legislatures struggle with it. They have to appropriate the money for this act, and in some cases change the state laws. Making the necessary technological changes to comply with this act would be burdensome, and it is a threat to privacy and immigration groups. Because of its lack in proper analysis, the Real ID Act is considerably controversial for these reasons.
Tolkien fans get to return to Middle Earth and see where the LOTR saga began during the 2012 holiday season. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is scheduled to release on December 14th of this new year. Peter Jackson agreed to the role of directing this film. Key actors from the epic trilogy like Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, and Ian Mckellen also appear in this prequel. For those unfamiliar with The Hobbit, as mentioned this is the account of how the events of the Lord of the Rings series came to be.
The much loved comedy, Arrested Development, has taken a leave of absence after it’s previous cancelation. For years fans of the short lived series hoped and rumored a return for the Bluth Family. It has been officially announced in a press release that Arrested Development will be making it’s return to your home sometimes in early 2013. The only new quirk about the show is that it will only be available as a Netflix exclusive. Netflix has been pondering over exclusive content for some time now and has even begun filming a few series that only they will have, but this has come as a surprise to most everyone. While some fans rejoice, others fear that Netflix will be stingy with the rights to the show and deter the newly planned season from ever seeing DVD format. The future of the show is still under wraps, and not much more has been announced in regards to the new season or if Netflix will allow it to be sold as a DVD after it debutes, but one thing is for sure, this could mean many more new subscribers for Netflix, just for the return of Arrested Development!