Earth Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 07 April 2017 > Celebrate

This year on Earth Day, April 22, Washington D.C. will lead many other cities around the world in a March for Science. The organisers say that more than ever scientists need to be supported in the face of climate-change sceptics. As Earth Day approaches its 50th anniversary, the planet’s environment is still under threat. Since … Continue reading “Earth Day”

Time to Read: World Book Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 02 March 2017 > Celebrate

2 March is World Book Day, so grab a book, or bring some book-based fun into your classroom. World Book Day is a United Nations initiative but it’s especially big in the UK, where it is an occasion to encourage children in particular to read. Schools sign up for schemes where pupils are given £1 … Continue reading “Time to Read: World Book Day”

With Love from Loveland on Valentine’s Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 03 February 2017 > Celebrate

Valentine’s Day, 14 February, is the day to spread some love. Not necessarily romance, friendship is also celebrated. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries. Its origins date back to Roman times, spring fertility festivals and two early Christian martyrs associated with love. But each country has its own variations, and special quirks. I Love … Continue reading “With Love from Loveland on Valentine’s Day”

Shetland Viking Fire Festival

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 19 January 2017 > Celebrate

The Shetland Islands are the northernmost part of the U.K., and belonged to Norway until 1468. So it’s no surprise that the highpoint in the Shetland cultural calendar is a spectacular Viking fire festival in January: Up Helly Aa. On the last Tuesday of January, a thousand costumed men pull a Viking longship through Lerwick … Continue reading “Shetland Viking Fire Festival”

Australia Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 15 December 2016 > Celebrate

Australians celebrate their national day on 26 January, the anniversary of the first British colonisation of the continent in 1788. On 26 January, 1788, the British flag was first flown over the penal colony that was to be established at Sydney Cove. It marked the end of a nine-month journey for the 1,500 people, half … Continue reading “Australia Day”

Brontë Anniversaries

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 09 December 2016 > Celebrate

Two hundred years on, the three Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, are still some of the best-loved novelists Britain has produced. Their enduring classics Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall conquer new readers in each generation and have inspired many other writers and artists. The bicentenary of their births, from … Continue reading “Brontë Anniversaries”

Montgomery Bus Boycott: A Victory for Civil Rights

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 28 November 2016 > Celebrate

Sixty years ago, on 20 December, 1956, Martin Luther King and his fellow campaigners won a first victory in the long battle for African-American civil rights. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, which had begun when Rosa Parks famously refused to move to the back of the bus, finally ended after 381 days, when the Supreme Court … Continue reading “Montgomery Bus Boycott: A Victory for Civil Rights”

Equal Pay Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 07 November 2016 > Celebrate

“Equal Pay Day” is marked on different days in countries but the message is the same: women are paid less than men for equivalent work, and it’s time to raise awareness of this gender pay gap. In France, Equal Pay Day 2016 is being marked on 7 November. In the UK it’s the 10th. That’s … Continue reading “Equal Pay Day”

A “Thrilling” Halloween

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 14 October 2016 > Celebrate

If you’re looking for a fun language activity before the holidays, how about transforming your pupils into dancing zombies? For the tenth year running, Thrill the World will try to break its own world record for the biggest simultaneous dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”: 22,596 people around the world! The song’s video with Jackson doing … Continue reading “A “Thrilling” Halloween”