The Suffragette campaign was one of the major civil-rights movements of 20th century Britain. It’s amazing that 100 years after women finally got the vote, there had never been a film made about it! Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby, An Education), Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep, finally puts the Suffragettes centre stage. … Continue reading “Suffragettes on Screen”
Muhammad Ali hadn’t boxed in over thirty years, but news of his death made the headlines around the world. Ali was much more than a sporting champion, a strong personality who made his mark on the civil rights movement. Former heavyweight World Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali died on 4 June, 2016. He had suffered from … Continue reading “Muhammad Ali Floated Like a Butterfly”
Britain broke out the bunting and the Union Jacks to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. There are not many 90-year-olds who are still doing a full-time job, even though the Queen now relies more on her children and grandchildren to represent the Royal Family abroad. After becoming Britain’s longest-reigning monarch on 9 September 2015, … Continue reading “The Queen at 90”
The 2016 U.S. presidential race has been hard fought, often acrimonious, and very unusual so far. But now the two main parties have chosen their candidates, the real race to the White House has begun. Who will come out ahead on 8 November? The Democratic and Republican conventions have voted on a platform of policies … Continue reading “The Race to the White House is On”
Inscrivez-vous pour une formation gratuite de six semaines pour les enseignants d’anglais langue étrangère. Le MOOC Pratiques professionnelles pour enseigner l’anglais est proposé par le British Council aux enseignants d’anglais, tous niveaux scolaires, partout dans le monde. Ce MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) s’inscrit dans la formation continue et propose aux enseignants de découvrir et … Continue reading “Formation en ligne gratuite pour les enseignants d’anglais”
From 7-16 September, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is hosting the 2016 Paralympic Games. With each Olympiad, the games for athletes with disabilities are becoming more and more high-profile. The Paralympics began in Stoke Mandeville, England, in 1948. Dr Ludwig Guttmann was working with World War 2 veterans who had spinal injuries. He used sport as … Continue reading “Paralympics Rio 2016”
The complete diaries of World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon — which were small enough to fit into the pocket of his army tunic — have been published online. Due to their fragile state, they were not available to the public, but now all 4,100 pages of journals and poetry notebooks have been digitised by … Continue reading “Sassoon WWI Diaries Published Online”
It’s not often that you get two national treasures, a lot of laughs and a genuine social debate in one film. The Lady in the Van stars Dame Maggie Smith as a homeless woman who installs herself and her van uninvited in the driveway of playwright Alan Bennett. The Lady in the Van does what … Continue reading “Maggie Smith: The Lady in the Van”
British voters have chosen to leave the European Union. The Leave campaign in the 23 June referendum received 51.9% of the votes. What will happen next? The answer to one question leaves many others open: When will Britain leave? The Treaty of Lisbon includes a process for leaving the Union. The British government must inform … Continue reading “Brexit”
2-6 September 2016 marks the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. The fire was a major trauma for the city, and a watershed after which the old, wooden, medieval city made way for a more modern city made of stone. The fire started in the early hours of the morning in the royal … Continue reading “The Great Fire of London”