A Gift for Christmas

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 06 December 2018 > Celebrate

Sometimes a simple idea can have an enormous effect. A suggestion from a group of British teenagers could brighten Christmas for hundreds of thousands of families living on the breadline. The group of 13 teenagers from Exeter in southwest England participated in a National Citizen Service programme last summer. One of the steps was to … Continue reading “A Gift for Christmas”

Running Dry

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 06 December 2018 > In the News

Australian water activist Mina Guli has undertaken a gruelling physical challenge to draw attention to the growing global water crisis. From November till February she is attempting to run 100 marathons in 100 days. The United Nations estimates that there will be a 40% shortfall between demand and supply for water globally by 2030. Increasing … Continue reading “Running Dry”

Michael Jackson: On the Wall

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 06 December 2018 > What's On

It’s become a cliché to describe a celebrity as an iconic figure but a new exhibition about Michael Jackson takes the word “iconic” in a more literal sense. Michael Jackson: On the Wall looks at how the visual artists depicted and idolised one of the biggest music stars of his, or any, time. Jackson was … Continue reading “Michael Jackson: On the Wall”

Michael Morpurgo at Shakespeare and Co

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 06 December 2018 > What's On

The War Horse author is one of Britain’s most popular children’s literature writers, although his books are far from lightweight, tackling difficult emotional themes. Michael Morpurgo will host an evening at the legendary English-language bookstore Shakespeare & Co on Tuesday 18 December. The veteran author, now 75, has written more than 150 books for children and teens. … Continue reading “Michael Morpurgo at Shakespeare and Co”

Go Scottish for St Andrews

Posted by Speakeasy News > Sunday 25 November 2018 > Celebrate

St Andrew’s Day, 30 November, is the Scottish national day. It’s a time to wear some tartan, listen to some bagpipes playing “Oh Flower of Scotland”, dance a Highland fling and eat some haggis and shortbread with a wee glass of malt whisky! A typical Scottish expression at this time of year is, “The nights … Continue reading “Go Scottish for St Andrews”

Working on Articulation

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 19 November 2018 > Pedagogy

No doubt the way someone utters individual sounds or words plays a considerable part in this. But there are other, perhaps more important elements to consider. And I suggest that one of them is the way someone positions their articulators. The articulators are the different moveable speech organs that enable a person to pronounce the … Continue reading “Working on Articulation”

Marvel Superheroes Creator Stan Lee Dies

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 14 November 2018 > In the News

The Marvel-verse of superheroes are orphans. The man who created some of the most enduring characters in popular culture has died at age 95. Stan Lee co-created Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four: superheroes with a good dose of human frailty. Stanley Lieber was born in Manhattan in 1922, the son … Continue reading “Marvel Superheroes Creator Stan Lee Dies”

A Talk About Mary Shelley

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 08 November 2018 > What's On

The British Council in Paris will be hosting a talk by the author of a recent biography of Mary Shelley on 13 December. Originally scheduled for Friday 23 November, the talk was postponed due to illness. Fiona Sampson, poet and writer, will talk about Shelley, the subject of her recent biography In Search of Mary … Continue reading “A Talk About Mary Shelley”

Shock: an Election that Went as Predicted

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 07 November 2018 > In the News

Political pundits were very guarded in their predictions for the U.S. midterm elections after the surprise victory of Donald Trump in 2016. Pundits and polling organisations also got their predictions wrong in the Brexit referendum and last U.K. election. So it was almost a surprise that the midterm results were pretty much as expected. The … Continue reading “Shock: an Election that Went as Predicted”