250 years ago, Captain James Cook led the first of three expeditions to the Pacific which led to the colonisation of Australia and New Zealand. An exhibition at the British Library looks at the legacy of those expeditions, for Britain but also for the populations in the territories Cook visited. Cook was a Royal Navy … Continue reading “Captain Cook: Voyages to the Pacific”
As we bask in the summer heat, our thoughts turn to ice-cream. To eat… or to stick on a postcard! This summer the U.S. Postal Service has launched its first ever “scratch and sniff” stamps to add an olfactory treat to your correspondence. “Scratch and sniff” stickers are popular, so why not transfer the technology … Continue reading “You’ve Got Ice-Cream Mail”
For a weekend in late July, the southern English city of Bristol hosts Europe’s biggest street-art festival. The Urban Paint Festival (Upfest) is celebrating its 10th anniversary from 28 to 30 July with a Simpsons theme. Bristol has form when it comes to street art — it is the home city of the mysterious Banksy, … Continue reading “Bristol: The Painting is on the Walls”
Emily Brontë was born 200 years ago on 30 July. She is the most mysterious of the famous Brontë family and little is known about her. What’s more, the manuscript of her only novel, Wuthering Heights, has never been found. A bicentenary project invited 12,000 visitors to the Brontë Museum to recreate the manuscript, line … Continue reading “Emily Brontë 200”
Nous serions ravis de recevoir des exemples d’erreurs génériques que vos élèves font tout le temps afin de vous proposer en retour des méthodes efficaces pour aider les élèves à éviter ces erreurs. Par exemple, confondre les noms dénombrables et indénombrables : “I read much books.” Ou se tromper dans l’ordre des mots: “I speak very well … Continue reading “Help Us Help You Avoid Student Errors”
On Friday June 15th, after a memorial service which saw Stephen Hawking’s ashes interred at Westminster Abbey, his “message of peace and hope” was sent to the stars. Ashes to Ashes… The ashes of British physicist Stephen Hawking were buried Friday June 15th in a corner of Westminster Abbey between the graves of Charles Darwin … Continue reading “Back in Black… Hole”
You’ve watched all seven seasons, and read the books. There’s a whole year to wait till the concluding season eight. Never fear, you can check out the Game of Thrones touring exhibition all summer in Paris. If you are one of the millions of fans of the series based on George RR Martin’s books, this … Continue reading “Winter is Coming… for the Summer”
Being buried in Westminster Abbey is the highest honour a British person can be given. And yet, like so many British traditions, it has developed in an organic way, with no real rules or system. It is sometimes described as Britain’s Pantheon or Valhalla. The Abbey itself, in London, is a thousand years old and … Continue reading “Westminster Abbey: Britain’s Pantheon”
In 2018, Britain is celebrating the centenary of a major milestone in the suffragette movement’s fight to obtain votes for women, which was led by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Sylvia and Christabel. Emmeline Pankhurst’s great-granddaughter, Dr Helen Pankhurst, is giving two talks in Paris: “From ‘Votes for Women’ to ‘Time’s Up’, Reflections on feminism … Continue reading “Votes for Women: Helen Pankhurst Lecture in Paris”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave birth to her first child, a girl, on 21 June, then shared the news with a photo on social media. The PM will now take six weeks maternity leave while her deputy steps in. At 37, Ardern is New Zealand’s youngest Prime Minister in 150 years, and she … Continue reading “How to Be a Modern Prime Minister”