Doctor She

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 20 July 2017 > In the News

It was the British equivalent of making an announcement during the halftime break in the U.S. Superbowl game. Immediately after the 2017 Wimbledon men’s final the BBC revealed what the entire U.K. seemed to have been waiting for… that the next actor to portray the lead in sci-fi series Dr Who would be… a woman! … Continue reading “Doctor She”

Jamaican Rebel Music

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 26 April 2017 > What's On

Jamaica is famous for reggae, and in particular Bob Marley. But Jamaican music has a long and complex history, and is much more influential than seems credible for a nation with a population of less than 3 million. In music, as in athletics, Jamaica punches well above its weight. An exhibition at the Philharmonie demonstrates … Continue reading “Jamaican Rebel Music”

Robot Videos

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 24 March 2017 > Webpicks

The new robot exhibition at London’s Science Museum offers several videos on this motivating subject which can lead to work on science and technology, but also on human anatomy, modals and comparisons. The exhibition trailer doesn’t have any voiceover, just onscreen text. It points out that by looking at robots we question what it is … Continue reading “Robot Videos”

Robots Invade London’s Science Museum

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 17 March 2017 > What's On

Robots seem futuristic, in the realm of science-fiction. But a new exhibition at London’s Science Museum traces their history back 500 years. A hundred mechanical wonders have taken over the museum. The exhibition’s curator, Ben Russell, explains that it was when astrologers developed a view of the universe as functioning like a clockwork mechanism, they … Continue reading “Robots Invade London’s Science Museum”

Basic Income: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 17 March 2017 > In the News

Canada pioneered an experiment on a universal basic income for all citizens in the 1970s. Now, one province, Ontario, has promised another trial. And other countries or regions are also toying with a basic income for all. In 1974, when Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister, the federal government and Manitoba Province launched a four-year minimum … Continue reading “Basic Income: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?”

Hidden Figures in the Space Race

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 17 March 2017 > Ready to Use

In this B1-level article, your students will learn how a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as ‘human computers’ used their talents to help NASA launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. Even if Virginia’s Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white colleagues, the black women of Langley’s group contributed to America’s … Continue reading “Hidden Figures in the Space Race”