The two main candidates for the 2024 U.S. Presidential election will participate in a TV debate on 27 June, months earlier than in usual campaign years. Donald Trump and Joe Biden aren’t even officially the Republican and Democratic candidates yet: that will happen when their parties hold their national conventions, from 15 July for the … Continue reading “Biden and Trump Debate”
A new documentary, Girls State, looks at a social experiment where 500 girls from Missouri try to form a government, running for positions like Governor and Supreme Court Justices. It makes a fascinating contrast with the award-winning 2020 documentary by the same team following 1000 boys in Texas participating in the same national project. Both … Continue reading “If Girls Were in Charge”
You may not be familiar with her name but you must be familiar with her struggle: fighting inequalities, defending minorities and women… Shirley Chisholm, a trailblazer in politics, the first African American woman to run for president in the 1970s paved the way for the following generations thanks to her determination. Her willpower and desire to … Continue reading “Chisholm for President”
A new TV film shines the spotlight on a trailblazer in U.S. politics: Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first, and only, woman to run for the Presidential nomination. Regina King plays “Fighting Shirley”, who faced, and faced up to, obstacles all through … Continue reading “Shirley Chisholm the Woman Who Ran for President”
If you are born on 29 February, you can consider yourself very special… or very unlucky! The chances of being born on a leap day (the extra day we have every four years in leap years) are 1 in 1461. So, people born on that day are rare. But they also only have one “real” … Continue reading “Happy Leap Day!”
Ireland has a new bank holiday: St Brigid’s Day, the first to be in honour of a woman. From 2023, it is marked on the first Monday in February. St Brigid is one of Ireland’s three patron saints, alongside St Colmcille and St Patrick. Like so many Irish celebrations, the Catholic saint’s day on 1 … Continue reading “Ireland Has a New Holiday”
The electoral process for a U.S. President is long, with many candidates declaring their campaigns six or even 12 months before primary season opens in January. But this year, the primaries could lack suspense, with one incumbent candidate, President Joe Biden for the Democrats, and one Republican, Donald Trump dominating that party’s primary process despite … Continue reading “On the Election Road: U.S.A. 2024”
Traditionally, the U.S. presidential election primary season starts off not with a primary but with a caucus. What’s the difference? Both primaries and caucuses are a way to choose candidates for a party’s election campaign. Not only party members vote – all voters can choose to register as Democrat or Republican when they sign up … Continue reading “Caucus vs Primary”
This three-minute film with no dialogue is a great basis of a discussion about Christmas with your classes. It also fits with the theme of being different, and starts in a boarding school. The premise is that Santa Claus started out at a school for extraordinary children, where as a child he slowly grew his … Continue reading “Short Christmas Film”
All through Elizabeth II’s long reign, the Queen’s Speech was shorthand for the UK’s State Opening of Parliament, which takes place annually at the beginning of each parliamentary session. The monarch reads out a speech to the assembled Houses of Lords and Commons detailing the government’s programme of legislation for the upcoming year. On 7 … Continue reading “What is the King’s Speech?”