Presidential Inaugurations: A Video

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 14 January 2025 > Webpicks

Once every four years, a U.S. President is inaugurated. This video gives a succinct summary of the significance of this ritualised event. The first 1m30 gives an overview of the day from the oath to the speech and the inaugural balls, with some short extracts from Abraham Lincoln’s and John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speeches. Then … Continue reading “Presidential Inaugurations: A Video”

New Congress, New Challenges

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 14 January 2025 > In the News

The 119th U.S. Congress convened for the first time on 3 January. Although the Republican Party achieved the “trifecta” of the Presidency and majorities in both houses of Congress in the November elections,  divisions within the party mean it won’t be simple to pass legislation. The Republicans have a five seat majority in the Senate … Continue reading “New Congress, New Challenges”

Everything You Need to Know About: U.S. Presidential Inaugurations

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 14 January 2025 > Celebrate

On Monday, 20 January, Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States at his second Inauguration in Washington D.C. What does the Inauguration involve, who participates, and what does it cost? The first Inauguration was George Washington’s in New York in 1789. The newly independent United States hadn’t built its new federal … Continue reading “Everything You Need to Know About: U.S. Presidential Inaugurations”

Wicked

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 12 December 2024 > Ready to Use

The famous Wicked musical is now a film. How about embarking your 6e students on a trip to Oz and the Emerald City in order to make them discover the world of Wicked while revising the present simple and learning words about school and wizardry? The trailer focuses mainly on the Shiz University section and … Continue reading “Wicked”

America, America Photography Exhibition in Lyon

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 22 October 2024 > What's On

America, America is an exhibition of photos by esteemed American photojournalists and street photographers such as Lewis Hine, Gordon Parks and Helen Levitt. They are all part of the Marin Karmitz collection and are on show at the Lumière Institute till 5 January. The forty works on display span the 20th century, starting chronologically with … Continue reading “America, America Photography Exhibition in Lyon”

James Baldwin Centenary

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 26 September 2024 > Celebrate

2024 marks the centennial of the birth of James Baldwin, novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, civil-rights campaigner and social critic, as well as self-proclaimed American “Native Son”. Born in 1924 in Harlem, New York, Baldwin grew up in poverty, the eldest of nine children. Harlem was home to many black families who had moved from the … Continue reading “James Baldwin Centenary”

Festival America 2024: A Transatlantic Literary Dialogue

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 25 September 2024 > In the News

From September 26 to 29, 2024, the city of Vincennes is set to host the 11th edition of Festival America, a must-attend event for North American literature enthusiasts. This year, the festival distinguishes itself by broadening its horizons to include European voices, creating a true transatlantic dialogue. The festival’s program promises to be rich and … Continue reading “Festival America 2024: A Transatlantic Literary Dialogue”

U.S Election: J.D. Vance

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 19 July 2024 > In the News

On 15 July, Donald Trump announced his running mate for the 5 November presidential election: Senator J.D. Vance. The new Republican candidate for Vice-President is a conservative serving his first term in the Senate and a former critic of Trump. James David Vance grew up poor in the mid-west, in Ohio, although his family roots … Continue reading “U.S Election: J.D. Vance”

Biden and Trump Debate

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 25 June 2024 > In the News

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”

If Girls Were in Charge

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 06 May 2024 > In the News

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”