HAPPY 200TH BIRTHDAY, MR. DICKENS!

Many cities around the world are celebrating Charles Dickens' bicentenary today, so why not pay one of the major novelists in English Literature a little homage and see the following videos? Happy Dickens' Year!

(Check http://www.dickens2012.org/ for full information on this event)





http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16850193 (BBC News: 200th anniversary celebrates the works of Dickens)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-16846438 (BBC News: Charles Dickens bicentenary: The Dickens industry)

POPPIES AND MORE.....

England footballers will now be allowed to wear poppies when playing Spain at the weekend, says world football's governing body, FIFA

What's a poppy? What does it mean?

Take a look at this

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15637074

London 2012: Torch relay heading for 1,000 places

London Games organisers have set out the 1,018 places the torch will pass through when it is carried around the UK from 19 May to 27 July 2012.

On the last day of the 70-day relay it will travel down the River Thames to Olympic Park for the opening ceremony.

Read more here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15572381

Steve Jobs, a visionary

On October 5, 2011 Jobs died in California. On his death he was widely described as a visionary, pioneer and genius. Apart from that, he was also seen as a great inventor of "slogans": "THINK DIFFERENT" he said. In 2005 he addressed himself to a wide audience of university students at Standford University in the USA. He ended his lecture with these words:  STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH"

Here are the links to the video and the transcript:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtbJM9ksxo8   (English subtitles – part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLl59Q2GuC0  (English subtitles – part 2)

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html  (the text)

Richard Reed, Entrepeneur

INNOCENT DRINKS!

The founder of UK company Innocent Drinks describes how he and three Cambridge University friends took their business venture from idea to reality.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11551271

Want to know something more about LONDON?

"He who is tired of London is tired of Life." 
Samuel Johnson


Do you think you know everything about London? Try out this test!!!!
http://www.soundguideweb.com/pages/london/qcm.htm

Now, you could watch this video.....

British Press

For all of you interested in the British Press this is the link to wikipedia that will take you to all online newspapers....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_the_United_Kingdom

this is a link to some newspaper's front pages:
http://www.frontpagestoday.co.uk/

The King's Speech

This excellent movie has received 12 nominations for the Oscar Awards

Watch the clip ‘Exercise’ on the official film website:


http://www.kingsspeech.com/media.html

http://www.filmeducation.org/thekingsspeech/index.html (right here there is an option to read the transcript of the trailer)


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fFHn2lRJQr398CrpzvPc1prO8pDhWG4BJGSTqLS39Fk/edit?hl=en# (fill in the gap activity.... to practise)


A few questions to consider:

a) the future king is treated quite roughly by the speech therapist, especially considering the great wide social
difference between them. But...look closely – who appears to have the greater power or control in the opening of this clip? Why do you think this is so?

b) In the film, before the 1934 radio broadcast of the King’s Christmas message, King George V (the former King) says:
“This devilish device will change everything…In the past all a king had to do was look respectable in uniform and not fall off his horse.Now we must invade people’s houses and ingratiate ourselves with them.This family has been reduced to those lowest and basest of all creatures.We have become actors.”
Radio changed the way the monarchy interacted with the pubic. Since the time the film is set, many more
changes in media technology and broadcasting have taken place. Consider the way any Royal Family use the media to interact with the public today.

BURNS NIGHT

Today, 25th January, Burns Night is celebrated in Scotland.  This is a satirical poem by Burns. Below, the translation.


Addresed to a gentleman…

Robert Burns (Scotland, 1759-1796)

Addresed to a gentleman at table
who kept boasting of the company he kept.
What of lords with whom you've supped,
And of dukes that you dined with yestreen!
A louse, sir, is still a louse,
Though it crawl on the locks of a queen.

Dirigido a un comensal...
Dirigido a un comensal que presumía
de las compañías que frecuentaba.
¡Seguid comiendo con lores
y con duques id de cena!
El piojo es también piojo
en los bucles de una reina.

I have a dream.....

Today, January 17th is Martin Luther King's Day.

A good idea is to revise part of his famous speech in Washington D.C in 1963. Spot the differences.....

http://michel.barbot.pagesperso-orange.fr/hotpot/mlk/dream1.htm

TO TEA OR NOT TO TEA

If you want the transcript:http://en.yappr.com/welcome/Video.action?videoGuid=89D9E4AC-8D4A-4381-ACC1-77A88D31C475