February is Black History Month - Rosa Parks

Rosa Lee Parks was forty-two years old when she made history. She was sitting on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, one day in 1955 when a white man demanded her seat. Mrs Parks refused, defying the rules which required blacks to give up their seats to whites. She was arrested and fined. Her treatment triggered a three hundred and eighty one day boycott of the bus system, organised by the Reverend Martin Luther King Junior. The Montgomery bus boycott marked the birth of the civil rights movement.

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. First published in 1964, it has become one of his best known titles and has been translated into numerous languages. However, the book has raised controversy regarding the relationship between the main characters (a boy and a tree). Should it be interpreted as positive (generosity of the tree, selfless love) or as negative(selfishness of the boy)?

American Food

American Holidays

Thanks to our former Language Assistant (Onawa Gardiner) for preparing this presentation.

February is Black History Month - Martin Luther King Jr

Check out this presentation about Martin Luther King Jr to learn about his life and achievements.

May 1st - Labour Day - International Worker's Day

Labor Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world. It originated from the eight-hour day movement in the nineteenth century. Labor unions called for eight hours for work, eight hours for play, and eight hours for sleep. It then became a reason for workers to celebrate their social and economic progress in the early twentieth century. Today, people are happy it is a day off work and perhaps forget the origins of this important holiday. Most countries celebrate this day on May 1. In some countries it is called May Day and in others it is known as International Workers’ Day. More and more countries are moving the day to the first Monday in May, so people get a three-day weekend.

People around the world celebrate Labor Day in different ways. In China it marked the beginning of a seven-day holiday called Golden Week. People from all over the country traveled to their hometowns or visited resorts. However, in 2008, the Chinese government went back to the single public holiday. Indians have celebrated Labour Day since May 1, 1927. There are many festivals and processions organized by different labour organizations and people fill the streets for huge parties. Italians celebrate the day with a huge, free music concert in Rome. Up to one million people attend the spectacular. For most people, it is a chance to enjoy the nice weather and have a picnic with family, friends and co-workers.

Here is some information and vocabulary about the date.

Happy Halloween!!

Every year, on October 31st, people in the USA and the UK celebrate Halloween parties, parades and go trick-or-treating. Learn more about this tradition watching this BBC video.
Video

International Women's Day

This week we celebrate International Women's Day (March 8th).
About International Women's Day:
When: 8 March
Where: Everywhere
What:   International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.
Why:   Suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote. The word 'Suffragette' is derived from the word "suffrage" meaning the right to vote. International Women's Day honours the work of the Suffragettes, celebrates women's success, and reminds of inequities still to be redressed. The first International Women's Day event was run in 1911. Find out more clicking here.

Great Britain!

Click here to watch the videos!

Find out what's great about Britain and share your opinion! A series of videos from the BBC website that show different aspects of British culture. Enjoy!!

The second languages of every part of the world in an incredible infographic!

The website MoveHub.com is a resource for people looking to move abroad.

It has released this eye-opening infographic that shows the second language of every region across the globe. Some are rather predictable, like Canada's knowledge of French. 

But others are very telling about the histories of certain regions and how our global story has played out over hundreds of years.

Take a look at what the website compiled. Click to read more.

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, here are some facts about the holiday!!

by Raj Kamal.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

Closed for business!

Some resources to help you understand Government Shutdown in the USA. Before the end of each fiscal year (September 30th), Congress is tasked with passing a set of bills that allot funds to many Federal Agencies. No funds, means no business, and all those agencies have to turn everything off (including the Departments of Education,  Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, Interior... Environmental Protection Agency, US Courts, NASA, National Parks...)
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Multimedia overview of the meltdown.
From USAToday.A clear list of explanations about the situation.

Embarrassed by Government Shutdown

Education Systems in the US and UK

Thanks to our Language Assistants, Mehdi and Jon, for putting together these interesting presentations about the education systems in their countries!!

50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

New York Times frontpage, August 28, 1963

Today, August 28th, we commemorate the historic March on Washington which occurred 50 years ago. Here are some links with interesting information about the Great March.

Witnesses to History, 50 years later, from The New York Times. People who attended the March share their memories and thoughts.

From NPR.org, "For King's Adviser, Fulfilling The Dream "Cannot Wait"








Watch some parts of the famous speech Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered at the National Mall, in Washington DC.

Happy Fourth of July!

Every Fourth of July, Americans celebrate their independence from Britain (07/04/1776). Here are some numbers about the date...

Click here to learn more about this important date in American History.

Abraham Lincoln

On this day in 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed a measure abolishing slavery in U.S. territories.
Click here to learn more about the 16th president of the United States.
Listen to his famous speech, the Gettysburg Address.

Teenager Problems

The 15 most annoying things about being in high school, according to Reddit.

Oh!! How far we've come!

Check this 80´s ad for a 10Mb hard drive!! What a bargain!

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