We'll miss you, Madiba!

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Last week was a sad week for South Africa and for the entire world, as they lost one of their most significant figures. A man who changed the course of history in his country and who opened the way to the abolition of race-based discrimination in other parts of the world. Here's our humble homage to Madiba, as he was called back home.

Nelson Mandela, the former South African president and anti-apartheid icon, diead on Thursday December 5, following the latest in a series of lung infections. He was 95 years old. 

Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) party in the 1940s and would go on to lead protests against the ruling Apartheid regime, which restricted the basic rights of South Africa's nonwhite propulation and barred their participation in government. His resistance to such oppressive policies earned him nearly three decades in prision, during which he became an international symbol of the anti-Apartheid movement. Upon his release in 1990, Mandela helped negotiate an end to the Apartheid system, and four years later he won the election as the first black president of South Africa. He retired from politics in 1999, but remained a global advocate for peace and social justice.

(source: history channel)

Obituary: Nelson Mandela

Who could explain who Nelson Mandela was better than Mandela himself? The lights and shadows of a symbol. Take a few minutes to watch the video below: 

Here are 6 things maybe you didn't know about Nelson Mandela:

1- He was a boxing fan.
2- His original name was not Nelson, but Rolihlahla. (from Xhosa, one of the 11 official languages of the country)
3- He was on a US terror watch list until 2008
4- He forgot his glasses when he was released from prision (he had to borrow his wife Winnie's)
5- He dressed up as a chauffeur to evade police
6- He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree

For further information, click here.

Mandela's memory is inevitably linked to one word: APARTHEID.

Apartheid was a system of legal racial separation which dominated the Republic of South Africa from 1948 to 1993. However, the mechanisms of apartheid were set in place long before 1948, and South Africa continues to deal with the repercussions. Under apartheid, various races were separated into different regions, and discrimination against people of colour was not only acceptable, but legally entrenched, with whites having priority housing, jobs, education, and political power. Although South Africa was heavily criticized for the system, it wa not until 1991 that the legal system of apartheid began to be broken down, and in 1993 was thrown out altogether with the election of Nelson Mandela, the first black democratically elected President of South Africa. The term is also used more generally around the world to refer  to systematic racism which is tolerated, rather than confronted.

(source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-apartheid.htm)

Rest in Peace, Madiba

Breaking News: Margaret Thatcher dies

'I don't think there will be a woman Prime Minister in my lifetime'  M. Thatcher as education secretary in 1973.

Dear students & members of this blog,

A piece of shocking, though not unexpected, news, has hit Britain today. One of its most controversial, yet indispensable political figures of the last century, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, died earlier today of a stroke. She was in office from 1979 to 1990, being the first woman to lead the Conservative Party and to serve as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the one who has stayed in office the longest (three consecutive terms). 

Right before she entered no. 10 Downing Street for the first time ever, in 1979, she pronounced these famous words, paraphrasing St. Francis of Assisi:

"Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope."

But the fact remains that the country was never more divided than when she was in office. Still today, Britons don't agree as to what her legacy is, and if her work had a positive or a negative impact on the nation. Whatever the case, and regardless of opinions and political affinities, she was certainly a key figure in the British history of the 20th century. The older generations must know who she was and what she was like and what she meant for Britain. The younger generations might never have heard of her. So here you have some information on her life and her political history, so that you can have your own opinion on her impact and her relevance.

Obituary: Baroness Thatcher




Here you have the highlights of MrsThatcher's life:

LIFE OF MARGARET THATCHER

• 13 October 1925 - Born Margaret Hilda Roberts in Grantham, Lincolnshire
• 1951 - Married businessman Denis Thatcher
• 1959 - Becomes MP for Finchley
• 1970 - Made minister for education
• 1975 - Elected Conservative leader
• 1979 - Becomes UK's first female prime minister
• 1982 - Falklands War
• 1983 - Elected prime minister for second time
• 1984 - Survives Grand Hotel bombing
• 1984-5 - Takes on unions in Miners' Strike
• 1987 - Wins third term in Downing Street
• 1990 - Resigns as prime minister
• 1992 - Stands down as MP and accepts peerage
• 2002 - Retires from public speaking
• 8 April 2013 - Dies after suffering a stroke

Margaret Thatcher for dummies: click here for more info if you don't know much, or know nothing at all, about the former PM.

As it was pointed out before, there have been countless reactions to Baroness Thatcher's death, from those which stated that 'she ruined the country' to those that thought of her as a 'pioneering figure for women everywhere'.

Mixed reaction to former PM's death

As for her funeral, Baroness Thatcher is to have a ceremonial funeral - a step short of a state funeral - with military honours to be held at St Paul's Cathedral in London. The funeral parade will begin at Chapel of St Mary Undercroft at the Palace of Westminster. A hearse will take the body to the RAF Chapel at the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand. Baroness Thatcher's coffin will be transferred to a gun carriage and drawn by the Kings Troop Royal Artillery to St Paul's Cathedral. The route (see picture below) is to be lined by all three armed forces.

For more info, click on bbc.co.uk

Oscars 2013 - Time to vote for the BEST DIRECTOR

Dear students & readers of this blog,

In last week's poll, it seems it was a very difficult choice, as there were three nominees with two votes, which means that, for you, there are no clear winners. These were Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman & Denzel Washington. Last night, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London celebrated their annual BAFTA awards. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts voted for the best of the year in the British cinema industry, and they voted for Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, as the best film of the year. Ben Affleck himself won the Bafta for best director. Unfortunately, he was not nominated for the Oscar too, as you will see below. Because this week, it is time for you to vote for the BEST DIRECTOR.

And the nominees are:

David O. Russell
Silver Linings Playbook
(El lado bueno de las cosas)

                           Benh Zeitlin
                           Beasts of the Southern Wild
                           (Bestias del sur salvaje)

Steven Spielberg
Lincoln

                                       Ang Lee
                                        Life of Pi
                                        (La vida de Pi)

Michael Haneke
Amour

Oscars 2013 - Time to vote for the BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Dear students & readers of this blog,

In last week's survey, voters decided that JENNIFER LAWRENCE & NAOMI WATTS are the two most probable winners of the oscar for best leading actress. Time has come now to vote for the BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE. 

And the nominees are:

Bradley Cooper
Silver Linings Playbook
(El lado bueno de las cosas)

                                          Daniel Day-Lewis
                                           Lincoln











Hugh Jackman
Les Miserables                                                                                Joaquin Phoenix
                                                                                                        The Master

Denzel Washington

The Flight

(El Vuelo)

Oscars 2013 - Time to vote for the BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Dear students & readers of this blog,

In last week's survey, we got a draw. According to voters, Alan Arkin & Tommy Lee Jones are your favourites to win the oscar for the best supporting actor.

Time to vote for your BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

Jessica Chastain
Zero Dark Thirty
(La noche más oscura)

                                                 Jennifer Lawrence
                                                Silver Linings Playbook
                                           (El lado bueno de las cosas)    


                                                                             








Emmanuelle Riva - Amour                                                                        


                                             Quvenzhané Wallis
                                       Beasts of the Southern Wild
                                         (Bestias del sur salvaje)

Naomi Watts - The Impossible

(Lo Imposible)

Oscars 2013 - Now, time to vote for the best actor in a supporting role

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Time to vote for the BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE. And the nominees are:

Alan Arkin - Argo

                          

                           Robert de Niro - Silver Linings Playbook

Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master

                                                                              

                                                                        

                              Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Don't forget to vote for your favourite Supporting Actor on the sidebar!!!

Oscars 2013 - Vote for your favourites

Dear students & readers of this blog,

Once more, Uncle Oscar is visiting us. Next February 24, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of America will celebrate the 85th edition of its annual awards. Along the following weeks, I will be presenting you with the Nominees in the main categories for you to pick your favourite. In the sidebar you will find a weekly survey. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!

This week, the nominees for BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Amy Adams - The Master

                                                       Sally Field - Lincoln





                                     





Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables

                                                                               
                                             Helen Hunt - The Sessions





                         




 

                                        Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

The End is Near - Domesday 2012 according to the Mayans

Dear students & readers of this blog,

In the middle of all our Christmas preparations, rumours, or rather, beliefs that the world is going to end next Friday, December 21, are all over the media. Apparently, the Mayans, an Ancient people of Central America, forsaw the 'Domesday', or the day the world will end, in a catastrophe that will be preceded by natural disasters. Most people seem not to believe the world will end next Friday, but some others are getting ready for a catastrophe.

'Recent hurricanes, unrest in the Middle East, solar flares, mystery planets about to collide with us - all "proof" of that the ancient Mayans knew would come to pass on 21 December 2012.'

(Source: BBC)

So what do you think? Do you believe the end is near? Please COMMENT to give us your opinion.

If you want some more information on this subject, read the following article published on the BBC website: MAYAN APOCALYPSE: THE END OF THE WORLD, OR A NEW BEGINNING?

Or rather, if you wish to listen about it, rather than read about it, click on the link to the programme on BBC Radio 4 '2012 - The End of Time'.

Let's hope that the Mayans were wrong, and that we still have many hears ahead of us, to learn about English and English-speaking cultures!!

Debate: are we facing the end of prank calls?

Dear students & readers of this blog,

On December 3, British people received with joy the news that the Duchess of Cambridge was expecting a baby. A few days later, though on December 7, the whole world was struck with the news that one of the nurses that worked at the King Edward VII hospital, where the Duchess was hospitalized due to severe morning sickness, was found dead in her room, in an apparent suicide.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was one of the two victims of a prank call (also called 'hoax call') made from an Australian radio station by DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig, who pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, to inquire after the Duchess.

The BBC has recently published on its website an interesting article on the issue of prank calls. The article reflects, among other things, on the fact that it is different to call a public figure, used to the limelight, from calling a common member of the public. Here you have an extract:

'The death of the nurse Jacintha Saldanha has put the business of hoax calls under the spotlight. Where is the line between humour and cruelty?

Hoax calls - where someone winds up a friend or colleague by pretending to be their boss or an important person - are almost as old as the telephone itself. They have been a staple of TV and radio entertainment programmes since the 1950s when American comedians Steve Allen and Johnny Carson began making them on the Tonight show'.

(Source: BBC news)

For the full article, click here.

Now some videos:

The facts (Source: Euronews)

The prank call (unedited, and without subtitles. Do not worry if you can't understand everything)



'We're both shattered. My first thought was: Is she a mother?'

Radio hosts at centre of prank give self-pitying interviews.
Australian presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian apologise for stunt.
Two interviews on Australian TV about death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha.

Greig: 'When I heard it was the worst phone call I have ever had in my life'. She adds: 'I care about the family and want their privacy to be respected'

(source: mail online)

The DJs who made the prank call break their silence:


Click here for a full transcript of the interview. Please note that you'll have to scroll down to find the transcription)

So after examining all the facts, please WRITE A COMMENT answering the question: SHOULD PRANK CALLS BE BANNED?

ICEBERG RIGHT AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frederick Fleet, a lookout of the White Star Liner Titanic, started his shift at the Crow's Nest, together with Reginald Lee, at 10 p.m. on April 14, 1912. At approximately 11.40 p.m., unexpectedly, he saw an impressive mass of ice appear just ahead of them. These were the very words he shouted at the officer at the other end of the phone line to the bridge. These were the very words that marked the disaster...

 Not even God himself could sink this ship.

White Star Line Employee

At Titanic's launch

May 31, 1911

In the early 20th century, two shipping companies, the WHITE STAR LINE and the CUNARD LINE, were in competition for the fastest transoceanic route. Bruce Ismay, director of the White Star Line, Lord William J. Pirrie, chairman of the Harland & Wolf shipyard of Belfast and J.P. Morgan, a rich banker and owner of the White Star Line, conceived the construction of three ships: the Olympic, the Titanic and The Gigantic, whose name was changed into Britannic after the Titanic disaster. They would be the biggest, most luxurious ships ever built. The three of them would have a tragic destiny.

(source: historyonthenet.com)

Technical features:

• 269 m. long
• 28 m. wide
• Height: 32 m (keel to top of the funnels)
• 29 boilers
• 3 propellers
• maximum speed: 24 knots (39 km/h)
• 2,228 people on board (passengers & crew): 324 first class, 285 second class, 708 third class, crew: 891.
• Carried 20 lifeboats, enough for 1,178 people. (regulations of the time did not force shipping companies to include lifeboats for all the people on board)
• 16 watertight compartments (The Titanic could stay afloat with any two or with the first four compartments flooded - five of these compartments were damaged in the accident) 

The Titanic departing from Southampton

Famous passengers on the Titanic: 

• John Jacob Astor - The richest man on board. Died in the sinking.
• Benjamin Guggenheim - After helping some of the passengers to save their lives, he dressed up to 'die like a gentleman'
• Margaret Brown, a.k.a. The Unsinkable Molly Brown: not only did she survive the disaster, but  also took control of one of the lifeboats and tried to rescue any possible survivors.
• Bruce Ismay: Manager of the White Star line. Survived, but became a social outcast, as people held him responsible for the disaster.
• Thomas Andrews: the engineer who designed the Titanic. Died in the sinking.
• Isador & Ida Straus: Isador was a parter of the Macy's Department Store. Ida refused to leave her husband behind. 'Wherever you go, I go'. Both died in the sinking.

This is the route that the Titanic followed on her way to New York. Her final resting place is marked. For a more detailed description of the route and what happened in each leg of the journey, click here.

The Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage at 12:00 on April 10, 1912. The journey started in Southamptom, England. The first stop was Cherbourg, France, where some passengers were picked up. Then she proceeded until Queenstown, Ireland. The Titanic left Queenstown towards New York at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday April 11, 1912. She sailed in clear waters for two days (Fri, Apr 12 & Sat, Apr 13), and, on Sunday, April 14, close to midnight, the Titanic hit an iceberg. Two hours and a half later, at 2:20 a.m. Monday April 15, she sank into the sea.

Titanic crew

Back (left to right): Herbert McElroy, Charles Lightoller, Herbert Pitman, Joseph Boxhall and Harold Lowe.

Front (left to right): James Moody, Henry Wilde, Captain Edward J. Smith and William Murdoch.

Radio operators Harold Bride and Jack Phillips were continuously sending out distress calls: C.Q.D. and S.O.S., which was used for the first time ever, but for nothing. Only the RMS (=Royal Mail Steamer) Carpathia answered the calls, but it was too far, and arrived too late, at about 4 a.m., only to rescue the few survivors, and later, take them to New York. Another ship, the CALIFORNIAN, was much closer, at approximately six miles away. But apparently, its captain, Stanley Lord, ignored the distress signals and the rockets launched from the Titanic, and ordered his radio operators to switch off their radio.

WHO WAS TO BLAME FOR THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC?

Both America and Britain held inquiries into the disaster. Both reached almost identical conclusions:

• The American inquiry concluded that Captain  Smith should have slowed the speed of the boat given the icy weather conditions. The British inquity, however, concluded that maintaining speed in icy weather conditions was common practice.
• Both inquiries agreed on who was most at fault - Captain Stanley Lord of the Californian. The inquiries stated that if Lord had gone to assist the Titanic when the first rocket was seen, then everyone would have been saved.

Both inquiries made recommendations:

• All ships must carry sufficient lifeboats for the number of passengers on board.
• Ship radios should be manned 24 hours a day.
• Regular lifeboat drills should be held.
• Speed should be reduced in ice, fog or any other areas of possible danger.

(source: historyonthenet.com)

But did you know that...

In 1898, 14 years before the Titanic disaster, novelist Morgan Robertson publised a novel called 'Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan', where he described the disaster of a luxurious ship called 'Titan'. The similarities between what Robertson predicted and what really happened to the Titanic are quite striking. If you want to know more, click here:   

Many events around the world have taken place to commemorate the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic. Among them, this firework and light display at the Grand Opening of the Titanic Belfast Exhibition:

To check for other celebrations in places connected to the Titanic, such as Southampton, Cherbourg, Halifax or New York, click here.

Sonar map of the wreckage area where the Titanic lies, in the North Atlantic Ocean. Both the bow and the stern sections of the ship are circled (left). To the right, the bow section.

As a conclusion, please take a few minutes to listen to the hymn that the band on the Titanic were allegedly playing at the moment of sinking: Nearer, my God, to Thee.

May the victims of the Titanic, and of any other disasters around the world and along history, rest in peace.

----------------------------

Please check out the links below for further information:

• Awesome stories. Fatal voyage: Titanic
• simple English wikipedia
• History on the Net: Titanic
• ITV interactive map of the Titanic, introduced by actor Linus Roache, with audio explanations (the sound can be turned off)
• ancestry.co.uk - here you can find more than 200,000 documents related to the Titanic, that will be available to the public until May 31, 2012.
• Building the Titanic on youtube.com
• history channel U.S. - Videos
• This week on history - History Channel U.S.
• Titanic Inteactive - History Channel U.S. (not to be missed!)
• Titanic and the mystery ship
• Titanic stories: interactive google map with links
• Titanic stories: official website of the Titanic and its home in Belfast, Ireland.

TITANIC AND FILMS AND TV SERIES

Titanic movies:

• Saved from the Titanic (1912)
• Titanic (1943)
• Titanic (1953)
• A night to remember (1958)
• S.O.S. Titanic (1979)
• Raise the Titanic (1980)
• Titanic (1996)
• Titanic (1997)

Movies featuring the Titanic:

• In ach und Eis (1912)
• Cavalcade (1933)
• The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
• Time Bandits (1981)
• Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
• No greater love (1986)
• The chambermaid on the Titanic (1997)
• Ghosts on the abyss (2003)

Titanic on TV:

• A Night to Remember (1956)
• Telephone time (1957)
• One Step Beyond (1959)
• Time Tunnel (1966)
• Night Gallery (1970)
• Titanic (1996)
• Titanic (2012)

Ready for the Royal Wedding of the year?

The event of the year in the UK is finally coming along. At this same hour, Prince William & Kate Middleton will be celebrating a state dinner with their guests and spending their last hours as single people. Probably when you read this, they will already be man and wife. And on such important occasion, bearing in mind that we are fans of "All Things British" and we just LOVE happy endings, we had to be there. Why can't we practise our English while witnessing THE event? Let's take a break of so much football and speak about something else. Surely, even if you don't care at all about it, you've got something to say.

If you're planning to watch the wedding, why not watching it in English? Watch in live on bbc.co.uk

Other than that, here you can check:

• the wedding route
• Westminster Abbey 360º tour (don't miss this!)
• Route video
• the official programme
• History of the British Monarchy in three minutes - listen to the Reduced Shakespeare Company telling a long, complex story in a very, very short time!
• Past Royal Wedding gowns (video)
• The Royal Wedding and Republicanism - Because not everybody cares about royals.

Play the Royal Wedding game: take the William & Kate challenge!

Maybe YOU want to have your say on this. What do you think? Are you going to watch the wedding? Are you a royal wedding fan? Do you enjoy get-togethers with your family and friends to comment on the ceremony and guests' attires? You couldn't care less about it? Do you think events like this are ostentatious and unnecessary? WRITE A COMMENT!

After the wedding takes place, we'll update this post! HAVE FUN (...or not)

Breaking News: Japan earthquake coverage, live on the BBC

A powerful tsunami has swept across a large area of northern Japan causing major damage, flooding towns and sweeping away buildings. It was triggered by a 8.9-magnitude earthquake. It is said that the death toll could reach 1,300 people. (source: BBC)

For live coverage on the BBC, click here.

To know how tsunamis occur, follow this guide.

How are earthquakes mesured? Click here to know.

For more info on the earthquake and its aftermath, visit the BBC site.