Table of contents for No 463 in Speak Up

TOP BRITS An idea that began thirty-five years ago as a way for scientists to share information led to the most radical changes the modern world has seen. The computer scientist behind it, Tim Berners-Lee, was born in London in 1955. In 1989, he was working at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Geneva, Switzerland. Tired of consulting colleagues through constant questions, on 12 March he sent a proposal to his boss for a system to share information. Called Mesh1, the system would use the new technology of hypertext, which connected documents, and store those documents on multiple servers, controlled by interconnected people. “Vague but exciting,” his boss replied. A GIFT FOR THE WORLD Nothing happened for a year. Then Berners-Lee started to write code to implement his…

CULTURE When Claudius became Roman emperor in 41 AD1he needed to strengthen2his image and his uncertain grip3on the Empire. The first Roman emperor to be born outside Italy, childhood illness had left him with a limp4and slight deafness5, and he was looked down on6by his family. However, Claudius was a brilliant strategist. His invasion of Britain in 43 AD consolidated his power at home, while gaining access to Britain’s rich natural resources and subjugating an apparently uncivilised people. ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS Over the next forty-five years, the Roman army conquered much of present-day England and Wales and made incursions into territory now in Scotland. First-hand accounts7of the invasion are virtually non-existent, with the most frequently-cited document written over a century and a half later by the Greek historian Cassius Dio.…

In Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence, environmental thinker James Lovelock argues that the Anthropocene, a period when human activity has dominated the planet, is over and we now live in the Novacene, an age in which new beings emerge from artificial intelligence (AI) systems. These hyper-intelligent beings work alongside humans, protecting and enhancing1the planet’s health, and ensuring2that the intelligence of Earth survives and prospers. Lovelock, creator of the Gaia theory, wrote the non-fiction book when he was a hundred years old. He died in 2022, but lived to see AI become a subject of phenomenal interest and mass speculation. THE EXHIBITION In 2019, the same year Lovelock’s book was published, the exhibition AI: More than Human opened at the Barbican in London. Curated by Dr. Suzanne Livingston and Maholo…

In her 2020 book Men Who Hate Women, British activist Laura Bates evaluates the frightening influence of the manosphere, a set of online forums that promote misogyny. The manosphere is divided into various communities, among which are incels (involuntary celibates), a group of men who are angry at women who deny1them sex, and pickup2artists, who believe they can achieve sexual success by applying learned seduction. It all sounds very adolescent. But the manosphere can incite, and has incited, violence against women, the Black community, and others. In fact, its impact on society is so serious that Bates believes it should be treated as a terrorist group. Speak Up attended a conference in which Bates spoke about the issue. As she explained, the manosphere is an exploitative3system that targets4young men. Laura…

American filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga’s adaptation of Jane Eyre is just one of many of Charlotte Brontë’s well-known novel. However, it stands out1in its emotional impact and its intense yet delicate portrayal of the protagonists. LONELY CHILDHOOD Jane (played by Australian actor Mia Wasikowska) is orphaned in her youth. Scorned2by her affluent aunt, she is sent away to a dreadful3boarding school4. However, the young Jane is characterised by her resilience and feels equal to those of higher social status. Her challenging experiences enable5her to connect with Edward Rochester (played by Irish-German actor Michael Fassbender), whose mysterious past also haunts6him. When Mr. Rochester employs Jane as a governess7on his estate8, the two fall in love. WOMANHOOD Jane Eyre is a novel ahead of its time9. It defies the notion that seemingly10…

ARTÍCULOS POR NIVELES Todos nuestros artículos se presentan con un código de color para indicar el nivel de dificultad del inglés empleado de acuerdo con la Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE B1 LOWER INTERMEDIATE B2 UPPER INTERMEDIATE C1 ADVANCEDC2 PROFICIENCY GLOSARIO Encontrarás el vocabulario más relevante de cada artículo indicado con un número en el color correspondiente a su nivel de dificultad y su traducción en el glosario adjunto. A towering1figure in British history, Queen Victoria was actually a diminutive figure, just one metre fifty EXPLAINS Los textos subrayados en amarillo indican que la frase requiere de una explicación más extensa, como referencias históricas o culturales, frases hechas, proverbios o argot. Encontrarás la explicación al final del artículo. SPEAK UP IN CLASS Cada mes Speak Up…

Central Cee is the biggest star of UK drill1, a music genre derived from hip-hop. Drill was an underground scene in the UK until Central Cee helped to push it into the mainstream with catchy2 tracks like Loading and Day in the Life. Nicknamed3 ‘Cench’, Central Cee’s birth name is Oakley Neil H.T. Caesar-Su. FINDING MUSIC Central Cee was born and raised in London’s Shepherd’s Bush, a suburb of West London famous for its music venues, but also its high violent crime rate. His mother is of Irish origin and his father of Chinese and Guyanese origin. Cench grew up poor and briefly sold drugs to make money. A quiet, reflective young man who suffered from periods of anxiety, he started writing poetry like his mother, and then moved on…

With her billion-dollar blockbuster, Barbie, Greta Gerwig set a Hollywood record for the highest-grossing1 movie ever directed by a woman. Still, even that major milestone2 wasn’t enough to earn her a spot in the Oscars’ best director lineup3. Although Barbie managed eight nominations, including best picture, Gerwig was snubbed4 by the directors branch that nominated her six years ago for Lady Bird. It was a mixed showing5 overall for the hit comedy, which missed some other hopedfor nominations for cinematography6, editing and best actress for Margot Robbie. But it did at least pull off7 a dark-horse8 supporting actress nod9 for America Ferrera alongside an expected supporting-actor nomination for Ryan Gosling. FEMALE FILMMAKERS For the first time in Oscar history, three of the best-picture nominees were directed by women: Barbie, Celine…

Hey, ChatBot! I have a job interview tomorrow. What do you think they will ask me? “What is your name?” Duh, of course! So, I’m applying for a receptionist job. What’s a typical question they will ask? “Are you a polite and welcoming1person?” Are my prompts not specific enough? Right, so, the interview is for the post of receptionist at a design agency. What will the agency want to know about me? “Are you human?” Are you hallucinating? But, really, what advice2can you give me? Receptionists are the public face of the company. Dress appropriately. [sighs] Yeah, sure. OK, last chance3: give me three possible behavioural interview questions for a receptionist job interview. “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an unwanted visitor. How did you…

Maggie Nelson is an American writer and academic who mixes big ideas, especially what it means to be free, with insights1from her own life. Her best-known book The Argonauts (2015) is a genre-defying exploration of love, sex and family life. In it, Nelson brings together2the ideas of theorists, especially queer theorists, with intimate descriptions of life with her partner, the visual artist and writer Harry Dodge, and their children. In her latest book On Freedom: Four Songs of Care and Constraint3, Nelson takes four areas of life, art, sex, drugs and the environment, to explore what freedom means. She writes frankly about her own life, including her sexual relationships and former drug use, as a way of illustrating her arguments. A NUANCED APPROACH In the first section on freedom in…

Although US singer Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 hit Girls Just Wanna Have Fun sounds like a feminist anthem1, it began life as a man singing about how lucky he was to know so many fun-loving2girls! Musician Robert Hazard wrote the track3in 1979. He recorded a demo4, but when Lauper’s producer heard it, he decided it would be perfect for her to cover5as a debut solo single. Hazard adapted the song, and Lauper declared it would bring women together6and be a “sustaining7message that we are powerful human beings.” She said she wanted a reggae rhythm for the song, and to use “the wonderful new styles from England from groups like The Clash.” The cover became her signature song and was extremely successful worldwide. The song’s video is a playful8romp9that celebrates female camaraderie.…

Two hundred years ago, in 1824, a young businessman founded a confectionery1business in Birmingham, England that would go on to become one of the most important food brands in the world. Pioneers in the making of chocolate, Cadbury’s was a family firm for most of its existence until its merger2with Schweppes in 1969, followed by its hostile takeover3by Kraft (now Mondelēz International) in 2010. It is an important part of British culture: its iconic Dairy Milk bar still as popular today as when it was launched 119 years ago. SONS SAVED THE BUSINESS John Cadbury’s shop sold tea, coffee and drinking chocolate. A Quaker4, he wanted to encourage people to stop drinking alcohol. The business was failing5until John’s sons Richard and George took over6in 1861. With the business now prospering,…

LANGUAGE All over Europe we often see Latin inscribed above the entrances to churches, cemeteries, museums and other historical buildings. Surprisingly though, there’s as much, if not more, Latin used in everyday, modern English than there is in modern Italian, French or Spanish! Although it tends to be used in more written and formal contexts, it is also often found in casual1, spoken English too. Bear in mind2that we are referring to pure Latin — not phrases and vocabulary of Latinate etymology. HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT TIME What better place to start than telling the time? The Anglo-Saxon world continues to use Roman time, that is, with the twelve-hour clock, and the distinction between a.m. (ante meridiem) and p.m. (post meridiem). To avoid confusion, English-speakers almost only use 24-hour time…

The Oscars red carpet is often referred to by the celebrity press as the most powerful catwalk1in the world. It is the gilded2stage for which haute couture dresses are made; bright lights fall on film stars dressed by the world’s most accomplished3designers in some of the most expensive items of clothing ever made. But for many of the nominees, what goes on in the run-up to4Oscar Sunday involves weeks of hunger, sacrifice and last-minute liposuction. “It is brutal,” British facialist5Nichola Joss told The New York Times, of the pressure of the high-definition close-up6on Hollywood actors. “You can see a hair follicle. You can see a pimple7before it is a pimple.” Hollywood insiders talk of actors who plot8their beauty treatments at different points around Los Angeles in a bid9to lose10 photographers…

The manosphere is a collection of websites, blogs and online forums that promote misogyny and racism. The purpose of the manosphere is to make a few people a lot of money by radicalising young men and convincing them to send donations to “the cause”. Its most high-profile1 representative at the moment is a British-American man called Andrew Tate. CELEBRITY CRIMINAL Tate, a former2 kickboxing world champion, is currently the most googled man on the internet. He has appeared in countless videos, showing off3 a luxurious lifestyle of fast cars, private jets and yachts4 and bragging5 about their “enormous emissions.” Tate is a ridiculous figure. But he is also frightening: he is currently under investigation in Romania for rape6, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang. ONLINE SCAMS On the internet,…

Jane Eyre is Charlotte Brontë’s mostloved novel. Published in 1847 under the pseudonym Currer Bell, it tells the story of a young woman in Victorian Britain who shows extraordinary virtue and resilience despite1her humble2background. The novel challenges3the notion of male privilege and power and is a study of childhood trauma, isolation, morality and the unpredictability of love. A QUIET READ The novel opens when Jane is a ten-yearold orphan who lives with her uncle’s family. Small and “plain4”, Jane is well-behaved5, but can do nothing to please6her aunt, Mrs. Reed. Jane is lonely and constantly bullied by young John Reed, especially when he finds her reading: “‘You have no business to take our books; you are a dependent, mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none;…

Vicky felt the tension in the room as she opened her eyes. She was in her on-campus dormitory1at New York University and Richard was drinking a cup of instant coffee – not the gourmet type he was accustomed to. “You embarrassed2me last night,” he said in a cold tone. “What?… I’m sorry,” said Vicky. She had gone to dinner with Richard’s colleagues, all professional lawyers, and perhaps had had one too many glasses of wine. “I was nervous, that’s all.” Vicky was still adjusting to her role as the girlfriend of a rich and successful lawyer. She had to be the perfect girlfriend, as assertive3and elegant as he always was, in public anyway. “You know image is everything in this world,” he said. “I can’t be seen with some cheap…