Table of contents for No 473 in Speak Up

A small metal box with a hinged lid1, the Zippo lighter might be cold to the touch2, but it produces instant heat with the flick3 of a finger. Even while cigarettes have fallen out of fashion and favour4, the Zippo remains revered5 as an art deco design classic, its flame burning steadily6 whatever the weather. ONE HAND Early models of cigarette lighters were unreliable7 and difficult to use, even with two hands. George G. Blaisdell was working for the family machinery company in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1932, when he observed a friend struggle to light a cigarette. Blaisdell applied his engineering skills to design a new lighter, which could be operated with one hand. He named the lighter Zippo, from ‘zipper’ (zip fastener), a name he felt represented the modern…

George Gordon Byron, better known as Lord Byron, was a British Romantic poet and satirist whose poetry and mesmerising1 personality captured Europe’s imagination in the early 19th century2. Considered to be the greatest poet of his time, he was one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, the artistic and intellectual trend of that time which emphasised passion and individualism. BORN WITH A DISABILITY Byron was born on 22 January 1788 with a club foot3. His father died three years later, leaving him with his abusive mother. Byron inherited his title in 1798. Once at Cambridge University, he spent his time drinking, gambling4 and sleeping with prostitutes — and even kept a bear in his rooms. In 1809, he began a two-year tour of Mediterranean countries. FAMOUS OVERNIGHT In…

London, along with1 Istanbul, Moscow and Paris, is among the largest cities on the European continent. The metropolitan county of Greater London covers a geographic area of 1,572 square kilometres (607 square miles). As part of the job, the Mayor of London has to produce a spatial development strategy — or London Plan —for this entire area. The current London Plan, substantially revised by current mayor Sadiq Khan in 2021, reflects an urgent situation in Britain’s capital, one shared by other major cities worldwide. It rests on a commitment2 of “good growth”; genuinely sustainable, inclusive growth that benefits all Londoners. RICH CITY/POOR CITY Strategic planning is the shared responsibility of the Mayor of London, thirty-two London boroughs and the Corporation of the City of London. To simplify, the Greater London…

The late1 Queen Elizabeth II declared 1992 an “annus horribilis.” That year saw the separation of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the divorce of Princess Anne from Captain Mark Phillips, the publication of Diana: Her True Story, the fire at Windsor Castle and relentless2 gossip in the tabloid press. Many unfortunate events have beleaguered3 the Royal Family in 2024. King Charles III was also diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, following surgery on an enlarged4 prostate. He resumed his public duties5 at the end of April 2024. His first public visit was to a cancer treatment centre with Queen Camilla. He also made a surprise visit to an army barracks6 in Hampshire, where he joked about being allowed out7 of his cage8. His treatment continues, although it was paused for…

Back in 2000, Zadie Smith made her name as a writer aged just twenty-four with her bestselling first novel White Teeth. The story, written in part while Smith was still a student at Cambridge University, is set in the 1970-90s in Willesden, a working-class neighbourhood of north-west London. This is the community where Smith grew up and she reflects, from first-hand experience, some of the richness and the challenges of multicultural life in the area. Zadie Smith herself embodies some of this multiculturalism: her mother is Jamaican and her father English. Since the success of White Teeth, Smith has written five more novels, as well as short stories, a children’s book, a stage play, essays and journalism. She’s taught creative writing in Europe and in the US and won many…

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-INTERMEDIATEB1 LOWER INTERMEDIATEB2 UPPER INTERMEDIATEC1 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 towering1 figure 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 ofrece también ejercicios…

What do the Ramones, Blondie and Joan Jett have in common, apart from over-the-top1 hairdos2? There might be several answers to this question, but one of them has to be that they all started their careers performing at an iconic venue3: CBGB. It all began when a music manager and club owner from New York City decided to open a music club at a damp4, cold venue in Manhattan’s East Village. CBGB & OMFUG CBGB opened its doors on 10 December 1973. Founder Hilly Kristal wanted to offer a stage for new bands that wrote their own music, so no cover bands5 were allowed. He originally wanted the venue to feature country, bluegrass and blues music, as well as poetry readings; hence6 its full name, CBGB & OMFUG (Country, Bluegrass, Blues,…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, is a city of contradictions. Located near sea and mountains, it has a mild1 climate and a radical history. A violent past of conquest and rebellion has given way2 to today’s vibrant city of innovation, industry, creativity and culture. Belfast is a UNESCO3 City of Music, with museums, galleries, gardens, restaurants and state-of-the-art4 visitor attractions. RIVER CROSSING Belfast is located in the ancient Irish province of Ulster in the northeast of Ireland. Ulster is divided into nine counties: three now lie5 in the Republic of Ireland and six in Northern Ireland, which forms part of the United Kingdom. Belfast began as a crossing for the River Lagan and later grew into a harbour6, major seaport and sprawling7 industrial hub8.…

Located in historic Greenwich, the London borough that gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time, Greenwich Peninsula is a thriving1 urban area nestled2 in a bend3 of the River Thames. A place where coolness meets relaxation, Greenwich Peninsula was singled out4 as an opportunity area in the 2004 London Plan: a strategic framework for city development devised5 by the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. Since then, over 5,500 new homes have been built, with approximately 32 per cent of them considered affordable6. Under the direction of the current mayor, Sadiq Khan, the ambitious industrial regeneration scheme7 is ongoing: seventeen thousand new homes are planned, with fifteen thousand new jobs created by 2041. ARCHITECTURE AND NATURE Greenwich Peninsula is a must-visit for architecture enthusiasts. International architects have left their distinctive…

Dry1 January sounds like a simple proposition: No alcohol for thirty-one days. And some enthusiasts jump in without much planning — perhaps even hungover2 after a rowdy3 New Year’s Eve4. There is no data suggesting that those folks5 won’t be able to abstain from drinking, said Dr. David Wolinsky, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who specializes in addiction. But starting the month with a few strategies in your back pocket — and with a clear sense of your goals — may help you get the most out of6 the challenge. “Most of the benefits of Dry January are probably going to be related to the intention with which you go into Dry January,” Wolinsky said. The challenge isn’t a stand-in7 for…

Few books have been powerful enough to change the course of history, but Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is one such book1. Its impact on the popular imagination was such that it changed US public policy and led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. BIOGRAPHY Born in 1907 in Pennsylvania, biologist Rachel Louise Carson read widely2 from childhood and had a passion for writing, until an enthusiastic zoology professor encouraged her to study science. On graduating, she worked for the US Bureau of Fisheries3, preparing radio broadcasts4 and writing articles on natural history. Soon enough5, Carson was promoted to the position of chief editor6 for all US Fish and Wildlife Service publications. In 1952 she published The Sea Around Us, a biography of the sea all the way back…

Thanks for coming in today, Kevin. So, you’re interested in the admin assistant post. Yes, that’s right. Thank you for inviting me. Well, your CV looked interesting. Your experience certainly1 fits the bill. That’s good to hear! We’d like to know a bit about why you are applying for this position. The job is exactly the kind of work I love doing and I’ve always wanted to work for this company. Really? Why is that? I’ve read great things about how you treat your staff, the opportunities for personal development and most of all2 , your reputation for sustainability. Yes, we try hard to be a responsible company. Do you have any questions for us? I’m thinking of doing a Master’s and would like to know if there is any…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! The producers of food and cosmetics often claim1 that their products are beneficial for your health or appearance. But how do you really know? Don’t worry, there’s an app for that! In fact, there are now many apps that rate2 the safety of such products, and they have exploded in popularity in recent years. MOST POPULAR Yuka is the world’s favourite food and cosmetic scanning app. You can download it for free and install it on your phone. You can then use it to scan practically any relevant product, and it will give you a rating3 out of 1004. Theoretically, the higher the score, the safer5 the product. MADE IN FRANCE Yuka launched in France in 2017 and was an immediate success. Five years later, thanks…

The year 1957 was pivotal1 in Elvis Presley’s career, marking his movement from live performance to cinema. In his third movie Jailhouse Rock he played a young prisoner who became a rock star. This storyline allowed Presley to showcase2 his signature3 quiff4, his brazen5 sneer6 and, of course, the manic leg-and-hip-shaking7 “Elvis the Pelvis” dance idolised by teenagers, but loathed8 by their parents. The song, opened by two instantly-recognisable guitar chords9 and a snare drum10, was inspired by a scene in the film where the inmates11 put on a show12. Using the names of real criminals, songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller summed up 13 a boisterous14 party in five verses of rhyming couplets15. The third verse, in which two men dance together, came under inevitable scrutiny16, yet has since been embraced17 by the…

The Indian physicist1, ecologist and activist Vandana Shiva is an iconic figure in the environmental movement. Born on 5 November 1952 in Dehradun, the capital of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, Dr. Shiva trained2 as a physicist in India, completing her PhD3 in quantum theory in Canada. She then conducted inter-disciplinary research in science, technology and environmental policy, founding the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in 1982. She went on to co-found the independent research institute Navdanya, a hugely-influential NGO4 that acts in defence of biodiversity and promotes the welfare5 of small farmers. THE NATURE OF NATURE Shiva has published over twenty books. In her most recent,The Nature of Nature: The Metabolic Disorder of Climate Change, Shiva warns6 that the push for7 a technology-oriented, digital agricultural solution…

EXERCISES IN Work It Out! Catherine, Princess of Wales, is back! Perhaps the Royal Family’s most popular member, her official return to work mid-September marked the end of a year of illness, shrouded1 in rumour and speculation. Her handling2 of the situation is a complete departure3 from traditional royal communications. Instead of official statements through the usual Kensington Palace channels, she has been publishing personal videos, speaking to the public on a human and very un-royal level. KEEPING THE FAITH Catherine was admitted to hospital4 for abdominal surgery in January last year, causing the rumour mill5 to churn6. In March, in a video statement, she announced she was undergoing7 preventative chemotherapy. She explained her delay8 in speaking out9: “William and I have been doing everything we can to process and…

Acold shower a day keeps the doctor away, according to Wim Hof, the Dutch extreme athlete and self-styled1 Iceman. For Hof and other advocates, cold water immersion is a panacea for ailments2 from arthritis and Crohn’s disease to depression and headaches. But the death of Kellie Poole, a thrity-nine-year-old whose heart stopped during a cold water immersion therapy session in Derbyshire last year, has raised questions about the safety of plunging into3 icy water, with the coroner expressing concern this week about the lack of regulation. So do the purported4 health and wellbeing benefits of cold water immersion outweigh5 the risks? “One of the main positives that people claim is that it awakens you, sets you up for the day, makes you feel enlivened6,” says Professor Mike Tipton, of the…

In the winter of 1739, the Thames stopped. I refused to believe it, but Martha dragged me down1 to the river to see how blocks of ice had formed around the piers2 of London Bridge and joined together to make a great plug3 that had stopped up the water. A bank of ice stretched4 from Southwark to the City. It was an amazing sight! A whole street of tents had sprung up5 — each one a shop or a pub. People were walking down the ice as if they were in a city street. Those without shoes tied rags6 around their feet, others were on skates. Martha and I stood on the shore7, gaping8 as strange carriages travelled between the banks: some of the watermen had fixed sledges9 to their…

El pasado 11 de noviembre nos dejó Ana Rodrigo Ghiozzi (1966-2024), Editora de RBA Revistas, la editorial que publica la revista Speak Up. Ana comenzó su carrera editorial con solo veinte años y actualmente era la responsable de más 25 revistas de papel (en España, Italia y Portugal) y 17 webs de distintas áreas. Fue una editora única, creativa y valiente, que aportó siempre una visión innovadora del periodismo con el foco centrado en asegurar la calidad de los contenidos y ofrecer el máximo servicio al lector. Ana convirtió El Mueble en la cabecera líder de decoración, fue la creadora de Mente Sana, la primera revista de salud mental de este país, y dirigió el lanzamiento de Historia NG, la primera publicación de la marca National Geographic que se edita…