Wheels of Change

In 1895 The New York World posted an article on the do's and don'ts for women in bikes. Many people claim that riding a bike was a big part of the women's liberation, it allowed them to move freely around, and it finally made an excuse for woman to get out of the corsets and skirts and wear pants.

The list is amazing, can somebody please tell me what a "bicycle-face" is??? And what has chewing gum got to do with anything? (BTW this was my last female-related post for now.)

Anti Suffragette Postcards

As expected, some people (and not only men) thought the idea of women voting was absolute nonsense. The Suffragettes were portrayed as angry, unattractive women. Many of the women protesting were arrested. Once arrested the women often went on hunger strikes, refusing to eat anything at all. Many of them were force-fed by the prison, as you can see it is made fun of in the card above. To see more of the postcards, go here! It is quite fascinating!

The Suffragettes

Throughout this year we will talk about freedom fighters, and oppressed groups fighting for their civil rights. The following days, I'll show you some articles and pics from the Suffragettes movement, who fought for the women's right to vote. To start it off, I think it's a good idea that you read this article in BBC news. Try to keep in mind what you know about history in the English speaking world at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Colonies? Slavery? Make a historical mind map, it will be useful later!

Remember, when talking about "freedom fighters" we often forget to include the people fighting for the rights of women!

Vampire Stories

I know many of you love vampire stories, so when I came across this article and though it would be good to share with you! The author of this book, Abbie Gibbs, is only 18 years old. Her book is supposedly really good (I have not read it myself, but they sell really well), and best of all: you can read a bit before you decide to buy the book.

Read an article about the book here.

Read the first pages here!

The History of English in 10 minutes

A while ago I posted a part of this in connection to Shakespeare. The whole film is quite amusing, and very useful for you! Watch it several times if you do not get it all.

Very Useful!

Okay, maybe not the catchiest headline, but I am showing you a really useful website today. This will be useful in many subjects! It is an overview of British history, and is quite simple to navigate and read. It gives you the highlights! ENJOY!

Pic from here

Don't Judge a Book by It's Cover...

Many of you may have seen this. I find it so facinating, I keep returning to it. This is, of course, an excellent commercial for make-up, but more importantly, I think it is a story about a young man finding his identity in trying to be as different from other people as you possibly can, unlike many people who do everything they can to fit in. What do you think? A desperate call for attention, or a brave expression of a true self?

PS. I do not recommend this for ANYONE. There are SO many other ways to express yourselves without going to these extremes.

Nothing Good Gets Away.

Many of you have probably not (yet) heard about John Steinbeck, but trust me: you will. He is a very famous author. However, the letter he has written that I'm about to show you, has nothing to do with fame. Steinbeck's teenage son, going to school away from home, has fallen in love and told his father. In a letter, Steinbeck gives his advice on love.

This is his reply.

I love this, because he takes his son so seriously. People tend to write off teenager's relationships as "puppy love" even though we all know that you are capable of falling just as hard in love as an adult is. Have your parents given you any good advice on love? Share with me. I want to make sure I never underestimate my boys when they fall in love.

Talking about Steinbeck, here are six REALLY good tips on how to write from Steinbeck himself.

Pic from here.

We Are All Connected

I came across this video from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and thought it perfect as we round up our lessons on ecosophy. This is the basics, this is what it is all about according to that philosophy: we are all connected. I have found it interesting to read up on the subject, and I am happy so many of you find it interesting, I have enjoyed reading many of the texts you handed in. Enjoy this beautiful little video!

Tavi Revisited

Before recommending this page to you, I wanted to make sure it was really as good as I thought. I posted the video on Tavi Gavinson in the spring. I could tell from the stats on the blog that many of you watched it, and hopefully you found it inspiring. Tavi is the editor of the online magazine ROOKIE. It is nothing but FANTASTIC. I wish I had something like this to read when I was your age. She has many contributors, and there are some many amazing articles on everything from fashion to politics. Please, take some time to browse through this page. You can get some really good ideas on how to write good articles, and maybe some of it helps you "to figure yourselves out." Enjoy!

Here is an article about Tavi from New York Times.

A Tip From Ella's Mum!

I was so happy when I finally managed to check my mail today, Ella's mum had sent me a tip on this beautiful little story. It is truly thought-provoking, and reminds us what is important in life. I do not know about you, but I need that reminder every now and then.

If you like the story, I have two book recommendations for you, both by Mitch Albom.

They were once recommended to me by my friend Jenny from Denver, Colorado, and they are quite easy to read, especially Tuesdays With Morrie. Press "Read On" to read the story. And please bring me tips from you, or your parents if you find things you would like me to share on the blog! And not only those of you in 10 CD, you are all welcome to!

To My Old Master

The link I'm going to show you today is nothing but amazing. We have in 9th grade talked about the slavery in the US and we are going to talk more about it after Christmas, but I just cannot wait to show you this. We have talked about how many former slaves stayed with their slave owners, because they had nowhere else to go, and were bound to a life in poverty.

The letter I am linking to is written by a former slave in 1865 (the year the American Civil War ended - remember?) and is an answer to his former slave-owner who wants him to come back to work for him.

Read this and have a goose-bump moment. I did.

Uncovering the MJ-secret

You all know I am a HUGE Michael Jackson fan. (If you've missed out on this, you have not paid enough attention in class....). When I was younger, I was amazed by the Smooth Criminal video, where Michael and his dancers defies gravity. I was even more amazed when I saw this live in Oslo. Of course I knew that it had to be some kind of patent, but I ignored it and continued to wanting it to be magic. Then I came across these drawings, and the spell was forever broken. Oh well, the video is still AMAZINGLY cool. What is your favorite MJ-song?

Pic from here.

Stories Within Stories

I came across this wonderful blog the other day. It is made by a second-hand bookseller, and his blog has recently been turned into a book. He describes his blog like this:

A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages

and is a collection of random book-marks found within the pages of a book he has gotten into his store. Does it ever happen that you grab the piece of paper closest to you to use as a bookmark, when you put the book away? Well, I do. And many other people do as well obviously. But what can this piece of paper say about you? Or your family?

Take a look at this wonderful blog!

It's Sunday After All

What I am showing you today can hardly be described as useful. But I warned you, not everything will be. This is a video by The Slow-Mo Guys, who do weird things, film it, and then play it in slow motion. This sequence contains a water melon and a whole bunch of rubber bands. Enjoy! It's sunday after all.

When Fashion Becomes Art

There are several fashion blogs out there. You do not need me to introduce you to those, and many of you are simply not interested. (If you need tips on good ones, do not hesitate to ask me, whatever makes you read English makes me happy.) However, the "kompetansemål" tell us to teach you about art, and there is no doubt that fashion can be art. My favorite designer has always been Alexander McQueen, basically because his clothes and runway shows are so much more than clothes. Take a look  at this part of a show, where the dress is sort of made right in front of the audience. Cool or what??