French Bookshops

The ideal place to buy French books and games - is in France -



- but if you can't get there, there are a couple in London. I often use La Page, between South Kensington Underground station and the Institute Français.

Does History Matter?

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Those words took on a very chilling meaning for me last week. I was in Hamburg. Each morning I passed a statue outside the Dammtor station commemorating 'Kindertransport'. Between 1938 and 1940 thousands of refugee Jewish children were enabled to escape Germany and were brought to Britain. Many of those left behind perished as part of Hitler's "final solution". More information about Kindertransport can be found here.

I also noticed around the city, and in the street where we were staying, small plaques in the pavement 



they noted who had lived on that site - and what happened to them.


Hitler came to power through deploying demagoguery, scapegoating and ultra-nationalism. After the extent of what had happened became clear - there was a worldwide move never to allow such things to happen again - but as the quote from George Santayana says - "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

A decreasing number of people can personally remember this awful period in human history. We need to keep reminding ourselves - and others - of the awful capacity for evil which can arise. Demagoguery, scapegoating and ultra-nationalism have had little impact in Europe over the last 70 years - but new clouds are rising over the horizon. We play with fire at great risk!

Watching the Lords

As employers (and employees) have known down the centuries - job security enhances independence. This also applies to the House of Lords. There's no de-selection if a Peer speaks his or her mind - upsetting the party hierarchy. As a result the House of Lords is harder to manage - and questions can be direct and embarrassing, especially for the Government.

The full business for this week can be found on the parliamentary website - www.parliament.uk but I'd like to highlight some matters which will be coming up.

Today, in the 30 minutes of oral questions - subjects relevant to my home city of Milton Keynes come up. One is about continuing the centuries old practice of printing master copies of Acts of Parliament on vellum. This is done in Newport Pagnell. The other question concerns when the Government can terminate a rail franchise where it has failed to provide the service required. This is about Southern Railway - which used to provide a service through west London onto Croydon from Milton Keynes.

Tomorrow a question will be put by Lord Roberts of Llandudno about how the government intends to fulfill its promise to accept 20,000 refugees from Syria by 2020.

On Wednesday Lord McKenzie of Luton will ask how the government intends "to address the causes of the increase in the number of council tenants in receipt of Universal Credit who are in rent arrears"

Thursday will see a debate on the case for tackling the causes of poverty in the UK.

The Investigatory Powers Bill will be considered in Committee (of the whole House) today and on Wednesday

Why did they do it???

A happy Independence Day to all our friends from the USA. To celebrate the day the text of the Declaration is set out below - it's always worth reading and reflecting on - because it is founded on so many important ideas - which remain important today.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. 
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. 
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: 
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. 
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. 
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Decision Day

The polls are open today (Thursday 23rd June) from 7.00am until 10pm. 

Do use your vote in what must be the most important decision the British people have had to take for decades.

The officials at the polling station (who are independent of either campaign can advise you if you have any problems).

Where is my designated polling station? 

You can find the address of your polling station on your polling card. You can only vote at your designated polling station.  If you can not find your polling card you can contact us and we will be able to provide that information. You do not need your polling card with you to vote because your name will be on the register at the polling station.

How do I vote at the polling station? 

If you are on the register of electors you will receive a poll card a few weeks before an election. This will tell you how, where and when to vote.

This card is for information only so don't worry if you lose it or forget it. (You can still vote without the poll card but it is easier if you have it with you).

You will be assigned to a polling station in your area, for example, at a school or village hall. On election day you should go to the polling station during the times it is open - this will be stated on your polling card.

At the polling station you will be given a ballot paper which is stamped with an official mark.

Take the ballot paper to one of the polling booths and put a cross in the box next to the option you are voting for. Do not write anything else on the ballot paper, otherwise your vote might not count. Once you have voted you must fold the ballot paper and show it to the clerk before you put it in the locked ballot box. You don't have to tell anyone what you voted for.

Do I need to take my polling card to the polling station to vote? 

No, you do not need your polling card to vote. This card is for information only so don't worry if you lose it or forget it. (You can still vote without the poll card but it is easier if you have it with you).

How long will polling stations be open on 23 June 

Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm, if you are still queuing at the polling station at 10pm you will still have the opportunity vote, you will be invited into the polling station or given a ticket that will identify you as being eligible to cast your vote. Find out more information about polling stations on the gov.uk website

Can I still register to vote for the EU Referendum?

No, it is now too late to register for the EU Referendum. If you have registered to vote for any other election at your current address then you will automatically be registered to vote for this referendum. You cannot check if you are registered to vote online. If you have a polling card in your name at your address then you are registered to vote.

How does Parliament REALLY work?

)Today we have an opportunity to see Parliament at work (actually we do every day - the Chamber & committees are open to the public, and can be viewed from home via the internet.

Prime Minister's Question Time  (PMQs) is on at noon. I won't be watching. In my view it is the worst of Parliament - with petty point scoring and more heat than light. But it can be "fun" - and will be broadcast on BBC Parliament and on the live feed at http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Commons

Sir Philip Green will be appearing before a joint meeting of the Work & Pensions / Business, Innovation and Skills Committee at 9-15 in the Wilson Room, Portcullis House. He will be answering questions about the failure of BHS & his role in that. Of course there's a danger that it could descend into a lynch mob - but actually such committees tend to be very good at drawing out key points. It might be uncomfortable for Sir Philip - but that's what MPs are there for - to ask the questions that we, the public, would like to put. It can be viewed live at http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/e81170bd-19b1-4a53-a96b-874b0cdc2f7f

I had wanted to go down to Westminster this morning to see Ofsted's  Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw & National Schools Commissioner, Sir David Carter give evidence to the Education Select Committee on Multi-Academy Trusts. The Committee (on which I have delivered papers on my research into the working of the committee at various academic conferences)is an example of Parliament working at its best. It is cross-party - but MPs work together well to hold decision makers to account.  It is due to start at 9.30. http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/a2ae37d4-2653-49b7-987e-ae800748244f


Various other committees will be meeting during the day; there will be a debate about Europe in the Chamber this afternoon - and some short debates in "Westminster Hall" (actually not in the ancient hall, but in a committee room off it.

Full details of what's on at Westminster today can be found at http://calendar.parliament.uk and live and recorded meetings can be viewed at www.parliamentlive.tv

Stony Live

Last night we went to see Woburn Jazz  at the Cock Hotel, as part of the Stony Live Festival - which is currently running in the historic town of Stony Stratford, now part of the city of Milton Keynes. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening - with lots of my favourite Big Band numbers, and some more recent work (Queen & Stevie Wonder). The band has some very talented members - and I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for future performances.

It was our second visit to this year's Stony Live. On Saturday we went to the to "Comedy Club" event, which was held at York House. In previous years we've been to a number of events which formed part off this festival. If you haven't yet been along - it's well worth it. There's a wide range of events - to meet almost any taste.

Up to date information on the Stony Live festival can be accessed at http://www.stonylive.info/pages/home/ 

Cherbourg

One of the best ways to get some practice in the language you are learning - is to go to that country - and seek to interact with the locals. That's what I have been doing over the last few days. My daughter and I went to Cherbourg, in Normandy, France.



Whilst over there we ordered a number of meals (breakfast in the Boulangerie maison Toulorge (Boulevard de l'Est - Rue des métiers 50110 Tourlaville Tél : 02 33 20 37 84 - http://www.maison-toulorge.com) was a delight each morning - and brought some useful practice.) and we asked questions in a number of shops. We even had a couple of conversations on the bus.

We were able to do a lot of reading - I got newspapers each day - and have a number of books that I brought home. When we visited tourist attractions we made a point of reading the FRENCH information plaques. There is a delightful walk along the path by the road on the west of Cherbourg - which set out the history of the harbour. We also enjoyed the Chateau de Ravalet. It's a council owned building and gardens - beautifully kept - with a superb café. At the moment they have an exquisite exhibition celebrating "Alice au Pays des Merveilles" - the staff were in costume; the exhibition had some superbly made "fausses pâtisseries" made by l'atelier de Caline.



In the evenings at our hotel we were able to watch some TV.

I've come back a lot more confident about my speaking, listening & reading French

Duolingo - Supporting Language Learning

One of the keys to learning is practising the skill being acquired frequently. Ten minutes a day is often more effective than doing mega-sessions on an occasional basis. Forming habits of regular study is also very important.

There is an app which I have on my iPhone and iPad (and are therefore linked - so I can use either - and my progress is recorded and shared) - called "Duolingo". It's a free app - and there is no subscription. Now, the first thing I do each day is to do my daily practice. You can set your own daily target [Goals can be Casual (10 XP = 1 'unit'); Regular (20 XP); Serious (30 XP) and Insane (50 XP) - but you can exceed your goal - which I try to do - because I can be intensely competitive - ESPECIALLY with myself.] It is addictive - and after two days on a run, you are told how many days you have done. Achieving a run of 100 days was a goal I aimed at - and this motivated me. It felt great to get there. I've now got a new goal - and it keeps me going.

You can also compete against friends. A unit (which only takes a few minutes) earns 10 XP - and there are other ways to increase your score. You can invite friends to join the 'leaderboard' and again that can help by raising the challenge of competition.

You don't have to stick to one language - my main aim at the moment is to develop my French - but ahead of a trip to Hamburg, I want to learn a bit of German. It's easy to switch languages - so my current goals are to do at least three units of French and one of German every day. It doesn't take much time - but time passes, and I can see how my skills are improving. As I say, generating new motivation is key to the Duolingo tool.

There is a large choice of languages available - Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Polish, Esperanto, Turkish, Vietnamese, Norwegian, Ukrainian, and Welsh - and the developers are working on more.

Visit the website - https://www.duolingo.com or visit your device's 'app store'.

BBC Young Musician of the Year

Yesterday we went to the Barbican in London to watch the final of the competition. It was a fantastic afternoon - with three superb performances. If you are able to view on BBC iPlayer - I would thoroughly recommend watching - it is available at http://bbc.in/1TfxGTt . I won't spoil it for you by revealing the winner (although it was on the news headlines this morning on BBC Radio 4). Three very talented performers indeed! Details (in the order of performance) of each of them (from the BBC website) are below

Ben Goldscheider

Ben comes from Hertfordshire and has been playing the horn since the age of nine. Since a very early age, he has wanted to become a soloist and increase the popularity of the horn! He has played numerous times with the Philarmonia, was principal horn of the National Youth Orchestra and is also part of the International Music Academy for Soloists. Ben is studying Music and History at A level whilst teaching himself the piano and German. Aside from music, he enjoys playing a wide range of sports including football and tennis.

Jess Gillam

Jess is from Cumbria and began playing saxophone aged seven. She has made a guest appearance with Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, has been a concerto soloist with the Worthing Symphony Orchestra and in July, she was the youngest solo performer at the World Saxophone Congress in Strasbourg. Jess also runs her own annual concert series in Ulverston where artists such as Courtney Pine, Snake Davis, The Apollo Saxophone Quartet, John Harle and Tommy Smith have performed.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Sixteen year old Sheku attends Trinity Catholic School in Nottingham. He holds the ABRSM Junior Scholarship to The Royal Academy of Music, where he studies cello with Ben Davies. Sheku plays in the Chineke! Junior and Professional Orchestra, as well as the JRAM Symphony Orchestra. He plays chamber music with the Kanneh-Mason Piano Trio and the Ash String Trio. Sheku plays a cello made by Frank White of Ladystone Violins. He also enjoys football.

We were thrilled to find that our seats were on the front row - and we sat next so some of the friends of Jess Gillam's who had travelled down from Cumbria for the competition. I love listening to the saxophone and her performance was electrifying. 

During one of the three intervals, the winner of the BBC Young Musician Jazz award, Alexandra Ridout gave a performance with her trio in the foyer. Another young lady to watch out for in the future. After the competition ended we stayed for another foyer event - this time a big band. 

The next competition runs in two years time.

How to Learn a Second Language

You'd think that I'd be good at learning other languages. After all, I was bilingual as a child. Though I was born and grew up in the West Midlands, my family were from South Wales - and my parents spoke both English and Welsh to me at home. Yet I've always struggled to learn languages. I don't have the ear for it - and the way we were taught French made it tedious and ultimately failed for me (lots of rote-learning - and writing out verb tables and vocab lists). In fact, while I just scraped an O-Level (my worst performance by far), I happily gave up French the day the minute the exam concluded.

It was a trip to Paris (won at a holiday show in Northampton), that ignited my interest in the language. Over time I learned enough for getting by on the holidays we took in France with the children. I came to enjoy reading it (my idea of paradise was, and is, to read Le Monde whilst sitting in the sun and sipping red wine). In fact, I followed the first year of a D.E.U.G. mention Droit (University course in Law at at Université de Poitiers) through attending the first week of each term, getting and buying the reading list, and studying at home. The exam was a disaster - I could read the question - know in my own mind what I wanted to say - but had very poor skills in writing French. (To be honest, I had almost none).

The trouble is, being able to read in a second language, doesn't help you communicate. So when I would pop across to France for a trip - the shopkeepers and waiters would regard me as any other hapless English visitor.

But learning french (or any other language) isn't impossible.

There are lots of books available - and CDs to listen to, but on their own they didn't work for me. I now attend weekly french conversation classes in Milton Keynes with Marie Da Silva. Marie is french, but has lived in Milton Keynes for some years. She's also keen to promote "real learning". She set up a meet-up group for speakers of French (and other groups for other languages - and has organised fun events bringing together people from many different language backgrounds. Recently she set up Lingo Mix. I thoroughly recommend her website - http://lingomix.co.uk/ - and the activities which she runs in Milton Keynes.

I'm finally making real progress. Having the opportunity, in a friendly environment, to practice speaking the language is essential. So whether it's the Tuesday conversation class - or playing Scrabble in French with teams including a wide range of language skill level (last Wednesday) - or a meal with patient French nationals - my skills improve. I had always concentrated on vocab - but Marie has helped me to appreciate how the structure of grammar aids (rather than hinders) learning.

I hope I can persuade Marie to share some of her thoughts in guest posts in the future.

As a teacher myself, I know that a learner can't delegate learning to the tutor. The learner needs to put in the time and effort themselves. So as well as class, and social events - I use other tools at home. I'll be sharing with you what works for me.

Welcome to Educafé

Today "JDM's Educafe" is launched - joining the existing family of blogs
(Washminster; JDM's History Explorer; and JDM_Progressive).

So why a new blog? - and what's it about?

There is much that can kill us - but no one has ever really died of boredom. The world has so much to entertain and intrigue us and to talk about.

Educafé is about sharing knowledge; ideas - and the things that bring us pleasure. This blog is designed to be a forum for such sharing. There's nothing wrong in learning for its own sake (though it can bring other benefits too).

I hope that you'll join me in developing this blog. Send me short pieces that can be shared here - ask questions that members of this community can answer. I'll be sharing what I enjoy learning about - and will signpost books; articles; blogs; films..... that you might find of interest.

So whether it's

- knitting
- history
- yoga
- travel
- the rules of cricket

- science
- keeping healthy
- cats
- the joy of maths
- languages
- Shakespeare

the list is endless - JDM's educafé is the place to "drop into". Contact jdavidmorgan@googlemail.com with your ideas; contributions; and suggestions. See you soon.

Are you ready?

Educafé will go live shortly. Do return to this blog on Wednesday 27th April - when I will be intrioducing the Educafé concept and blog.

See you soon

David

Watch this space