Jane's Pocket Change: 2015: Our Upcoming New Year
As I like to each year, I share with you some of the more interesting moments coming up in 2015, based on the annual Economist* roundup of events.
As I like to each year, I share with you some of the more interesting moments coming up in 2015, based on the annual Economist* roundup of events.
JANUARY
• Britons never, never, never give up thinking about Winston Churchill, on the 50th anniversary of his death.
• The world embraces National Hugging Day.
FEBRUARY
• The Chinese New Year of the Goat begins. Those born in goat years are said to be calm, mild-mannered, creative and pessimistic.
• Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, holds elections for its president and parliament.
• Take your pick for the hottest tickets: for the Sambadrome, where samba schools compete at the Rio Carnival for the Cricket World Cup, which starts in Australia and New Zealand.
MARCH
• The total solar eclipse on March 20th is the last one visible in Europe until August 2026.
• The UN tries to lift spirits on World Poetry Day.
APRIL
• Americans remember the end of their civil war, with Robert E. Lee’s surrender 150 years ago, as well as the assassination six days later of Abraham Lincoln.
• All the world’s a big top on World Circus Day.
• The seventh Summit of the Americas, a gathering of leaders from across the region, is held in Panama.
MAY
• Expo 2015 opens in Milan. Contemporary-art-lovers flock to Venice for its Biennale.
• Britons vote in a general election.
JUNE
• Leaders of the world’s rich countries gather at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, where Angela Merkel hosts the annual G8 summit—or the G7 summit, if Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, is not invited.
• The first European games, involving the 49 Olympic nations of Europe across 20 sports, open in Baku, Azerbaijan; and the seventh FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Canada.
• Turkey holds a general election.
JULY
• Luxembourg takes over the EU’s presidency.
• New Horizons, a NASA space probe that has travelled more than 3 billion miles since its launch in 2006, becomes the first to visit Pluto.
AUGUST
• Ten years after being struck by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans takes stock of its recovery.
• The World Championships in Athletics, held every two years, are the largest sporting event in Beijing’s “bird’s nest” since the 2008 0lympics. In Mar del Plata, Argentina, athletes who have undergone a successful organ transplant compete in the 20th World Transplant games.
SEPTEMBER
• Longest to reign over us: Queen Elizabeth II overtakes Queen Victoria (who was on the throne for 63 years, seven months and three days) as the longest-reigning British monarch.
• World leaders gather in New York to measure progress in fighting extreme poverty as the end-of-2015 deadline nears for achieving eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set in 2000—and to lay out post-MDG targets.
OCTOBER
• Canadians vote in a general election.
• The future arrives: October 21st is the day Marty travelled forward to in “Back to the Future Part II”.
• The IMF and the World Bank head south to Lima, Peru, for their annual meetings.
NOVEMBER
• Twin peaks: Turkey hosts the tenth G20 summit, and leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation assemble in Manila, in the Philippines.
• The battle against global warming moves to Paris, where governments gather for the latest international conference on climate change.
DECEMBER
• The World Peace Caravan retraces the steps of the Queen of Sheba from Jordan to Jerusalem.
• Americans commemorate the 150th anniversary of the outlawing of slavery: the 13th amendment entered into force when Georgia became the 27th state to ratify it.
*Courtesy of The Economist
__________________________________________________________
Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.
JANUARY
• Britons never, never, never give up thinking about Winston Churchill, on the 50th anniversary of his death.
• The world embraces National Hugging Day.
FEBRUARY
• The Chinese New Year of the Goat begins. Those born in goat years are said to be calm, mild-mannered, creative and pessimistic.
• Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, holds elections for its president and parliament.
• Take your pick for the hottest tickets: for the Sambadrome, where samba schools compete at the Rio Carnival for the Cricket World Cup, which starts in Australia and New Zealand.
MARCH
• The total solar eclipse on March 20th is the last one visible in Europe until August 2026.
• The UN tries to lift spirits on World Poetry Day.
APRIL
• Americans remember the end of their civil war, with Robert E. Lee’s surrender 150 years ago, as well as the assassination six days later of Abraham Lincoln.
• All the world’s a big top on World Circus Day.
• The seventh Summit of the Americas, a gathering of leaders from across the region, is held in Panama.
MAY
• Expo 2015 opens in Milan. Contemporary-art-lovers flock to Venice for its Biennale.
• Britons vote in a general election.
JUNE
• Leaders of the world’s rich countries gather at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, where Angela Merkel hosts the annual G8 summit—or the G7 summit, if Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, is not invited.
• The first European games, involving the 49 Olympic nations of Europe across 20 sports, open in Baku, Azerbaijan; and the seventh FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Canada.
• Turkey holds a general election.
JULY
• Luxembourg takes over the EU’s presidency.
• New Horizons, a NASA space probe that has travelled more than 3 billion miles since its launch in 2006, becomes the first to visit Pluto.
AUGUST
• Ten years after being struck by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans takes stock of its recovery.
• The World Championships in Athletics, held every two years, are the largest sporting event in Beijing’s “bird’s nest” since the 2008 0lympics. In Mar del Plata, Argentina, athletes who have undergone a successful organ transplant compete in the 20th World Transplant games.
SEPTEMBER
• Longest to reign over us: Queen Elizabeth II overtakes Queen Victoria (who was on the throne for 63 years, seven months and three days) as the longest-reigning British monarch.
• World leaders gather in New York to measure progress in fighting extreme poverty as the end-of-2015 deadline nears for achieving eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set in 2000—and to lay out post-MDG targets.
OCTOBER
• Canadians vote in a general election.
• The future arrives: October 21st is the day Marty travelled forward to in “Back to the Future Part II”.
• The IMF and the World Bank head south to Lima, Peru, for their annual meetings.
NOVEMBER
• Twin peaks: Turkey hosts the tenth G20 summit, and leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation assemble in Manila, in the Philippines.
• The battle against global warming moves to Paris, where governments gather for the latest international conference on climate change.
DECEMBER
• The World Peace Caravan retraces the steps of the Queen of Sheba from Jordan to Jerusalem.
• Americans commemorate the 150th anniversary of the outlawing of slavery: the 13th amendment entered into force when Georgia became the 27th state to ratify it.
*Courtesy of The Economist
__________________________________________________________
Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.