Dec 17, 2020
Lesson 1/4 45min
Hello Margarita!
China presents itself as an excellent planner but there are serious problems which indicate poor planning. Indeed, there are several sociological timebombs waiting to explode!
1. China's One-Child policy has created a huge gender imbalance with many more men than women.
2. China's massive migration from villages to cities for work has left many children behind causing
problems which can lead to 40% of those children to a life of crime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCo9kvYcRsM&t=17s
3. China has hundreds of ghost cities while many rural villages look like Third World countries.
https://youtu.be/zQV_DKQkT8o
https://youtu.be/BZH4S_SIwVU
https://youtu.be/01kZPU65Wnk
4. The Social Credit Score system creates a blacklist of people who can turn to crime like the Yakuza, a
marginalized people in Japan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit_System
5. Will Africa will be China's new China? Or will there be a backlash?
Dec 10, 2020
Lesson 5/5 45min
Hello Margarita!
Fifteen Asian and Pacific countries have signed the world's biggest free trade deal.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2011/201117-free-trade-deal.html
Quizlet:
https://quizlet.com/549023501/asian-nations-form-worlds-biggest-free-trade-deal-flash-cards/
China has a new Silk Road plan:
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1705/170516-silk-road.html
Quizlet https://quizlet.com/245703204/china-outlines-silk-road-plan-for-global-trade-05162017-flash-cards/
Dec 3, 2020
Lesson 4/5 45min
Hi Margarita!
We'll speak more about education today:
https://www.morningstar.com/articles/1009401/back-to-school-how-the-coronavirus-could-shape-the-future-of-higher-education
We can look at these headlines for talking points:
https://www.tpt.org/paying-for-college/video/tpt-co-productions-paying-college/
http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/pdf/tpt_pfc_disc_points.pdf
https://hbr.org/2019/09/what-will-it-take-to-solve-the-student-loan-crisis
Nov 26, 2020
Lesson 3/5 45min
Hi Margarita!
We'll talk about a philanthropist who paid off 400 student loans!
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1905/190523-philanthropist.html
And the UK's warning to universities:
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2005/200521-online-lessons.html
Scott Galloway talks about the state of higher education today:
https://www.businessinsider.com/insiders-virtual-event-focuses-on-education-and-features-scott-galloway-and-laurie-santos-2020-11
Nov 19, 2020
Lesson 2/5 45min
Hi Margarita!
Our new article is about animation for adults on tv and in movies.
Japanese comics and animations are
very popular.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2004/200407-manga.html
Nov 12, 2020
Lesson 1/5 45min
Hi Margarita,
Billionaire Chuck Feeney achieves goal of giving away his fortune!
Can money make you a bad person?
Nov 5, 2020
Lesson 3/3 45min
Hi Margarita,
Today a little update on the status of hemp oil in the U.S. today
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/27/health/weed-5-cbd-craze-gupta/index.html
And something about hemp as a textile:
https://www.himalayanhemp.in/post/hemp-fabrics-and-their-benefits
http://www.howstuffcompares.com/doc/h/hemp-vs-cotton.htm
https://recreator.org/blogs/hemp-101/hemp-101-a-traditional-method-of-hemp-textile-production
Oct 29, 2020
Lesson 2/3 45 Min
Hi Margarita,
This time we'll read an essay about Halloween.
https://www.eslfast.com/eslread/ss/s016.htm
Vocabulary.com
https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/7438279
ESL Discussions
https://esldiscussions.com/h/halloween.html
EL Civics: Halloween
https://www.elcivics.com/halloween.html
Oct 8, 2020
Lesson 1/3 45min
Hi Margarita,
Hugh Hempel is a technology industry veteran turned health care entrepreneur. In this moving talk he discusses how medicinal cannabis has enriched the lives of his ailing 11 year-old daughters.
And, CNN's Dr Sanjay Gupta changes his mind about cannabis.
Oct 1, 2020
Lesson 5/5 45 Min
Hi Margarita,
This time our topic is the many uses of industrial hemp, a highly valuable plant. This is not marijuana, but related to it. It's used to make rope and other things, but its cultivation has been greatly restricted since the early part of the last century. In recent years the medical community is calling for the testing of it's cousin, hemp, to verify the anti-inflammatory and healing properties associated with it.
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Why-I-Changed-My-Mind-About-Med;search%3AHugh%20Hempel
1. Hemp as fiber to produce paper: will reduce the amount of paper made from trees. Hemp plants mature in 90 days and can be replanted in the same soil.
http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts
2. Hemp as fiber to produce cloth instead of using cotton: Currently most people prefer cotton because it's a natural fiber, but most people do not know that almost all cotton is GMO and so contains pesticides. Hemp is a truly natural and organic fiber, pest resistant, more durable, flame retardant and mold resistant.
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/cotton_environmental_impacts/world_cotton_production_statistics
3. Hemp as oil for fuel instead of using petroleum: a natural, sustainable fuel and cheaper than petroleum.
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/interesting_facts_on_energy/energy_use_in_the_world
4. Hemp as oil for producing lightweight plastic as strong as steel:
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/environmental_effect_of_mining/steel_environmental_impact_
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/environmental_effect_of_mining/environmental_impact_of_steel
5. Hemp as building material instead of wood: using hemp in building is cheaper than using wood, requires no insulation, is flame resistant, mold resistant and over time becomes as hard as solid rock. Hemp's carbon plus the calcium from the lime which is added becomes calcium carbonate like seashells and is called hempcrete.
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/degradation_and_destruction_of_ecosystems/facts_on_deforestation
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/degradation_and_destruction_of_ecosystems/why_is_deforestation_happening
6. Hemp as food instead of GMO and low-nutrition foods: hemp is a high source of protein and contains all essential amino acids as well as omega3 and omega6 oils.
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/world_food_consumption_statistics/world_meat_consumption_statistics
7. Hemp as medicine: hemp oil has strong anti-inflammatory and other healing properties.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720222549.htm_
This is a recent news article about a special session of the UN which takes place on the 19th to the 21st of April 2016.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/apr/15/cannabis-scientists-call-for-action-amid-mental-health-concerns
And, here are some frequently asked questions about the current status of medicinal hemp (marijuana) in the U.S. today:
http://norml.org/marijuana/medical/item/medical-frequently-asked-questions
Sept 24, 2020
Lesson 4/5 45 Min
Hello Margarita!
Today we'll discuss a tedtalk :
Why specializing early doesn't always mean career success.
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_why_specializing_early_doesn_t_always_mean_career_success
1. Have you heard of the 10,000 hours rule? Do you believe it?
2. Starting to learn early has become the accepted norm in the U.S. with educational programs which try to teach children to read before they enter Kindergarten. What is the norm in your country? Which way is better?
3. What do you think of the Tiger Woods story?
4. What do you think of the sampling period as described by Epstein? Is it necessary? Does it debunk the 10,000 hours rule?
5. Have heard of this book about the Tiger Mother, the typical Chinese mother who is very strict and tough with her children to push them to high achievement? It's very controversial. What do you think of this parenting style?
6. By the way, have you heard of the difference in parenting styles between the West and Asia?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7YrN8Q2PDU
Could this be one of the reasons for Japanese students and scientists' success?
7. What do you thnk of results of the experiment which found that late specializers had better "match quality" with their jobs?
8. Epstein gives many examples of late specializers who achieved greatness. Can you think of an example?
9. What's your reaction to the interesting bit of trivia Epstein provides: Nobel laureate scientists are 22 times more likely to have a hobby outside of work as are typical scientists. ?
10. Did you find Roger Federer's story interesting?
11. Did you find what Epstein had to say about kind and wicked learning environments interesting? I did.
12. I found this interesting, did you? A famous, 20-year study of experts making geopolitical and economic predictions. The worst forecasters were the most specialized experts! Your comment?
13. What's your comment on sham knee surgeries??
14. Epstein argues that the most important patents have been submitted not by highly specialized individuals but by multi-faceted teams. Your comment?
15. The Nintendo story is amazing, right?
16. He says "interleaved practice" proved superior to "blocked practice" in some 7th grade classrooms because the interleaved students learnied how to match a strategy to a type of problem. This reminds me of schools in the Netherlands which teach problem solving more than memorization of information. And, they're big on orienteering. I've heard Soviet schools used to do this. Your comment?
Sept 17, 2020
Lesson 3/5 45 Min
Hello Margarita!
The pandemic made life much, much quieter so seismic scientists found it easier to hear earthquakes.
ESL Discussions: Earthquakes
Aug 26, 2020
Lesson 2/5 45 Min
Hi Margarita!
Today our Guardian lesson concerns the fortune a man found at the charity shop when he bought a small book!
Aug 19, 2020
Lesson 1/5 45min
Hi Margarita!
From BNE, a second-hand shop owner in Oklahoma found a treasure that belonged to the Russian czars!
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1403/140322-faberge-egg.html
Faberge, Wikipedia
Aug 12, 2020
Lesson 3/3 45 Min
Hi Margarita!
Today we have a tedtalk by Bill Gates,
"How the pandemic will shape our future."
https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_how_the_pandemic_will_shape_the_near_future
1. Isn't it curious that Anderson asks Gates, "What's your diagnosis?" regarding where we are in the pandemic? Gates is not a doctor or health professional.
2. Gates says the fall has the potential to be quite bad. Does this mean another, deeper lockdown?
3. Why does Gates attribute the higher infection rates to the lack of wearing masks by some people? I have read that masks don't help very much and only if the right mask is used and used correctly. What do you know?
4. High temperatures can help prevent the spread yet the numbers are up in the U.S. during the summer. Isn't that strange?
5. He says Contact Tracing is important but doesn't elaborate. Have you heard that Singapore wants all of their population to be tracked? https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53146360
6. The infection rate is 1% . Isn't that low compared to other viruses?
7. Speaking is worse than coughing! How can that be?
8. Interesting that he thinks that white collar workers enjoy working from home. Your comment?
9. Anderson said he'd like to see Gates as Corona virus czar, but he has no credentials for this!!
10. Anderson says the CDC should be at the forefront of this crisis, yet Dr Fauci has taken this role.
What do you think about that?
11. When addressing the conspiracy theories, Gates says he has no idea why some people might believe this. I think Gates position on population control and his connection with Planned Parenthood may be a reason. Any thoughts about this?
12. What would you like to ask Bill Gates?
Have you heard what the UN is proposing to slow the spread of the virus?
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2007/200724-basic-income.html
Aug 5, 2020
Lesson 2/3 45 Min
Hello Margarita!
Today, we'll have more discussion about Banksy's grafitti art:
https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/banksy/m023b7b?categoryId=artist
Here, Google Arts and Culture features 11 of Banksy's murals:
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/gQXhwV0ZmzTqLQ
July 28, 2020
Lesson 1/3 45 Min
Hello Margarita!
Today, we'll discuss Banksy's grafitti art:
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1404/140419-banksy.html
His life and some of his art:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy
A sad look at air pollution:
https://www.ecowatch.com/banksy-mural-air-pollution-2624042811.html
Banksy doesn't sell his art:
https://www.quora.com/How-does-Banksy-sell-his-art
But, he has a website and an Instagram:
https://pestcontroloffice.com/
https://www.instagram.com/banksy/
Banksy's visit to New York:
Many examples of Banksy's art:
July 22, 2020
Lesson 4/4 45 Min
Hello Margarita!
Travelling herders are moving to the Mongolian capital, but they’re having trouble with urban ways.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/0805/080518-poems.html
More about Mongolia, cuckoo birds migrate to breed there.