It's the December 6th blog post!

Please watch about the first 4 or 5 minutes of this video. You can get to it by clicking the link below. This is a topic that is getting more and more serious, I think.

An Epiemic of Beauty Sickness

Renee Engeln

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63XsokRPV_Y

1) Which do you think is more important, health, or appearance?

2) Would you take medicine to cure an appearance problem (for example, acne or serious pimples) even though it might negatively affect your health?

3) Do you think our culture is too worried about appearance?

4) If someone dies because they were taking a prescribed drug, whose fault is it? The company that makes the drug, the government for allowing the drug to me prescribed, the doctor for prescribing the drug, or the patient for choosing to take the drug?

5) Who puts more pressure on girls to be beautiful? Men or Women?

6) Would you rather be fat or be hit by a truck?

7) In this modern time, do men face the same pressure to look good as women do?

Wed, Nov 29th 2017 Blog Topic!

Here it is! Enjoy!
Please make sure to watch the video and understand as well as you can

http://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-perdix-mini-drones-attack-enemy-swarm-bees-mit-tech-military-defense-2017-1

1. What are your first thoughts about these drones? Do they make you feel safe or uncomfortable?
2. What other things do you think this collective thinking technology could be used for? Can you think of good and bad uses?
3. In the future, do you think humans will fight wars or will only machines fight? Which scenario do you think is better?
4. Would you watch a sport played only by robots?
5. What new robots are being used in your country? These could be personal or business types of robots. PLEASE RESEARCH THIS.
6. Do you think artificial intelligence will solve the human problems of pollution, space travel, war, famine, etc.?

7. Do you want a robot in your home to help with housework?

8. Do you feel comfortable knowing there are many drones in the sky at all times?

Wed, Nov 22 Blog Post

Please read this article and watch the two short videos that are there also. This should make you think about where you live and cultural changes. Enjoy! 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/well-you-gotta-have-a-home-inside-the-private-lives-of-van-dwellers-1.3613398

Here are some of the questions we will be talking about in class. Please make sure to understand the meaning of each questions before Wednesday.

Thanks!

Matthew

Nov 15/17 Blog Topic

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

Here is the topic for today.

Please click on this link...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgWie9dnssU

...and watch the video as many times as you must until you understand. I think that watching the first four minutes or so will be enough for discussion.

I will not be posting the discussion questions here, so it is really important that you understand the main points of the video.

Good luck and see you on Monday!

Matthew

Wed, Nov 8 2017 Blog Discussion!

Time for the battle of the sexes! Get your opinions ready.

Please read the article below and then read the questions too. Remember to read the article more than one time. The first time, do not use a dictionary or worry about unknown words. The second time, it is a good idea to look up the unknown words.
When you read the questions, please make sure you understand their meaning and are ready to discuss them on Wednesday.

Thank you!

Matthew

His and Her Diary from the Same Day

Her Diary:

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong; He said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.' When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.

His Diary:

Motorcycle won’t start…can't figure out why.

http://imgur.com/6icZ3

Discussion questions

1.    Do you think this was posted by a man or a woman? Why? What point do you think that he or she was trying to make?

2.    Who do you sympathize with most, him or her?

3.    Have you had similar misunderstandings with your significant other?

4.    Why are men and women so different?

5.    Is it possible for a men and women to really understand how the other thinks?

6.    Would you like to be able to think like a member of the opposite sex? Might there be any advantages in being able to do so?

7.    What does/did your significant other do that really infuriates you? What are the most frustrating habits that men/women have?

8.    Do you have any advice on how to understand and get along with the opposite sex better?

9.    Imagine you could switch gender for one day? Would you like to try it? What would you do? What would you like to find out?

Nov 1 2017 Blog Topic

Winter is coming! It's already November! Oh no;)

Here is the topic for this week. It's about exercise. Exercise is something that is hard to get in the winter and many people feel less motivated. Canada has a problem with too many obese children. What can we do about it?

http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2016/04/11/phys-ed-experts-alarmed-by-program-cuts.html

1) Is it important to students/children to be physically active?

2) Do you think physical education class is more important or equally as important as some other subjects? Which ones? No? Why?

3) Does exercising or just taking a walk help you to study better?

4) How much TV or internet do you watch each day?

5) Which is more important, physical health or high academic achievement (good grades)?

6) How many hours of physical activity each day do students in your country get? Is it enough? How many hours do you think they should get?

7) Do you exercise? Are you more motivated to exercise in the warm or cold weather? Why?

8) Should governments require people to exercise in order to qualify (get) health insurance?

Oct 25, 2017 Blog Topic

Hello everybody!

I have returned from Japan and I'll tell you stories and answer questions when I'm back in class on Tuesday (tomorrow). I hope you've had a good two weeks!

This weeks topic is a light (not serious one), but I think you might find this article and video interesting, odd, or maybe super awesome! Please make sure you understand the vocabulary and the main idea of the article.

Article link:
http://www.boredpanda.com/heart-beat-ring-hb-thetouch/

Product link:
http://www.thetouchx.com/index.html

Questions:
1) What was your first reaction to this product?
2) What do you think of the price? (Go to the product link.)
3) Would you use this product? (I'm really curious about Yoko's opinion.)
4) Do you think this product will be popular? Is it better than SNS?
5) What do you think of how the rings look?
6) Giving rings before marriage seems to be more common in Korean and Japanese culture than here. Do you think these will be really popular in Japan and Korea?
7) Do you think these rings could be used for medical purposes?