Tuesday 31 March 2015

April 1 2015 Blog discussion


Please click on the link and read the article.


http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/topstories/restaurant-dress-codes-open-to-sexual-discrimination-complaints-1.3012522


① What do you think about what she did?

② Do you want to go to a restaurant where women wear sexy clothes?

③ Have you ever wore a strange uniform for work?

4. Would you wear something you were uncomfortable wearing if it means a higher salary?

5. Why do you think restaurants dress female staff in sexy clothing, but not male staff?

6. What other unfair employment rules have you heard about or experienced?

Also...
Happy National Picket Fence Day! On this day we celebrate the discovery of Picket. Once thought to be rare, this wood-like mineral was so abundant in Canada that you can now see it used to construct white picket fences the country over.

See you in class!

Matthew

Saturday 28 March 2015

March 31 2015 Blog Discussion Article

Please click the link to find today's article. It is a little bit long, but the vocabulary is not so difficult. If you need to, use the dictionary when you read it for the second time.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/12/26/167819082/dont-fear-that-expired-food?utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20121226

See you in class!

Matthew

April 2 2015 Blog Article


Please click the link below to read today's article (gift giving). Make sure you understand it before class on Thursday please.
Also, think about your own experiences and expectations.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2238530/Wifes-bra-size-Dress-size-Date-birth-Millions-men-havent-faintest-idea.html#ixzz2Dccsh4iB

See you in class!

Matthew

Tuesday 24 March 2015

Wed, Nov 25 2015 Discussion

Please have a look at the article below, read it, and be ready with an opinion for tomorrow. Let's make this one fun!

Can't Buy Love: Materialism Kills Marriages
  Focusing too heavily on the "for richer" part of the nuptial vows could spell disaster for a marriage, according to research published today by Brigham Young University and William Paterson University.
  In a survey of 1,700 married couples, researchers found that couples in which one or both partners placed a high priority on getting or spending money were much less likely to have satisfying and stable marriages.
  "Our study found that materialism was associated with spouses having lower levels of responsiveness and less emotional maturity. Materialism was also linked to less effective communication, higher levels of negative conflict, lower relationship satisfaction, and less marriage stability," said Jason Carroll, a BYU professor of family life in Provo, Utah, and lead author of the study.
  Researchers gauged materialism using self-report surveys that asked questions such as to what extent do you agree with these statements? "I like to own things to impress people" or "money can buy happiness." Spouses were then surveyed on aspects of their marriage.
  For one out of every five couples in the study, both partners admitted a strong love of money. These couples were worse off in terms of marriage stability, marriage satisfaction, communications skills and other metrics of healthy matrimony that researchers studied.
  The one out of seven couples that reported low-levels of materialism in both partners scored 10 to 15 percent higher in all metrics of marital quality and satisfaction. Interestingly, the correlation between materialism and marital difficulties remained stable regardless of the actual wealth of the couple.
The Things That Money Just Can't Buy
  Study authors and marriage experts noted that the findings probably have to do with the personality traits that go along with materialism. They will be published today in the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy.
  "The finding does not necessarily mean that it is the materialism itself that damages their relationships. ... A materialistic orientation may be associated with other unidentified factors, such as childhood deprivation or neglect, which might play a more pivotal role in adult marital satisfaction," said Don Catherall, professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University in Chicago. "Of course, it may also simply mean that people who are more focused on making money have less energy and interest left to invest in their marriages."
  Other studies have shown that materialism is correlated with a host of personality traits and interpersonal skills that might hinder a marriage.
  "People who are materialistic tend to be narcissistic and concerned with impressing people," said Susan Heitler, a Denver-based clinical psychologist and creator of marriage resource site Poweroftwomarriage.com. "They have a tendency to be anxious, depressed, have relatively poor relationship skills and have low self-esteem. These qualities in turn can cause marital problems."
  Heitler recalls one patient who said that whenever she felt empty in her relationship, she would "fill up the hole" by buying lots of things and this would make her feel better. Her husband, who didn't share this love of buying, would then "kindly return all of it because they couldn't afford what she had bought," Heitler recounted, "and the wife was grateful that he would return it because she didn't really want the stuff in the end, but she got satisfaction from the purchasing."
By COURTNEY HUTCHISON, ABC News Medical Unit, Oct. 13, 2011

Full length article + Video from ABC News

Song: Money                          The Beatles     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k5ooaufrLM
Song: Can’t buy me love         The Beatles     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=524BS0thExg

Sunday 22 March 2015

March 23 2015 Discussion!

Have a look at this link please:


After watching and understanding the video, please consider these questions for discussion:

1)   If you were a parent, would you want the school to be able to track (follow digitally) your child?

2)   If you were a student, would you want your school to be able to track you?
a.     Would you change or tamper with the tracking device in your student ID?

3)   Do students need a student ID in Korea or Japan?

4)   What kind of students do you think this tracking system would benefit (be good for)?


5)   The schools would be investing a lot of money in these new tracking systems, do you think it is money intelligently spent?

Wednesday 18 March 2015

March 18 2015 Discussion

Hello!
I apologize for the lateness of this post.

Here it is


1. Is this actually possible?Can you believe it?
2. Do you want to drive this car?
3. If you get this car what do you think it is good for?
4. Do you think this car will be common?When?
5. Do you think this car will cause more or less accidents?
6. How do you think the police will pull you over for speeding or some other traffic violation?

Tuesday 17 March 2015

March 19 2015 Discussion

Please watch this video:

People with no kids don’t know
Michael McIntyre

Also, please read this article.

-       Regret Having Children?

See you in class!

Matthew

Sunday 15 March 2015

Practical Speaking Hi-int Discussion Topic! March 17 2015 (St.Patty's Day!)

Please watch these two anti-drinking and driving advertisements. One is from Brazil and is called the $73000 bar tab.
The other is a very classic Mothers Against Drunk Driving ad. MADD is a very powerful group here in North America and they can pretty easily effect government policy and laws.

Which ad do you think is more effective at preventing drunk driving?
Do you think humour and jokes are a good way to prevent drunk driving?
Are both ads easy to understand?




See you in class!

Matthew

Wednesday 11 March 2015

Saturday 7 March 2015

March 10 2015 Discussion Topic

Please visit the link below and read the article about three times. Be ready to discuss this in class. Try to understand it the best you can. Using a dictionary is a good idea.


See you in class!

Matthew