Monday, October 28, 2024

Reading skills - working hours in Japan



Image result for most productive countries


















WORKERS' STRESS: Rank these with your partner. 

Put the biggest workers' stresses at the top. 

Change partners and share your rankings.
  • boredom
  • meetings
  • no promotion
  • customers
  • overtime
  • boss
  • colleagues
  • deadlines
  • anxiety about performance
  • job security


Job satisfaction

I love the work

I love the people I work with

I love the product we make

I love the money

I love the location

I love the people I serve

I love the hours

I love the variety of things I have to do

I love the pressure

I love the outcome of our work




Predict the news story from these words:


     initiative / pressure / workers / consumer spending / campaign / relax / workaholic /
       suicide / employee / overtime / meditation / temple / private sector / atmosphere






Working hours













4-day week





What was said in the article?






six








four








pay








trial








New Zealand








provided








productivity








Listen again and check

















Mike Hosking









So, Christmas has come early at Perpetual Guardian. They are moving to a four-day week for six weeks, to see what it does to productivity.
It is based on the broad premise, which I think is right, that if you're engaged with your job and employer, you are more productive.
This, ironically, comes at the same time as an historic union-based agreement in part of Germany, which will see people work a 25-hour week, if they want to look after elderly or poorly relatives. Not just that, but they got a large pay rise as well.
Now, it's going to be fascinating to watch what happens. And my bet is that human nature wins. And by that I mean everyone is different, and because of that, a broad brush one-stop shop of an idea isn't an answer or a panacea.
I cite a study done in America involving health-based programmes for workers. The company lined up classes in tai chi, access to health care, general wellbeing programmes. Half the group they actually paid to use them, half they didn't. Upshot? Neither group changed one jot. Didn't go to tai chi, didn't improve their health, didn't access anything.
Theoretically, you'd ask how is that possible? You get free fitness and health and even when they shoved money in your hand to do it you still couldn't be bothered? And yet, well, human nature.
So the industrious go-getter at Guardian is going to love the four days. They're going to work hard, get their job done, and enjoy their three days off. But they were enjoying the job anyway.
The person who lives for Friday, that downbeat buzz-kill we all know and loath, the one who goes "oh thank God it's the end of the week", the one who bunks off Monday, they'll love their three-day week as well.
But the thrill will wear off, and suddenly three days is normal, and the misery will return. Some jobs, of course, you can't do in four days. Some people have a lot of work on, and spreading the eight hours on the fifth day, is another two hours a day. It might be a push.
Can I cite France also, the home of the slack working week. They're looking at changing it. Why? Because they're hopelessly unproductive.
Can I cite Japan and China two of the most productive countries on Earth. Why? Because they thrash themselves, they send their kids to school six if not seven days a week. They have no holidays. But man, do they produce stuff in massive numbers.
So, maybe somewhere in the middle is the answer, and maybe that somewhere in the middle is the five-day, 40-hour week. But back to Perpetual Guardian. I like their "change it up" style. On paper, this is utopia. But is it the future? Can you actually do more or the same in less time? Can you really do better if there's more downtime?
My gut says no and my gut says six weeks isn't a proper test time. Also, this comes at the wrong time. I've just had a four-day week and I loved it. But here's the sad nerdy thing about me: given I love what I do and I am blessed, I love five-day weeks too. Hand on heart, if they offered me four days, I'd turn it down.








Is Mike right about human nature? Are we naturally lazy and need to be pushed to achieve great results? His his point of view cynical or realistic?





Monday, October 21, 2024

Isabel Allende and the 1973 Chilean Coup


Before watching. Try writing this list of facts as a biographical paragraph:

Sentence 1

Isabel Allende
Acclaimed novelist
award-winning author 
23 books
“The House of the Spirits” 
“Paula” 
“Daughter of Fortune” 

Sentence 2

latest novel: “In the Midst of Winter” 
a love story 
explores the plight of immigrants and refugees 

Sentence 3

books have been translated into 35 languages 
sold over 57 million copies around the world 

Sentence 4

Father’s first cousin: Salvador Allende, Chile’s president 1970 - September 11, 1973
Augusto Pinochet seized power
CIA-backed military coup

Sentence 5

Salvador Allende died in the palace that day

Sentence 6

Allende later fled to Venezuela



Salvador Allende




Soldiers attacking the Presidential Palace, September 11, 1973





Augusto Pinochet

Check how the bio paragraph was written by the news channel

Acclaimed novelist Isabel Allende is an award-winning author who has written 23 books, including “The House of the Spirits,” “Paula” and “Daughter of Fortune.” Her latest novel, “In the Midst of Winter,” is a love story that explores the plight of immigrants and refugees. Her books have been translated into 35 languages, sold over 57 million copies around the world. Her father’s first cousin was Salvador Allende, Chile’s president from 1970 until September 11, 1973, when Augusto Pinochet seized power in a CIA-backed military coup. Salvador Allende died in the palace that day. Isabel Allende would later flee from her native Chile to Venezuela.


Watch:

Isabel Allende

Answer the questions

1. Where was Isabel Born?

2. What does the museum new exhibit include?

3. Where is Allende's new book set?

4. When did Salvador Allende become President of Chile?

5. Why did no one believe Allende when he warned that the CIA was undermining Chile's government?

6. What was Isabel's job at the time?

7. What is Isabel's opinion of the Catholic church?

8. Who was Eduardo Frei?

9. How long did the military stay in power?

10. Who was Pablo Neruda?

11. When did Neruda die?

12. What joke did Salvador Allende used to make about himself?

13. Which party did Neruda belong to?

14. Why did Isabel stand beside the ambassador of Sweden at Neruda's funeral?




Pablo Neruda


Sunday, October 20, 2024

The State of Lebanon




The State of Lebanon


What do you know about Lebanon?

Where is it, geographically?
Which languages are spoken there?
Which religions are practiced there?
What kind of food do people eat?
What is the capital city?
What do you know about the history of Lebanon?
What inventions or ideas have come from this part of the world?
Why is there a tree on the national flag of Lebanon?


Phoenicia / Canaan / Lebanon


Below are some of the important periods in the history of this ancient land. Try to guess their chronological order


Helenic (Greek, Seleucid) rule
(The Punic Wars)
Roman rule
Late 1943 - Independence (self rule)
1975-1990 - Lebanese Civil War
Bronze Age
The Malmuk Sultans (Muslim Egypt)
The Ottoman Empire
The League of Nations
The French "mandate"
Assyrian rule
Achaemenid (Babylonian) rule
Byzantine rule






Check


Bronze Age
Assyrian rule
Achaemenid (Babylonian) rule
Helenic (Greek, Seleucid) rule
(The Punic Wars)
Roman rule
Byzantine rule
The Malmuk Sultans
The Ottoman Empire
The League of Nations
The French "mandate"
Late 1943 - Independence (self rule)
1975-1990 - Lebanese Civil War





Part 1. 3:08 - 3:32

Confessionalism (Arabic: محاصصة طائفية‎ muḥāṣaṣah ṭā'ifīyah) is a system of government that is a de jure mix of religion and politics. It typically entails distributing political and institutional power proportionally among confessional communities.

_____________: Maronite Christian

_____________: Suni Muslim

_____________: Shia Muslim

Why does Lebanon have this system?

Discuss - what could be the consequences of a system like this? 


Part 2. 3:32 - 4:50

1. Laury Haytayan was ____ Armenian Orthodox

2. Lebanon's civil war lasted for ___ years and ended in ____

3. In 19__ Nadem Gemayel's father, the the President of Elect of Lebanon was 
__________

4. Lebanon's politics are d______ic: power often passes from ______ to ______.


Discuss - What do you think Nadem will say about his inherited political power?

Part 3. 4:50 - 5:58


Listen to the two points of view, use the words given to summarise their points.

Nadem:

values 
ethics
freedom
security

Laury:

civil war
family
ideology


Nadem:

fear
trust


Part 4. 5:58 - 8:21

1. As a result of the system politicians can become ____________ (adj)
2. They are also free to dispense ____________ (n.)
3. Nadem believes Confessionalism has destroyed the political ___________ (n.)
4. Teymour represents the progressive ______ party
5. How does Teymour justify providing people with financial assistance?
6. The Druze are an o_______ (n.) of Shia Islam. They only represent %__ of the population.
7. Teymour ________ (v.) his role as leader from his father.
8. Teymour candidly describes politics as the ______ _______


Discuss - what do you think is the way forward? 


TED talk on sport as an answer to civil conflict in Lebanon:

Peace is a Marathon












Saturday, October 19, 2024

The History of the World, I guess




In pairs

One of you is an alien who has just had to make an emergency landing on Earth. You know absolutely nothing about the planet.


Questions for Alien to ask


1. When did you start living in cities?
2. When did you start using cars?
3. Have you always used money?
4. Why is English so common?
5. Who were the Romans?
6. What are pyramids?
7. Where did people originate?
8. When did you invent the alphabet?
9. Why did you invent the nuclear bomb?
10. What is "religion", and why is it important?
11. What is "capitalism" and where did it come from?
12. Which culture invented the most stuff?
13. What are humans most worried about these days?
14. Whats the "plague"?
15. How come you have a number "zero"?
16. Why are there big "M"s everywhere?
17. Which is the most important country?
18. Who was/is the smartest person in history?
19. Why haven't you visited our planet?
20. Can I have your email address so we can keep in touch?





The History of the World, I guess



Put the following major events in world history in order

WW2
The Space Age
The Middle Ages in Europe
The Iron Age
The birth of Jesus Christ
The formation of the first stars
A meteor strikes the earth causing the extinction of the dinosaurs
the Bronze Age
The French Revolution
Alexander's conquest of parts of Asia
Viking raids
The Cold War
The Russian Revolution
AI








Watch in sections, guess the order these will be mentioned before you watch and then check:


1.

Space dust

Nothing

Gas

Rocks and ice

Quarks

Protons and neutrons

Stars



2.

Ocean

DNA

Cambrian explosion

Oxygen

Meteor

Egg




3.

Farming

Fire

Society

Bronze

Mesopotamia

Indo-Europeans



4.

Christianity

Chandragupta

Iron

Alexander

Romans

Spices

Qin dynasty




5.

Vikings

Moors

Silk Road

Camels

Chandra Gupta

Charlemagne

Islam





6.

Columbus

Martin Luther

Holy Roman Empire

Mongols

The Crusades

The Italian Renaissance



7.

Ottoman Empire

Latin American Independence

American Independence

French Revolution

Napoleon

Sugar slavery




8.

Opium Wars

Machines

American Civil War

Scramble for Africa

Russian Revolution

WW1

Fall of the Ottomans



9.

Decolonisation

WW2

Communism in China

Artificial intelligence

Indian Independence

Collapse of the Soviet Union

9/11

Cold War


Kahoot Quiz!

35 questions





Check order:

Nothing

Quarks

Protons and neutrons

Gas

Stars

Space dust

Rocks and ice

Ocean

DNA

Oxygen

Cambrian explosion

Egg

Meteor

Fire

Farming

Mesopotamia

Society

Bronze

Indo-Europeans

Iron

Alexander

Chandragupta

Spices

Qin dynasty

Romans

Christianity

Silk Road

Camels

Chandra Gupta

Islam

Moors

Charlemagne

Vikings

Holy Roman Empire

The Crusades

Mongols

The Italian Renaissance

Columbus

Martin Luther

Ottoman Empire

Sugar slavery

American Independence

French Revolution

Napoleon

Latin American Independence

Machines

Opium Wars

American Civil War

Scramble for Africa

WW1

Russian Revolution

Fall of the Ottomans

WW2

Indian Independence

Communism in China

Cold War

Decolonisation

Collapse of the Soviet Union

9/11

Artificial intelligence



You Tubers react

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Stereotypes and Generalisations (simplified version)

Aims:

Discuss stereotypes and where they come from.

Watch and discuss video clips which confront or exploit stereotypes.

Practice using adverbs of frequency.



National Stereotypes 1

Fill in the gaps:

1. Italian people eat ____ ever day
2. The best machines come from _____
3. ______ people are very serious
4. The ______ are the most romantic people
5. _______ like eating hamburgers

6. _______ see kangaroos every day
7. ______ are very spiritual people.
8. ______ are obsessed with rugby.
9. ______ like to party all the time.
10. ______ spend a lot of time surfing. 

What informed your choices? Are they based on real experience?













Africa


What comes to mind when you think of Africa?

P

H

W






Image result for africa



Pre-learn language:


1. What do the following figures refer to?

1.1 billion
54
2000
22
9
4/10
1 in 3
2%
52 billion
43 billion
7
64%
29%

Watch:

Reality Check


What is your reaction?
Did the video challenge your preconceptions about Africa?

2. How would you describe the presenter's attitude?

a) sarcastic
b) angry
c) diplomatic

What ways of using language reflect his attitude?

3. Language - what do the words in italics mean?


1. Conjures up lazy images

a) brings to mind
b) gets rid of
c) records

2. western handouts

a) money
b) loans
c) aid

3. How about the plight of poor African women?

a) suffering
b) deaths
c) health

4. The highest proportion of female parliamentarians in the world.

a) number
b) number compared with other countries
c) number compared with males

5. It's important that we focus only on the doom and gloom cross the continent.

a) wars
b) constructive work
c) despair




Watch: 

I don't need subtitles

Discuss the video - what is the video's message? 

Is this a respectful portrayal of middle eastern people?














National stereotypes 2

1, Are you ‘proud’ to be from your country?
2. What do people commonly say to you about your country? Is it positive or negative?
3. Think. What would you like people to ask you about?

Write some questions you would like others to ask you:

 

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


4. What do you feel is really positive about your country?
5. What do you feel is negative?















Grammar: Generalising and using adverbs of frequency


Look at this sentence:


In New Zealand we don't often show real emotion in public. But sometimes we do - like after the Mosque attacks.


Which words could we have used instead of often and sometimes"





·       always 
·       almost always 
·       usually/ generally/ most of the time/ normally/ 
·       often 
·       fairly often 
·       sometimes 
.       no so often
·       occasionally / once in a while 
.       very rarely
.       never ever

These words are called adverbs of frequency


Think up a sentence for four of these about people in your city or people in your country:

Think about these things:

swearing
allowing you into their house
getting drunk
shouting in the street
dropping litter
crying in public
talking about art
talking about politics
spending the whole day indoors
complaining about their parents
complaining about the boss
going skinny dipping
haggle over prices
trusting strangers

E.g. 

People in my country almost always trust strangers. 

Aucklanders almost never spend the whole day indoors.


Question formation: 
Jumble Kahoot - questions
 



Advertising









White washing




Discuss the complexities of this advertisement.

How racist is it on a scale of 1-10?
"Smack and Cheese"


Burgerfuel Narcos spoof




BurgerFuel's latest campaign has come under fire from members of the Latin American community who say the advertising perpetuates negative stereotypes and capitalises on the drug war.
Advertising for the new Smack and Cheese burger plays on the word "smack" - slang for heroin or cocaine. It is themed around Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, the drug war and drug smuggling in South America.
A video advertising the burger is filmed in Spanish and features a Pablo Escobar-like character threatening and bribing soldiers as he attempts to smuggle "smack", which turns out to be macaroni, through the countryside.

Green Party candidate, Ricardo Menendez March, said he was concerned the campaign perpetuated negative stereotypes about the Latin American community, particularly that they are drug dealers.
"Latin Americans across the world already have to deal with commentary around the drug war and for many Latin Americans who come from violent areas, the drug war is quite close to us," he said.
"Some of us have friends and family members and acquaintances who have died as a result, and so to have to put up with those stereotypes can be really demoralising."
Following the election of US President Donald Trump - fuelled by anti-immigration sentiment, particularly targeting the Latin American and Muslim communities - such advertising could normalise some of the negative stereotypes the campaign was built on, Menendez March said.
"The Latin American community is rich in diversity and has a plurality of voices. Companies should not be exploiting narrow stereotypes for profit's sake."
BurgerFuel is yet to respond to repeated requests for comment.
Lorena Cuervo has been in New Zealand for two years and says since arriving she has been typecast when mentioning she is from Colombia.
"The following sentence is always related to cocaine: 'good stuff', 'oh! Yes, Pablo Escobar', 'did you bring some stuff to New Zealand?'," she said.
"I don't know why people think that it's funny, or even friendly, they obviously do not know the sadness and pain behind that. They ignore completely that in my country there are children without parents, parents without children because of the war."
Hearing things like this made you feel terribly discriminated against, she said, and seeing these messages in the media encouraged and even sanctioned this stigma.
"I know some people who would rather say that they are from another country instead of hearing those comments."
She believed it was inappropriate for BurgerFuel to use references to the drug war and the trade of cocaine in its advertising.
Menendez March thinks BurgerFuel has a responsibility to play a role in not inciting prejudice and racism.
"An acknowledgement from BurgerFuel that the ad was built upon some pretty negative stereotypes from a war that has cost thousands of lives in the Latin American region would be a start."

• Written by Sarah Murphy

Discuss the comments from the text:









1. "Latin Americans across the world already have to deal with commentary around the drug war and for many Latin Americans who come from violent areas, the drug war is quite close to us."













2.  "Following the election of US President Donald Trump - fuelled by anti-immigration sentiment, particularly targeting the Latin American and Muslim communities - such advertising could normalise some of the negative stereotypes the campaign was built on."















3. "The Latin American community is rich in diversity and has a plurality of voices. Companies should not be exploiting narrow stereotypes for profit's sake."














4. "I don't know why people think that it's funny, or even friendly, they obviously do not know the sadness and pain behind that. They ignore completely that in my country there are children without parents, parents without children because of the war."











5. "I know some people who would rather say that they are from another country instead of hearing those comments."














Gender Stereotypes







1. What are some stereotypes you know of about women?
2. What are some stereotypes about men?

True or false?

1. The ad is for a James Bond movie.

2. The ad is like a James Bond movie.

3. A man describes the ad to Pierce Brosnan.

4. The ad has two women in it.

5. The ad has four men in it.

6. In the ad, Pierce Brosnan feels uncomfortable.

7. At one point Pierce Brosnan talks to himself. 

8. At the end of the ad, Pierce decides not to appear in the ad.

 

Speaking

1. Is this a 'pathos' or 'ethos' ad?

2. Why do advertisers like to get celebrities like Pierce Brosnan to endorse their products?
3. How does the ad use female stereotypes?
4. What are the two males in the ad like? Do you think they are both like this is real life?
5. What kind of customer do you think the ad is appealing to?

6. Is this a clever ad? Why? why not?

Image result for manslater



Before watching the clip, predict what it will be about from the picture.


    
After watching:

Do you feel this clip is showing us something that is true about men and women? Or is it stereotyping men and women?

Do you agree?










It's mostly stereotyping women.












It's stereotyping both men and women.














The characters aren't meant to be real - it's comedy!













It makes fun of men and women equally.











It makes a good point.











It's too simplistic.













Related image


It's NOT about the nail


Before watching, discuss the comment:


"The way men and women communicate with each other is very different. Men want to fix things. Women need to be heard. Men need to watch this."

Predict will happen in the video.



After watching

Which person in the video was right?

Were they both right? or wrong?

What kind of compromise could they find.


Read some more comments - do you think they were written by men or women? How can you tell?

1. "This hysterical clip shows us very clearly how important it is to LISTEN when women talk and not try to solve their problems!!!! LOL!"


2. "Don't try to fix it. I just need you to listen." Every man has heard these words. And they are the law of the land. No matter what."


3. Judging by the 2k thumbs down, there are at least 2k women with a nail in their forehead!


4. "Rationalism vs Emotions"


5. "I dare say this video really "Hit the nail on the head" bad-dum-tish!"







Image result for africa for norway

Africa For Norway


Africa for Norway


Watch the video


1. Who do you think made the video?

2. Why?

3. What's the message of the video?




After discussion: here's the text that accompanies the video.


The gaps are adverbs of frequency - can you guess them?


Imagine if every person in Africa saw the "Africa for Norway" video and this was the only information they ____ got about Norway. What would they think about Norway? If we say Africa, what do you think about? Hunger, poverty, crime or AIDS? No wonder, because in fundraising campaigns and media that's _____ what you hear about. The pictures we _____ see in fundraisers are of poor African children. Hunger and poverty is ugly, and it calls for action. But while these images can engage people in the short term, we are concerned that many people simply give up because it seems like nothing is getting better. Africa should not just be something that people either give to, or give up on.



Vocab:


impact based developments truth simplistic address focus


in on on on of to


The ______ is that there are many positive________ __ African countries, and we want these to become known. We need to change the________ explanations ___ problems in Africa. We need to educate ourselves on the complex issues and get more ________ __ how western countries have a negative _____ ___ Africa's development. If we want __ ______ the problems the world is facing we need to do it _____ ___ knowledge and respect. The video is made by The Norwegian Students' and Academics' International Assistance Fund.