Class: 17th/18th October 2014
Unit 6A: A curious science
Pages: 56 - 57
Grammar: Formal and informal ways of comparing
Vocabulary: dead-end, high-powered, perk, witty, western, self-deprecating, grin,
hearsay, taint, resign, promote, endanger, butt, slapstick, ATM, bait
To review definitions given in class
and see further examples, click on the following link:
OR
simply look them up in Google.
Homework: TED Talks
Sally Kohn: Don't like
clickbait? Don't click
Extras if you have time:
The Best of Buster Keaton
Monty Python - The Funniest Joke In The World
One of my favourite comedians:
George Carlin -
saving the planet subtitulos Español
Here
is the link to the article about punctuation in EL PAÍS:
Internet offers the privacy that motivates us to click without thinking twice, since we can visit any web page without revealing our identity, for instance, it is similar to what happens with reality shows on tv, nobody admits to see junk tv programmes such as 'Salvame' and so on. In fact, if you ask people about this issue most of them will tell you that they are hooked on watching documentaries on tv, mainly on 'la 2'.
ResponderEliminarWho pulls the strings? Why have this tv junk or these web pages got brainwashed? it is basically simple, we have nosing about people lives.
It would be certainly better as Sally advises us on her video to click responsible, it would be a question of telling ourselves we can do it.
If people feel guilty because they watch Salvame, then there is still hope!!!
ResponderEliminarI understand that after a long day at work, or a hard day, we need to entertain ourselves, and find a distraction. The problem is that our distraction becomes an obstacle to find out what is really happening in the world, and to change things.
We have to understand that broadcasters are not giving us what we are asking for. People are not asking to watch Big Brother or Salvame. It is like eating. If you ask a child if he/she would rather eat a hamburger, french fries and a huge chocolate ice-cream, or fresh vegetables, fish and some fruit. I beat 9 out of 10 would choose the junk food. But since we know that is not healthy we will teach them to eat properly. But we are not watching television in a healthy way. Broadcasters are feeding us with crapy television. We watch thousands of adverts of Big Brother, and it is broadcasted in prime-time, while documentaries are barely advertised and broadcasted either late at night or after meals, at the worst possible times. There is no competition. And although people think they are choosing what to watch, they are not. Furthermore, if we start talking about advertising as a financing source for broadcasters or newspapers or radio, we would have a really interesting conversation.
Broadcasters and big companies are giving us cheap programs so we do not think at all. It is a new version of bread and circus. But we do have the power, and we can change things.