Thursday, June 30, 2016

Life Elementary Textbook: Unit 4 Review p.56

(Supplemental Materials for Specific Textbooks--Life Elementary)


Quizlet (drivedocspub)
Doraemon PowerPoint Game (drive, slides, pub)

Life Elementary Unit 4 Review All Vocabulary
https://quizlet.com/_1wx6gf

Life Elementary Unit 4 Review All Vocabulary
https://quizlet.com/_1wx6gf

Life Elementary Unit 4 Review All Vocabulary
https://quizlet.com/_1wx6gf

Life Elementary Unit 4 Review All Vocabulary
https://quizlet.com/_1wx6gf

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

My Thoughts on the Ongoing Presidential Election

Well, it's certainly a very ... interesting year, no?

Now that the presidential nomination is essentially wrapped up in both parties, I suppose I should give my thoughts.

I'm late on this, I know.  The primaries have been de facto finished for some time now.  But since I never got around to it before, I'll just post my thoughts now.
(I don't have anything particularly earth-shattering to say.  I won't be giving out any analysis that hasn't been already thought of by millions of other people.  But, like a lot of social media posts, the purpose of this post is just to make clear which positions I identify with, and not to try to say anything new.)

Thoughts On the Democratic Party Primary
I was a supporter of Bernie Sanders in the sense that his rhetoric most closely matched my own political positions.
But in another sense, I was never really a supporter of Bernie Sanders because I never really thought he had a snowball's chance in hell at winning, so what was the use of getting all excited about it?
In fact, I was somewhat mystified by the optimism of Bernie Sanders supporters.  A few of the people in my workplace were big Bernie Sanders supporters, and they really believed he was going to surprise everyone and win the nomination.
I couldn't understand the optimism.  Couldn't everyone see where this was going? I mean, we've seen this in every Democratic primary.  In every Democratic primary, there will be one candidate who gets support of the Democratic Left-Wing.  And in every primary, the Left-Wing candidate always gets crushed by the establishment candidate.

So it was no surprise when Bernie Sanders eventually lost to Hillary.
What was surprising was how close the whole thing came.

It's definitely a statement that the Left-Wing of the Democratic Party, particularly among younger voters, is bigger than anyone thought.
Whether this will translate into any tangible political gains for the Left remains to be seen.  But it was...something.  And I'm sorry I didn't give it more support when it mattered.

As for Hillary...well, since I expected all along this is what would happen, I'm at least spared the outrage, and can skip straight into the accommodation phase.  She is what she is.

I remember as far back as the 1990s hearing the following analysis: "There are no political parties for working people.  The two major political parties are both pro-business parties.  But one is the insane business party, and one is the sane business party.  So you may as well at least vote for the sane option."
Back in the 1990s, you could argue that was rhetorical exaggeration.  But it's scary how much that's turned into prophecy.  The Republican Party has clearly gone insane.
So, yes, I know Hillary Clinton is completely in Wall Street's pocket.  But if my only options are between a sane business party, and an insane business party, I'll pick the sane one, thank you very much.

Thoughts On the Republican Party Primary

So, put me in the camp of people who never took Trump seriously until it was too late.
I thought he was a joke in the summer of 2015.
By the fall, he was an interesting development who was throwing the Republican Primaries into disarray.
But I never really believed the Republicans would be crazy enough to actually choose him.  Right up until Ted Cruz dropped out, I always believed that the Republicans would sober up, or that the Republican political establishment would step in and intervene.

I am still kind of in disbelief that Trump actually won the nomination.  I keep thinking I'll wake up and that it will all be a bad dream.

It's clear that the Republican Party is in some kind of crisis.  But what exactly this all means, and what will be the end result of it... who knows!

Checking in on my Predictions
Since Donald Trump actually won the Republican Primary, my prediction that his campaign wasn't serious is looking like a mistake.  (I already did one mea culpa on that post already).

And yet...even since Donald Trump won the nomination, there has been a lot of evidence coming out that his campaign was never serious.
Like the open letter from one of his former top strategists that the campaign was never supposed to be serious.
Or the recent revelation that Donald Trump has done no work to organize a campaign or to raise money.

Rachel Maddow argues (in my mind convincingly) that this is further evidence that the Trump campaign was just one big book tour.


And then there is the continuing evidence of Donald Trump continuing to say and do stupid things.
This played very well with the Republican Primary voters, of course, but conventional wisdom is that once you win the primary, you have to scramble back for the center.  Donald Trump is not doing that, and I'm not sure why.

Time will tell what his final end game is.  But I'm still not entirely convinced he's serious about being President.  I guess we'll see.

My other prediction, however, about Hillary winning the election, is looking safer than ever.
...And I know people are saying that we can't under-estimate Trump.  And people are saying that, yes,  a Trump victory could happen, and so we should be scared.  And people are saying that Brexit proves that voters can do incredibly stupid things some times.

But I'm going to go ahead and put my reputation on the line on this one.  There is no way Donald Trump will ever win in the general election.  He's going to get creamed in November.  He surprised us all in the primaries, I know, but that's because he was appealing directly to the racists and the crazies in the Republican Party.  There's no way he's going to duplicate that success when he has to try to appeal to moderate voters.

Addendum #1
Put me in the group that thinks the amount of press coverage the Presidential election gets is disproportionate to the importance of the event.
Which political party controls congress is actually much more important than which political party controls the White House.
This is something which the Republicans have figured out a long time ago, but which, unfortunately, the Democrats still are having problems grasping.

And yet, here I am, once - again writing - yet another  - post on  -the - Presidential  - election, instead of on my local congressional election.  So I'm as much a part of the problem as anyone else.  What can I say?  I'm only human, and liable to get distracted by the media circus as much as the next guy.  When news shows and late night talk shows talk about the presidential election 7 days a week, of course it's going to be at the forefront of my mind, and all my opinions are going to be formed about that issue.

Addendum #2
Related to addendum 1:
In addition to the huge amount of coverage the Presidential Campaign gets, the way in which it is covered is particularly unhelpful--Horse Race Journalism (W) is unfortunately the dominant way in which the news media covers the campaign.  That is, when the focus isn't on the size of their penises, or other irrelevant issues.

And I'm cynical enough that I'm one of those people who believe that there's an explanation behind this besides journalistic laziness or the need for ratings--the media is owned by big businesses, and the big businesses would just assume run things themselves without the pesky public getting actively involved in issues.

Addendum #3
We are currently witnessing the self-destruction of the Republican Party. Or that is to say, the destruction of the Republican Party in its current form.
I don't think the Republican Party will ever dissolve completely.  Half of this country will always hate the other half of this country, and that hatred will need to be organized in some sort of political party.  But the particular ideology of those parties changes over time.  (In the 1850s, the Republican Party was the party of the Northern Liberals.  Now they're the party of Southern Conservatives.)

Ever since Reagan, the Republican Party has been a very awkward marriage between the Libertarians (who don't want the government to regulate anything) and the Religious Right (who want to use the government to legislate morality).  Because of this awkward alliance, it's never been ideologically consistent within my lifetime.
But at the moment, it's difficult to say what, if anything, the Republicans actually stand for, other than the politics of resentment.  I mean, we know the Republicans really really hate Obama, and they really really hate liberals.  But other than that, they don't seem to be putting forth any type of ideological message.

I suspect this means that the old messages of the Republican Party (fiscal responsibility, and fear of sex) no longer resonate with its base.  And the Party Establishment hasn't figured this out yet.  But eventually they will, and they will adapt, and then the Republican Party of the future will stand for something completely different.
What form that will take...who can say.

Link of the Day
Noam Chomsky: After the Electoral Extravaganza

Life Pre-Intermediate Textbook: 4E A Story of Survival p.53

(Supplemental Materials for Specific Textbooks--Life Pre-Intermediate)


Quizlet (drivedocspub)


Life Pre-Intermediate 4E A story of Survival p.53
https://quizlet.com/_1ryfow

Life Pre-Intermediate 4E A story of Survival p.53
https://quizlet.com/_1ryfow

Life Pre-Intermediate 4E A story of Survival p.53
https://quizlet.com/_1ryfow

Life Pre-Intermediate 4E A story of Survival p.53
https://quizlet.com/_1ryfow

Monday, June 27, 2016

Life Pre-Intermediate Textbook: 4D A Happy Ending p.52

(Supplemental Materials for Specific Textbooks--Life Pre-Intermediate)


Quizlet (drivedocspub)


Life Pre-Intermediate Unit 4 Lesson 4d A Happy Ending p.52
https://quizlet.com/_1rtswf

Life Pre-Intermediate Unit 4 Lesson 4d A Happy Ending p.52
https://quizlet.com/_1rtswf

Life Pre-Intermediate Unit 4 Lesson 4d A Happy Ending p.52
https://quizlet.com/_1rtswf

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Life Pre-Intermediate Textbook: 4C The Right Decision p.50-51

(Supplemental Materials for Specific Textbooks--Life Pre-Intermediate)


Quizlet (drivedocspub)
Lead-in (docs, pub)--These are not mine, but taken from the Internet
Vertical Limit Lead-in (slides, pub)
Cut up and shuffle Paragraphs and match headings to paragraph (docs, pub)
Paragraph Heading Slideshow (slides, pub)
Discussion questions (docs, pub)--These are not mine, but taken from the Internet

Life Pre-Intermediate 4C p.50-51
https://quizlet.com/_1rcenz

Life Pre-Intermediate 4C p.50-51
https://quizlet.com/_1rcenz

Life Pre-Intermediate 4C p.50-51
https://quizlet.com/_1rcenz

Life Pre-Intermediate 4C p.50-51
https://quizlet.com/_1rcenz

Do you like mountains?

How often do you go to the mountains?

What kind of mountains do you like?

Do you like holidays in the mountains?

Are there any beautiful mountains in your country?

Are mountains important?

Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?

Do you like mountain climbing?

Which mountain would you really like to climb?

Would you like to have a mountain named after you?

Would you like to live in the mountains for a year?

Do you ever feel in life that you have a real mountain to climb?

What mountains look the most beautiful (e.g. snow capped, rocky, etc)?

How would the world be different if there were no mountains?

What things can you do on top of a mountain?

Do you think climbing Mount Everest would change your life?

Do you think you could survive better in the mountains or jungle?

What do you think of mountain scenery?


In May 1985 two climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, left their base camp by a lake and started climbing the north face of a mountain called Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes.  This climb was incredibly dangerous, but the two men were experienced climbers and physically fit.  On Day 1, the weather was good and the climb began well.  At night they made a snow cave and slept on the side of the mountain.



Three days later, after some very difficult climbing and bad weather, the two men stood at the summit.  Unfortunately the weather was getting worse so they didn’t stay long.  As they were going down a mountain ridge, a disaster happened.  Simpson fell and broke his knee.  Quickly, Yates tied a rope to himself and then to his friend.  He began lowering Simpson down the mountain and, for hours and hours, Yates helped Simpson get down the mountain.  They were getting close to the glacier at the bottom of the mountain but suddenly Simpson slipped.  This time he went over the edge of a cliff.  He was hanging in mid-air.  Simpson shouted up to Yates, but the wind was blowing loudly and Yates couldn’t hear him.

Yates didn’t know what was happening below.  He waited for an hour but the rope was too heavy and it was pulling Yates down the mountain towards the cliff.  He had two choices: hold the rope but then both of them might die, or cut the rope and survive.  It was an impossible decision for Yates but, at the last second, Yates cut the rope and saved himself.  Immediately, Simpson fell thirty metres into a crevasse.



The next day, while Yates was desperately looking for Simpson, he found the crevasse.  He called for Simpson but he heard nothing.  Sadly, he decided that Simpson was dead.  Yates didn’t know it but Simpson was--unbelievably--still alive inside the crevasse.



Simpson waited for hours but when he realised Yates wasn’t coming, he decided to take a risk.  He had some rope so he managed to find a way out.  For three days, Simpson drank water from the snow and ice.  He crawled back towards the base camp and at four o’clock in the afternoon of Day 7, Simpson was very near.

In the middle of that night, Yates was sleeping in his tent at base camp when he woke up.  He was sure someone was shouting his name.  Excitedly, he ran outside and looked around.  Finally, after searching and searching, he found Simpson. He was lying on the ground, not moving, but he was still breathing.



After a few days, the two men returned home and their story became famous.  Unfairly, some climbers criticised Yates for cutting the rope.  But in 1988, Simpson wrote a book about the events and defended Yates.  Simpson believed Yates made the right decision.

1. A Good Beginning
In May 1985 two climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, left their base camp by a lake and started climbing the north face of a mountain called Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes.  This climb was incredibly dangerous, but the two men were experienced climbers and physically fit.  On Day 1, the weather was good and the climb began well.  At night they made a snow cave and slept on the side of the mountain.
2.
Three days later, after some very difficult climbing and bad weather, the two men stood at the summit.  Unfortunately the weather was getting worse so they didn’t stay long.  As they were going down a mountain ridge, a disaster happened.  Simpson fell and broke his knee.  Quickly, Yates tied a rope to himself and then to his friend.  He began lowering Simpson down the mountain and, for hours and hours, Yates helped Simpson get down the mountain.  They were getting close to the glacier at the bottom of the mountain but suddenly Simpson slipped.  This time he went over the edge of a cliff.  He was hanging in mid-air.  Simpson shouted up to Yates, but the wind was blowing loudly and Yates couldn’t hear him.
3.
Yates didn’t know what was happening below.  He waited for an hour but the rope was too heavy and it was pulling Yates down the mountain towards the cliff.  He had two choices: hold the rope but then both of them might die, or cut the rope and survive.  It was an impossible decision for Yates but, at the last second, Yates cut the rope and saved himself.  Immediately, Simpson fell thirty metres into a crevasse.




4.
The next day, while Yates was desperately looking for Simpson, he found the crevasse.  He called for Simpson but he heard nothing.  Sadly, he decided that Simpson was dead.  Yates didn’t know it but Simpson was--unbelievably--still alive inside the crevasse.
5.
Simpson waited for hours but when he realised Yates wasn’t coming, he decided to take a risk.  He had some rope so he managed to find a way out.  For three days, Simpson drank water from the snow and ice.  He crawled back towards the base camp and at four o’clock in the afternoon of Day 7, Simpson was very near.
6.
In the middle of that night, Yates was sleeping in his tent at base camp when he woke up.  He was sure someone was shouting his name.  Excitedly, he ran outside and looked around.  Finally, after searching and searching, he found Simpson. He was lying on the ground, not moving, but he was still breathing.
7.
After a few days, the two men returned home and their story became famous.  Unfairly, some climbers criticised Yates for cutting the rope.  But in 1988, Simpson wrote a book about the events and defended Yates.  Simpson believed Yates made the right decision.

Answers:
A Good Beginning
In May 1985 two climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, left their base camp by a lake and started climbing the north face of a mountain called Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes.  This climb was incredibly dangerous, but the two men were experienced climbers and physically fit.  On Day 1, the weather was good and the climb began well.  At night they made a snow cave and slept on the side of the mountain.
Disaster Happens
Three days later, after some very difficult climbing and bad weather, the two men stood at the summit.  Unfortunately the weather was getting worse so they didn’t stay long.  As they were going down a mountain ridge, a disaster happened.  Simpson fell and broke his knee.  Quickly, Yates tied a rope to himself and then to his friend.  He began lowering Simpson down the mountain and, for hours and hours, Yates helped Simpson get down the mountain.  They were getting close to the glacier at the bottom of the mountain but suddenly Simpson slipped.  This time he went over the edge of a cliff.  He was hanging in mid-air.  Simpson shouted up to Yates, but the wind was blowing loudly and Yates couldn’t hear him.
An Impossible Choice
Yates didn’t know what was happening below.  He waited for an hour but the rope was too heavy and it was pulling Yates down the mountain towards the cliff.  He had two choices: hold the rope but then both of them might die, or cut the rope and survive.  It was an impossible decision for Yates but, at the last second, Yates cut the rope and saved himself.  Immediately, Simpson fell thirty metres into a crevasse.




An Unsuccessful Search
The next day, while Yates was desperately looking for Simpson, he found the crevasse.  He called for Simpson but he heard nothing.  Sadly, he decided that Simpson was dead.  Yates didn’t know it but Simpson was--unbelievably--still alive inside the crevasse.
Simpson Takes a Risk
Simpson waited for hours but when he realised Yates wasn’t coming, he decided to take a risk.  He had some rope so he managed to find a way out.  For three days, Simpson drank water from the snow and ice.  He crawled back towards the base camp and at four o’clock in the afternoon of Day 7, Simpson was very near.
A Reunion
In the middle of that night, Yates was sleeping in his tent at base camp when he woke up.  He was sure someone was shouting his name.  Excitedly, he ran outside and looked around.  Finally, after searching and searching, he found Simpson. He was lying on the ground, not moving, but he was still breathing.
After the Climb
After a few days, the two men returned home and their story became famous.  Unfairly, some climbers criticised Yates for cutting the rope.  But in 1988, Simpson wrote a book about the events and defended Yates.  Simpson believed Yates made the right decision.


A Good Beginning

An Unsuccessful Search

An Impossible Choice

A Reunion

Simpson Takes a Risk

After the Climb

Disaster Happens

Are you good at making decisions or are you usually indecisive?

Do you make decisions quickly or slowly?

Do you give things a lot of thought before making a decision?

Do you have a strategy or method for making important decisions?

Do you ever ask the opinions of others before making important decisions?

Have you ever made a quick decision and later regretted it?

Have you ever been in two minds about what to do in a situation?

Have you ever made a big decision and then changed your mind?

Have you ever had second thoughts about something?

Are you good at weighing up your options before deciding on something?

Do you like to keep your options open or do you prefer to decide on something quickly?

Do you ever have to make decisions in the workplace?

How is a good business decision made?

What is a decision you made with good consequences?

Have you ever made a decision with bad consequences?

Have you ever made an irrational decision?

Would you like a job in which you had to make important decisions regularly?

Do you have a strategy or method for making important decisions?

Do you have to make decisions in the workplace?

Who do you ask for advice before making important decisions?

What is the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? How did you make the decision?







Saturday, June 25, 2016

My friend Monika (someone I've known from both Japan and Cambodia) is starting a new project at Cambodia Knits.  Check out her web page here.

Life Elementary Textbook: 4F In My Free Time p.54-55

(Supplemental Materials for Specific Textbooks--Life Elementary)


Google Folder HERE
Quizlet (drive, docs, pub)
Transcript (drive, docs, pub)
Mingle (drive, docs, pub)
Backs to the Board: slides, pub





Life Elementary 4F In My Free Time p.54-55
https://quizlet.com/_1wfo41

Life Elementary 4F In My Free Time p.54-55
https://quizlet.com/_1wfo41

Life Elementary 4F In My Free Time p.54-55
https://quizlet.com/_1wfo41

Life Elementary 4F In My Free Time p.54-55
https://quizlet.com/_1wfo41

I really like music, so in my free time I like going to concerts and I really like playing the ukelele.
I love gardening and so I have an allotment.
In my free time, I really like going snowboarding in the winter.  And during the summer, I play quite a lot of disc golf.  Disc golf is essentially a mix between Frisbee and golf.  It’s a lot of fun.
I practice the ukulele every day for about ten or 15 minutes.  And then every week on a Monday, a group of us go to a café together to play the ukelele.
In the spring, I go quite often because I have to dig the soil and get it ready.
In the summer, when I plant, I go less often and in the autumn, I pick the vegetables and I have to go less often still.
During the winter, I’ll maybe go snowboarding for two weeks on a holiday.  And during the summer, I will usually play disc golf once a week and some weekends I go away for competitions.
I enjoying playing the ukelele because I love making music and it’s a really easy instrument to play.  And I really like getting together with friends and we’ve got a very good teacher who teaches us some really good songs.
I enjoy doing it because I like the fresh air and enjoy eating the vegetables we grow.
I enjoy snowboarding because you get to spend time in really beautiful mountain scenery.  It’s also a nice way to take a holiday and you come back feeling very refreshed.  Disc golf is a nice way for me to hang out with my friends during summer and also going to competitions at the weekends takes me to some quite interesting locations.



What do you do in your free time??
How often do you do it?
Why do you enjoy doing it?
Yourself






Classmate  1






Classmate  2






Classmate  3






Classmate  4






Classmate  5







Free time activity?
When
Who with?
Classmate  6






Classmate  7






Classmate  8






Classmate  9






Classmate  10