This video shows an interesting part of the culture of Haiti. Click below to watch the video. Be ready to answer discussion questions.
Feel free to use the 360-degree feature in the video to fully appreciate the story.
Let’s Discuss!
1. What is your understand of Voodou (Voodoo)? 2. In the video, what are they preparing for? Why do they have to paint their faces white? 3. Using different adjectives, how would you describe the ceremony? 4. What did the narrator say at the end of the video about her traditions and customs? 5. What practices do you have in your culture that bring people together?
1. Why is English important? 2. What are the 7 reasons why Spanish people would like to develop their English skills? 3.What age do you think a child should start learning English? 4. What if you spoke English fluently? Do you think you have a different job?/Do you think you have the same job that you have now? Why?
Employees of Chobani learned that they are getting ownership stake that could make them millionaires. They are getting shares worth up to 10 percent of the company when it goes public or is sold. Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO, believes it’s just right to give the wealth back to his workers who have helped him build this company that is already several billion dollars worth.
1. What do you think of Hamdi Ulukaya’s gesture? If you were him, would you do the same thing? 2. What are things that can transform business to a higher level? 3. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being your own boss? 4. Have you ever thought of starting a business?
The beauty of technology is much appreciated. Millions of people rely on technology to get things done – on a daily basis. But once it exposes personal information, expect a barrage of complaints.
Read the article below to find out more about the data breach that happened in Mexico.
1. How was this unsecured database discovered? 2. What were the steps taken to solve this problem? 3. Think of possible scenarios if these information fall into the hands of the wrong people. 4. How would you react if your personal data became publicly accessible on the internet?
In December 2015, 14 people were killed and 22 were seriously injured in a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California.
To aid the investigation, the FBI turned to Apple so they can gain access to the iPhone used by a shooter. The tech giant “opposed this order” for reasons such as threats to Data Security – to name one.
The FBI cracked the phone not with the help of Apple but with the cooperation of hackers.
1. What are your thoughts on this FBI–Apple encryption dispute? 2. What is your opinion about FBI seeking help of hackers to access the phone? 3. Should private companies willingly aid in crime investigations? 4. What are your thoughts on data security?
1. What do you think could have caused the collapse of the flyover? 2. Have you witnessed a similar accident before in your city? 3. What is your opinion on the rescue effort conducted in the article? 4. What can the Indian government do to prevent such accidents in the future?
29-year old Kevan Chandler’s condition is degenerative and incurable. However, he remains inspired by Django Reinhardt’s defiance at his disability.
Just like many guys in their 20s, Chandler attempts to tour France, England, and Ireland with the help of his good friends.
Man with muscular dystrophy plans to backpack in Europe as a ‘backpack’
(CNN) Three years ago, a doctor told Kevan Chandler that because of his muscular dystrophy, he would be hooked up to an oxygen machine within six months.
That doctor was wrong.
Today, not only is Chandler breathing freely, but the 29-year-old is about to undertake a rite of passage for many 20-somethings: backpacking around Europe. But there’s a catch.
Chandler won’t be doing it with a backpack; he plans to do it as a backpack of sorts.
Chandler, who weighs 65 pounds and moves with the help of a wheelchair, will be strapped to his friends’backs using a customized pack as they tour France, England and Ireland.
Kevan Chandler will bring his wheelchair for use on parts of his trip.
The ingenuity of the backpack design came from a spur-of-the-moment decision to join his friends in an area that was not wheelchair accessible: the sewers of Greensboro, North Carolina.
“We threw the pack together in like an hour. It was a hiking backpack with a metal frame. We actually laid it on the ground, and they laid me on top of it, using hammocks,” Chandler said.
It worked, and the pack sparked a new-found confidence in this would-be traveler.
“If we can do this, what else can we do?” he wondered. The answer was “the world.”
The dream
A young Kevan poses with his sister, Connie, who was also born with muscular dystrophy.
Chandler and his friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help finance their journey to Europe, which is scheduled to begin on June 19.
The budding fantasy writer’s itinerary is heavily inspired by own ancestral roots and a nostalgia for his heroes.
First up, Samois-sur-Seine, France, the former home of Django Reinhardt, a guitarist who invented a new style of jazz to accommodate his deformed hands, which were burned in a fire.
“I found out about Reinhardt in high school and that was about the time my hands were getting weaker as well. He flourished despite his disabilities,” Chandler said.
Chandler’s condition is degenerative, affecting the skeletal muscles that control movement, and there is no known cure. But like his idol, Chandler remains defiant.
“My philosophy is just to keep moving,” he said.
Much of his fortitude springs from his older sister, Connie, who was also born with muscular dystrophy.
“The doctors told my parents, ‘if you have another kid, they will have it, and we encourage you not to.’ My dad took mom’s hand and told the doctors, ‘if you’re telling me the worst thing that can happen is we have another child like Connie, we’re OK with that.'”
‘Keep moving’
The team planning to carry Chandler across Europe (from left to right): Ben Duvall, Tom Troyer and Philip Keller.
After a jaunt through England, the group will face their biggest uphill climb — literally.
Atop the rocky island of Skellig Michael, off Ireland’s coast, sits a preserved sixth-century monastery, a terminus that appeals to Chandler’s deep sense of faith.
But getting to the top is a challenge for even the most able-bodied person. A 600-step staircase will sit between the group of friends and the monastery.
Chandler’s friends are eager for the challenge and inspired by his ambitious wanderlust.
“I just renewed my gym membership … but we’re going to make it fun. His disability is just a layer of character; it’s not the essence of his character,” said Tom Troyer, who’ll be carrying Chandler part of the way.
Every step of their voyage will be filmed, and Chandler hopes his story, which he plans to pen along the way, will inspire others who have been told they couldn’t conquer the world because of their disabilities.
“Like I said, we just have to keep moving,” he said.
Words to study:
muscular dystrophy
backpacking
ingenuity
budding
degenerative
Discussion Questions:
How would you describe Kevan Chandler?
What do think about his friends?
Have you ever gone backpacking somewhere? Tell us about your experience.
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of backpacking?
Nobody wants to go to prison. There is fear even in just saying the word. People have very specific images of what prison looks like. But, in Norway, things are just a little bit different than the usual.
This article includes a video. Please read the article first before watching the video to fully understand the video clip.
1. Based on the article, explain what “normality principle” is. 2. Describe the prisons in Bastoey island and in Halden. 3. Explain the conditions of the prisoners in Norway and the rights they can still exercise. 4. What is the defense given by the Norwegian system when critics question their prison structure? 5. How would you describe prisons in your country?
Whether you’re taking public transportation or using your car, we all have stories to tell about our daily commute, especially if it’s something we do on a daily basis.
Click on the title below and read about the commuters in Mumbai and their experiences on the train.
1. Describe the pictures you’ve seen in the article. 2. Recall the experiences of some of the passengers who take the train. 3. How efficient is public transportation in your country? What would you change if any? 4. Share some of your unusual stories as a commuter.
Human evolution is all about the process or physical changes that humans went through over the years. Would a simple activity, like chewing, really have an impact on human evolution? Read the article below to find out more.
1. What did you think of the article? 2. What do you know about human evolution? 3. How would you describe your eating habits? 4. Do you think it’s right that humans are often compared to chimpanzees?
