The Media

What is the media?

It's all around us and it affects how we think about things and what we do each day. I think it's almost impossible to not be affected by the media.

The media includes radio, TV, the Internet, books, newspapers, magazines, pictures/photos, music, movies, and even video games. The iPhone made by Apple is probably the best symbol of the media for this generation. You can access the Internet, movies, music, newspapers, books, photos, maps, in addition to it's main function as a cell phone.

The media can be a good thing and a bad thing. Without the media, specifically news reporters, we wouldn't know what is going on around us, and yet in the United States the media tends to focus inward. This means that you hear mostly about what is going on in the USA and not about what is happening in other parts of the world. For example, the flooding throughout the state of Tabasco in Mexico was mentioned only briefly in the American news. In fact, I didn't even know about it until a group of informed Gresham High students presented about the disaster last week.

The media also tells us what to do and what to think through advertising. When you watch a show on TV there are a lot of commercial breaks. In fact, an hour long show on TV is really only about 42 minutes, with 18 minutes of commercials. A 30 minute show is about 22 minutes of programming and 8 minutes of commercials. We are shown what products to buy, what clothes to wear, and how our bodies should look.

Think about the media in the United States. What are some positive (good) things about the media and what are some negative (bad) things? What are some ways that you think you are influenced by the media? For example, items you buy or want to buy, clothes you wear, brand names you like, the way you want to look, what makes someone beautiful or handsome, etc. Leave a comment for the class.

Immigration

Immigration is a hot issue in the United States right now. You hear about it nearly every night on the evening news and find it on the front page of newspapers across the United States. Why has it become such a big issue recently? Is it because of the upcoming presidential election or the struggling US economy? Either way it is a very important issue that needs to be resolved for a number of reasons.

Who is an immigrant? If you look it up in a dictionary you'll see something like, "an immigrant is a person who comes into a foreign country and takes up residence there." Referring to someone that leaves their home country, moves to another one, and makes it their home.

Everyone that lives in the United States (other than Native Americans) are here because our families moved here from another country and decided to stay. This makes us all IMMIGRANTS, except that some of us have been living here longer. I think we need to keep this in mind when talking about the current issue of immigration.

We also need to get rid of (throw away) the term "alien" when used to describe people that are immigrants. Nowadays, an alien is understood to be one of those scary, green creatures from outer space. It should not be used to describe people who are born in other countries and live in the USA.

There is an upcoming presidential election and all of the people running for President have an opinion on the issue of immigration. Please read some of these opinions here, and then comment on which candidate you agree with the most. Perhaps which candidate you would be most likely to vote for if you were 18 years old and allowed to vote.

Feel free to include your own opinion on the topic of immigration in your comments, just make sure that you stay away from trash talking. Stick to talking about what you think and feel about immigration and not about what you think and feel about President Bush or anyone else.

Water

Water.
It is essential for all forms of life. We need it to live. 70% of the human body is water and 80% of our brain! In fact, humans can only go without water for about a week before the body would shut down and die. 71% of the earth's surface is covered by water. Saltwater makes up about 97% of the earth's water. Leaving only a small percentage of the earth's water that's suitable for human consumption (drinking).

1 billion people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water. 1 BILLION. That's 1/6 of the earth's population. You know what the number one killer is worldwide? UNSAFE DRINKING WATER. It's hard to believe living here in Portland, where we can turn on the faucet anytime and clean water comes out, but it is a reality. Every day 14,000 people die because they don't have safe, clean drinking water. Every day. Lack of clean drinking water is responsible for 80% of all sickness in the world.

1 child dies every fifteen seconds from lack of clean drinking water.

What can be done about this? Drilling water wells is one of the most common and practical solutions to the problem. Wells cost anywhere from $5000-$50,000 to construct (build). There are also costs to maintain the well, so that it continues to work properly. However, 1 well can provide clean drinking water to thousands of people each day. There are many organizations that collect money in order to drill wells in places where they are needed. In fact, you can go to the website water.cc and give money to help with this problem. As little as $1 can provide clean, safe drinking water to one person for one year.

Check out this idea for helping solve the water crisis (problem) around the world. It's called the H20 Challenge. Would you like to be a part of it?

What do you think about this? How does it make you feel? What are some other things we take for granted living in the United States (other than clean drinking water)? Leave a comment and let me know.

Inventions - Creating Something New

There are many new inventions being invented each and every year. Even when we think that we have everything we need people are still coming up with more. When the iPod first came out everyone thought it was so great, but now we just see it as normal. In a few years the iPhone will be old news too and something else more advanced will have come along.

Despite the fact that some inventions are created just to make life more convenient (easy) for us, there are some that are doing more than that. Many inventions are helping conserve our environment by reducing pollution and the amount of energy that we use. There are cars that don't run on gas, paper that can be used over and over again, and bags that use the sun's energy (solar energy) to charge our mp3 players and cell phones.

Take a look over the pictures and descriptions (click on any of the pictures to make them larger - so that you can read the details about them) of some of these new inventions and then leave a comment about which one is your favorite and why. You could also say which invention you think is most practical (realistic) and which one is waaaaay out there (not going to happen - too crazy). Which are the most helpful for conserving the environment and which ones just make our lives easier.

Smart Cars - Will they take off in the United States?

Smart cars have been available in Canada for a number of years. They are now available in the United States, but will they become a big seller or will people still gravitate to buying hybrid Toyota's and Honda's. The Smart car, which is made by Mercedes, runs on gas. It is not a hybrid, which is when a vehicle runs on gas and electricity. The Smart car can go 40 miles on each gallon of gas and costs around $12,000 to buy new.

Follow this link and read the article about Smart Cars. What do you think? Will they be a big hit in the United States? Do you think it's good for people to buy cars that use less gas? What kind of vehicle does your family have? Does it use a lot of gas or not too much?

How I came to be a teacher?

Did you know that I wanted to be a dentist when I was in high school? Really, I did. It's in my high school yearbook as the career that I was interested in pursuing. 2007 was the 10 year reunion of my graduation from high school and if I had been able to go back to Winkler, Manitoba (the place I used to live) all my old classmates would've expected me to be a dentist. Instead I have traveled the world as an English teacher, living in China and the Philippines, as well as spending time in Thailand and Singapore.

How did I come to be a teacher instead of a dentist? After high school I decided to go to a Bible college for one year. Well one year turned into three and sometime during those three years I became interested in teaching English. Upon graduating (after three years) I went to China to teach with a team of people. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Teaching in China was an awesome experience. After returning from China I went back to school to get my Master of Arts degree because I felt I needed more education in order to be the best teacher I could. That took two more years of full-time school.

A couple years ago my wife and I lived in the Philippines for a year and once again had a great experience overseas. For the last two years I have been teaching high school ELL at Gresham and Barlow high school. I definitely feel like teaching is the career for me, but it took some time and wasn't the one I thought I would be doing when I was in high school.

What about you? What kind of career are you interested in at this point? Why are you interested in that career? Do you already have skills or experience that will help you with that career?

Good Lifestyle Choices

Good nutrition should be a goal for all of us. However, it is especially important for teenagers as they are growing rapidly and their brain's are developing. Their growing and active bodies need proper nutrients to support overall growth and development, for bones to grow strong and for energy levels to remain high. Bodies need to be armed with the right fuel in order to get the best results.

Nutritional intake is very important to how the brain functions. We can starve our brain of important nutrients if we make poor food choices. To keep our mind and body functioning at optimum levels, we should choose a diet packed with fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, fresh seafood, whole grain products, and a lot of water.

In addition, eating good food is important for memory retention, or so that we can remember the ideas we hear. Sleep and exercise also play an important role in having good memory. In fact, it is during sleep that our brains download the information they have encountered during the day into long-term memory. Therefore, getting enough sleep is very critical in order to remember things. It is recommended that students between the ages of 11 and 17 get nine hours of sleep each night. However, most are not able to get that much sleep.

What are some good lifestyle choices you make, especially in regard to the foods you eat, the amount of sleep that you get each night, and the amount of water you drink? What are some bad lifestyle choices that you make? Check out this link to read a story about school cafeteria food across America. Leave a comment and let me know what you are thinking about these ideas.

Wildfires Burning

Wildfires have been burning throughout southern California for the last four days. About a million people are displaced from their homes at this point. There are 10,000 firefighters fighting the blaze right now. There are now over 12,000 people sheltered at Qualcomm Stadium, the place where the San Diego Chargers (NFL team) play.

There are 20 different fires burning currently. The flames have burned 400,000 acres of land and 1,500 homes so far. President Bush has declared the fires to be a major disaster. The blazes have killed five people and injured at least 70 more. Thirty-four firefighters have also been hurt. In addition to the damage the fires have encurred around San Diego there is also heavy ash and smoke smothering the city of Tijuana in northern Mexico, which is directly across the border from San Diego.

How do you feel about these fires? Do you feel sadness for the people that have lost their homes or do you have the attitude of "that's life"? Click here and then select the video titled, "Last Home Standing" to watch a video about a couple whose house was left unharmed by the fires. Compare and contrast their feelings with those of their neighbors who lost their homes.

What's your take on measure 50?

Measure 50 is on the upcoming ballot for all Oregonians. If passed, it will increase the cigarette tax by 84.5 cents per pack. The money gained from this tax is then going to be used for healthcare programs for kids who don't have healthcare right now. Click here for the arguments in favor of measure 50 and here for the arguments against the measure. Make a comment about what you read and how you feel about it.