Endangered Species:Polar Bears

Are polar bears endangered?

Experts in polar bear science believe they are. They predict as the Arctic continues to warm due to climate change, two-thirds of the world's polar bears could disappear by mid-century... hope remains if action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

How many polar bears are there?.....In 2008, scientists estimated there might be 20,000 to 25,000 of them. From Polar Bears International

How does global warming affect the polar bears?

The ice in the Arctic is melting.

1. Their population is decreasing.
2. The ice platforms are further apart. Swimming conditions are more dangerous.
3. There are fewer opportunities to hunt and food is more scarce. National Wildlife Federation

A) Here is a video from BBC. It's about polar bears and the summer melt. After you listen, try the listening quiz.

Choose the best answer.

1. You can hear the ice

a) melting

b) creaking

c) cracking

2. This season, the winter ice

a) is stronger

b) is not as thick

c) is not as thin

3. The polar bear is

a) swimming in the water

b) struggling in the water

c) floating in the water

4. The polar bear looks

a) exhausted

b) relaxed

c) tired

5. The polar bear is not able to

a) climb out easily

b) free herself easily

c) find better ice

B) Polar bears are fun to watch. Watch the mother and her cub. Then answer the questions.

Choose the best answer.

1. The cub is on the ice

a) for the fifth time

b) for the first time

2. The mother bear is looking for

a) the sea

b) seals

3.. The mother is wearing

a) a radio collar.

b) a red collar

4. The mother bear is not falling through the ice because

a) she knows how to walk quickly

b) she spreads her weight

5. The young cub is

a) having fun

b) learning to run

6. The mother will teach the baby

a) to swim for fish

b) to hunt seal

More about polar bears:

• Animal Facts
  
  
• Polar Bears International

Listening Quizzes:

• A) 1c 2b 3b 4c 5a
• B) 1b 2b 3a 4b 5a 6b

Culture Shock

Anyone who moves from one country to another country experiences culture shock. Your old culture and your new culture are very different. This creates pleasant and unpleasant experiences.

In the following video, Derek Sivers points out some differences between countries. Watch and learn.

For Valentines Day: Free Hugs and Sick Puppies

"Free Hugs" that's what Juan Man put on a sign. He decided a good way to warm up this cold world was to reach out and hug someone. Using his sign, Juan was able to get free hugs from strangers. In return, he put a smile on many faces in a mall in Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately, life can never stay that simple. Watch the video and see what happened next.

As of today, almost 56 million have watched this video and at the time, it became video of the year. The Sydney rock band, Sick Puppies wrote a song for Juan Man to cheer him up. They made the video and put it on YouTube. The song is "All the Same"





Happy Valentine's Day

Here's the song, "All the Same".
Listen to the music and follow the words.





Other posts for Valentine's Day:

• A Love Story
• Winter in Toronto 5
• Film Festivals 3: Signs
• Film Festival 3: Signs Part 2

English Mania

English is becoming more popular all over the world as a second language. Why? English is a universal language. That means English is a world language and many countries are using English to understand world issues. For some time, English has been one of the official languages for business communication.

As a teacher of English, I often wonder what will happen to the English language. Many old words from other languages make up the English vocabulary, and the English language is always growing. Each year new words are added to the dictionary. For example, technology advancements has added many new words to the dictionary. Even some expressions like "cool" add new meanings to words.

My biggest concern is what will happen to English grammar? If more people use English as their second language, will less and less people speak it well? How important is it to speak perfect English? No one speaks Shakespeare English in modern times, but in 50 years what will pass as spoken and written English?

In the following video, Jay Walker talks about English mania in other parts of the world. Mania means to have a lot of enthusiasm or excitement. Are people getting excited about learning English? Watch the video and find out.





How important is the English language in your country? Do students study for an important English test? Write a short comment about English tests in your country.

Put Down Your Cell Phone

Do you know about the recent Ontario legislation about no cell phones while driving?

Drivers must pull over if they want to talk on a cell phone. Drivers can talk on a phone while driving if they use hand-free devices such as a cell phone with a head set or speaker phone. Basically, you must be able to keep both hands on the wheel. Those caught using their cell phone while driving may be fined and possibly lose demerit points off their license. When fully licensed drivers get fifteen demerit points, their driver's license is suspended. Not all the provinces in Canada have this law at this time.

What's the video about?

It's a news report on a study about driving a car and using a cell phone at the same time.

How to do the listening quiz?

Press questions. First, read the questions and then listen to the video. After you complete the questions, press "see how you did" to find the answers to the quiz.

Do you want to add a comment?

Press comment at the bottom of this post. Do you agree or disagree? Should the Ontario government ban cell phone use while driving?

Music Monday: Disney Nature "Earth"

Tim Allen composed and performed the music in this Disney Nature video.





'Mandy the movie guy' does interviews for movies on T.V. and radio. Mandy moved from the Philippines in 1988. He attended university in America before he started his career. Mandy interviewed the writers/directors of Disney Nature "Earth", Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield. They talked about why they chose to make this movie and some of the difficulties in working on this documentary.

Disney Nature "Earth" is in the first week at the movie theatres. "Earth" opened on Earth Day, April 22, 2009. The Disney film is about three mother animals, a polar bear, a hunchback whale and an elephant. Their babies represent the next generation - a generation which will need our protection. I enjoy nature documentaries and I hope to see "Earth" soon.







Related Posts:

• Music Monday: Susan Boyle
• Monday Music

Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is becoming more and more accepted, but be careful. Toronto Star recently ran an article about the rules and regulations for plastic surgery in Ontario. The present standards are so outdated, they are shocking! They are starting to change, but the government needs to do more to protect patients who undergo plastic surgery. The new laws are expected in the spring of this year.

Until we get new laws, you might be surprised by the lack of rules for medical clinics in Ontario. Did you know the government allows GPs or family doctors to perform plastic surgery in their clinics? GPs are not plastic surgeons. Moreover, they are not trained surgeons. As well, these operations are not observed by the medical board. Why would any room where operations take place not require visits by a regulating body?

Plastic surgery requires a lot of cutting and I worry some patients do not understand the health risks. Did the young Toronto mother who had liposuction surgery understand her risks? Well, I guess she will never be able to answer that question as she died following her operation. In 2007, the 32 year old woman had "23 incisions in 6 body parts in one surgical session". The Toronto family doctor had no surgical designation, yet performed cosmetic surgery.

Personally, I would like to see all plastic surgery operations done in hospitals. I think elective surgeries should be screened by an impartial counsellor. The counsellor could explain the surgery, and the expected outcomes of the surgery. In addition, the limitations, possible complications and risks could be explained. The patient needs to hear and read this information before giving permission for any operation.

I found a short documentary on two women who had plastic surgery. These women went to a foreign country to reduce the costs of their plastic surgery. I hope you enjoy it :)

1. Watch the video and answer the multiple choice questions. Don't forget to check your results.

Note: The first and second video are the same story, so you need to watch only the first video. (Unfortunely, the second video recently disappeared. I don't know why, but I added this new video above the original video. Sometimes videos get removed on the internet.)

2. Add a comment about the video. Would you do what these women did? Why or why not?