Regular Mail or Email?

Imagine that you want to send a message to a dear friend (partner, spouse, or significant other), and you have the choice of either sending a handwritten letter or an email message? Which would you send and why? Would it depend on the occasion? Please explain your answer.

Randall

Credit Cards: Do they help or hurt students?

Back when I was a university students in the 1980s, credit cards were very difficult to obtain, and thus, students had to either borrow from family or banks, or save their money until they could make purchases. Now, credit card companies can't hand them out quick enough, and students seem to use their credit cards to buy everything from fast food and clothing, to airline tickets and other luxury goods. So, what do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of having credit cards, and how can students learn to use them wisely.

Randall

Parenting: The Challenges of Raising Children

Parenting is one job you can get without any experience, and being a parent for the first time isn't like changing jobs from one restaurant to another. It can be a challenge, particularly when raising teenagers. Therefore, what do you think are the keys of raising children, particularly older ones who are going through different periods of their lives. Therefore, what are some important things that parents can do to raise children successfully? Share your ideas. Also, try this listening activity on the topic:

- http://esl-lab.com/parenting/parentingrd1.htm


Randall

Fast Food: A Growing Worldwide Problem?

One of the first thing most of my new students say when they arrive in the US is that North Americans eat too much junk food, but is this image really accurate. Have eating habits changed over the past 25 years or so? My first job over 25 years ago was at a fast food restaurant, and the menu was basically limited to burgers, fries, and drinks. Now, the same restaurant offers healthier food choices including salads and fewer fried foods. Yet, does that mean more people are eating better? What about in your country? What percent of people now eat out at fast food restaurants than before? If so, what are the reasons for this change? Share your ideas.

Randall

UFOs: Are they real?

Is there life beyond our own solar system? It wasn't until around the mid 1990s that astronomers confirmed the existence of planets beyond our solar system, and since then, hundreds have been detected. Now, back when I was in junior high school years ago, most people like you and I could not really imagined such a thing, although scientists have long suspected it.

So, if hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of planets exist out there, what is the chance that life also exists? So, in this case, do you feel that UFOs are real (unidentified flying objects)?

Why or why not? How could their existence impact our life in the future?

Randall

Airplane Travel: Will you be charged by your weight?

Now that prices for airplane travel are increasing in different parts of the world, airline companies are trying to find ways on how to cut costs. Such measures might include charging for checked bags, not giving snacks and drinks to passengers during flights, and charging for in-flight movies. Now, companies might even consider charging you a fee based on your weight. In other words, the more you weigh, the more you pay. How would you feel if airlines had such a policy? Is it fair? Are better ways for the airline industry to pay for their own costs? Share your ideas.

Randall

Plane Travel: Best or Worst Experiences

Traveling by plane can be a very convenient way to get around the world if everything goes just right for you; however, as we all know, what we actually plan and how things turn out in life are two different issues.

On a positive note, I remember returning back to the United States after spending a couple of weeks in Saudi Arabia providing teacher training to language instructors there. It was a wonderful experience, and after the training, I was looking forward to being back home. Before I boarded the plane, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I had enough extra flying miles to upgrade me to first class, something I wasn't expecting, but I didn't pass up the chance to ride up front for the first . . . and probably last . . . time in my life.

On the other hand, I have had my share of unpleasant experiences in flying, and on one occasion abroad, my flight was delayed for over six hours in an international airport that resulted in my missing my connecting flight once I returned to the United States, causing me to have to stay in a hotel once extra night. Spending time in an airport in another country where you don't speak the language and you don't understand the flight announcements can be mentally and emotionally challenging. I just tried to smile and count my blessings that I had a family back home that was waiting for me.

Now, these experiences are not very extreme in nature, but it is likely that you have had both your share of good and bad travel moments. Please share them with us.

Best,

Randall