TiffanyESL

What are the qualities of a good friend? Give yourself 30 minutes to answer this question.  Be specific in your response and try to write at least 300 words.

Here is a creative writing exercise for you.  Please watch the following short film.  Then write the story of this film, from the perspective of the humans or the robots.  Enjoy the film!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dadPWhEhVk

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html

The New York Times is currently producing an ongoing series of audio interviews with people living in New York. Each interview is accompanied by a slideshow of photographs. As a listening and writing exercise, please listen to one of the interviews listed below and answer the questions.

Maggie Nesciur: The Walker

1. Why do you think Maggie walks so much?
2. Why does Maggie prefer walking in the city to walking in the country?
3. What happened when Maggie tried to walk to Pennsylvania?
4. What kinds of things does Maggie notice on her walks?
5. Do you like to walk in the city? Why or why not?
6. If you were to take a long walk in the city, where would you go?

Marc Tremitiere: The Baby Deliverer
1. What does Marc mean when he says that men are spectators?
2. What did Marc and his wife do on the morning she had the baby?
3. Why did Marc call a car service instead of calling 911?
4. Why was the baby stuck?
5. What does Marc mean when he says the baby was blue?
6. How many firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars arrived to help the couple?
7. What did they do to help the baby breathe?

To practice your listening comprehension, please watch this hour-long video and post your answers as comments.

http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/video/fullep/

1. Briefly summarize the plot of this episode.

2. Why was Neal Caffrey in prison?

3. Why do you think June let Neal move into her house?

4. What do you think Federal Agent Peter Burke thinks of Neal?

Bonus: What does the term "white collar" mean?

Please read the questions below and then read the article and post your answers as comments to this blog entry.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091023/hl_time/08599193175700

1. Do you agree that humans are evolving?
2. Why or why not?
3. If you agree, how will evolution change us? (For instance, what do you think we will look like in the future?)
4. Do you think it is possible that the changes we make to the environment have an effect on our own evolution?
5. Do you think evolution is a good thing and that we should evolve from what we are now?
6. If so, what evolutionary changes would you like to see in humans?