International Women´s Day

March 8th is International Women´s Day so I thought we could discuss the current #MeToo movement.

Here is an interview with the movement's founder:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/15/me-too-founder-tarana-burke-women-sexual-assault

There has been some backlash to the movement.  Has it gone too far?

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/has-metoo-has-gone-too-far-20180116-h0ivul.html

This can be a sensitive topic to talk about especially for men.  What do construction workers from Texas think about it?  These guys were willing to sit down for an interview.

Le Carnaval de Dunkerque

Pour ce jeudi je vous propose de lire cet article sur une polémique qui entoure le Carnaval de Dunkerque 

https://www.google.es/amp/www.europe1.fr/societe/la-nuit-des-noirs-du-carnaval-de-dunkerque-est-elle-raciste-3576281.amp

À jeudi !

Artificial Intelligence

This topic was suggested by Teresa and she found some of the articles too, so a big thanks to her.

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a hot topic nowadays.  From Google's driver-less cars to computer chess champions it seems as though it's the only thing people in the IT (information technology) world talk about.  So this raises the question of ethics:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/top-10-ethical-issues-in-artificial-intelligence/

Will machines take over the world like in Terminator 2 or the Matrix?:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2017/12/17/will-ai-take-over-the-world/#429c82f85401

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2015/08/04/geoff-colvin-why-humans-will-triumph-over-machines/#1964c9eb2b54 

How will this affect us in the workplace?

"Préjugés" court métrage

Pour ce jeudi je vous propose de visionner ce court métrage 

Interpellée par Pierre MANSAT, Adjoint au Maire de Paris chargé de Paris Métropole et des relations avec les collectivités territoriales d'Ile-de-France, la commission « Loisirs, Culture et Relations Internationales » du CPJ a décidé de se saisir du sujet de Paris Métropole en organisant un concours de court-métrages, intitulé «Jeunesse en Seine». L'idée ici était d'apporter un éclairage nouveau sur la façon dont les jeunes vivent et perçoivent le Paris Métropole en construction.

À jeudi !

Tierra sonámbula y El Callejón de los milagros

Cuando las casas regresaron flotando

Y tras recomentar libros, hemos estado leyendo Cuando las casas regresaron flotando de Einar Turkowski, bueno, en realidad más que leer, lo que hemos hecho ha sido observar las ilustraciones del libro e inventarnos historias, porque palabras lo que se dice palabras.. había pocas.

Nuestras historias han sido muy divertidas... algunas llenas de sangre incluso. ¿Te atreves tú a imaginar? 

 

En el club de lectura infantil recomendamos...

En el club de lectura de febrero hemos recomendado un libro que nos hayamos leído hace poco, o nuestro libro favorito, y estos han sido los elegidos:

Physician assisted suicide or euthanasia

We will meet again on the 20th.  Have a fun Carnaval!

I know we have talked of death and end of life planning before, but this time I'd like to talk about something related to death but more specific.  Physician assisted suicide or euthanasia.  What is it?  Is it ethical?

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-community/health-care-policy/article/physician-assisted-suicide-ethical

Where is it legal?  How many people choose to go down this path?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_euthanasia

https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/jul/18/how-many-people-choose-assisted-suicide-where-it-is-legal

In the U.S. it isn't legal everywhere and there have been several high profile cases concerning this topic.  One is Dr. Jack Kevorkian:

Another one is the case of Terri Schiavo.  It is slightly different but it pertains to this same issue:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/bioethicist-tk-n333536

As you can see from the webpages linked to above, Belgium and the Netherlands have the most lenient laws concerning this issue.  Below are two videos depicting people who make this choice and how the process truly takes place.  Please take some time to watch them.  I found them quite interesting.

This may be a difficult subject for some, but I would really like to hear your thoughts on it.  Do you think this should be legal?  Are there any circumstances under which you could possibly make this decision?

I've given you lots to read and watch over the next two weeks.  I hope it isn't overwhelming.  See you on the 20th.

Multitasker

Are you a multitasker? Do you know what that is?  

Do you feel more productive when you are multitasking?  Well, these articles may change your opinion.  

https://www.verywell.com/multitasking-2795003

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24645100

I look forward to hearing about your habits as multitaskers or non-multitaskers and talking about your thoughts on the articles.