Job Discussion Forums

[Teacher in Rome]

[Ellis]

C'mon now, (Signor/Signora) Roma ... gimme a break, already!
I don't believe that our lady/gentleman author was actually happy about the tragedy in Russia. NAY! NAY! I was making reference to only the nonchalant mode by which he/she chose to refer to a major cataclysm.

I also wish to reiterate that such a major news event has MUCH to do with the teaching of English ... or any other language, for that matter. Hell's Bells, why are we breaking our backs teaching, if not to widen the corridors of international communication? Even if it takes endless repetition, who really cares, so long as the main idea finally gets through? And, if you don't mind, just a brief sidebar: When you speak of endless repetition, I wish to allude to what I was forced to endure at the mere age of 10. There it was, 1950, and on EVERY damned TV channel was non other than Richard Nixon -- not in his more familiar r�le as President of the USA, but as chief prosecuting attorney in the nefarious Hiss/Chambers US Senate spy hearings. Hell! When I came home from school, I wanted to watch Howdy Doody or some other kid's show ... but there it was, day after day, week after week -- Mr. Nixon & Co. in all their glory! My point is that, albeit I wasn't doing exactly what I wanted, I WAS LEARNING, LEARNING, LEARNING! In fact, I had unknowingly retained so much on that event, that several years later, when I first started my teaching career (History), I was able to very intelligently allude to that 1950's event with little effort! I'm certain that we all agree that LEARNING IS LEARNING ... despite any and all repetition! Amen.

[ls650]

I think I'll just bow out of this thread.

Signed,
The "shockingly callous and cruelly foolish" Evil Inhuman Monster

[moonraven]

Unfortunately, the powers that be are only thinking ahead to the next non-renewable fuel: gas. And the Middle East, Russia, Venezuela and Bolivia will have to continue to duck and cover.

[mjed9]

I am going to agree with LS650. Ha!

I think recently there have been too many threads that have not been related to ESL (I won't name them but you know whihc ones they are)!

While I have to agree that it has an influence on the Russian EFL students and teachers posted there, I believe that this doesn't belong on the General Discussion forum. Dave's have a Russian forum.

As for discussing political events, again I am not against this in moderation, but the OP didn't contain any question. It was pasted from a news site. I have been following the story (as we all have, I'm sure) and do not need to see another rendition of the sketchy facts.

So far the only comments on this piece have been someone calling them "terrorists" which I have to admit I find a little too simple a word to employ when describing a group of people who have had countless atrocities carried out against them by the far more powerful but obviously ineffective Russian government, someone questioning under what conditions people would kill children and that it has to do with oil (really????? I would have never guessed!)

[leeroy]

(ls650 - you were quick to condemn this thread, but you happily contributed in the other (Russian) thread about suicide bombers! )

I have no beef with non-ESL threads being here. If the title is obviously non-ESL, then don't read it! If ever things get too out of hand then there's always that Kalgukshi fellow (or, recently, PaulH) here to delete it and/or add an inappropriately condescending comment...

[Ellis]