Nice Group of people sharing dinner on a rainy night...
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
B&B:
- Read the first two pages of the short story: "Sredni Vashtar".
- Comment on the title's relevance.
- Look for information about H.H.Munro's childhood.
EUTHANASIA:
Euthanasia (from Greek: εὐθανασία; "good death": εὖ, eu;
"well" or "good" – θάνατος, thanatos;
"death") refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in
order to relieve pain and suffering.
There
are different euthanasia
laws in each country. The
British House of Lords Select Committee on Medical Ethics defines euthanasia as "a deliberate intervention
undertaken with the express intention of ending a life, to relieve intractable
suffering"
In
the Netherlands, euthanasia is understood as "termination of
life by a doctor at the request of a patient"
Euthanasia
is categorized in different ways, which include voluntary, non-voluntary, or
involuntary.
Voluntary
euthanasia is
legal in some countries, U.S. states, and Canadian Provinces. Non-voluntary
euthanasia is
illegal in all countries. Involuntary
euthanasia is
usually considered murder.As
of 2006, euthanasia is the most active area of research in contemporary bioethics.
In
some countries there is a divisive public controversy over the moral, ethical,
and legal issues of euthanasia. Those who are against euthanasia may argue for
the sanctity of life, while proponents of euthanasia rights emphasize
alleviating suffering, bodily integrity, self-determination, and personal autonomy.[6] Jurisdictions
where euthanasia or assisted suicide is legal include the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland,Estonia, Albania,
the US states of Washington, Oregon and Montana,and,
starting in 2015, the Canadian Province of Quebec.
BBC NEWS 10th May 2012
Argentina Senate passes a "dignified death" law
The Argentine Senate has approved a "dignified
death" law to give the terminally ill and their families more say in
end-of-life decisions.
The legislation means patients who are dying or
suffering incurable illness or injury can refuse treatment, if there is an
existing signed consent form.Until now, a court order was needed to end
treatment or life support.The Senate has also passed a law that allows people
to change their gender officially without court approval.Senators voted by 55-0 in favour of the
"dignified death" law, with 17 abstentions. The measure had already
passed the lower house and it now goes to President Cristina Fernandez to be
signed into law.All those present were at pains to stress that the
legislation does not allow euthanasia."The aim is to respect the autonomous will of
the patient," said Jose Cano, who heads the Senate's health commission.
Concern
Susana Bustamante, whose 19-year-old daughter
Melina had pleaded to be allowed to die amid the pain from her degenerative
condition, welcomed the new law."You have to allow something natural like
death. Death is not a dirty word, we've won it as a right," Ms Bustamante
said.Campaigners for gender rights gathered outside Congress as senators
votedMelina died last year shortly after making her
public appeal.Under the new legislation, a patient who is
suffering a terminal illness or has an incurable condition can refuse
treatment.In cases where patients are unable to speak for
themselves, the legislation empowers relatives or legal representatives to make
the decision.The main condition is that the patient or his
representatives have signed a document setting out their wishes, before a
notary and two witnesses.During the debate, some senators expressed concern
about ending life support to or withdrawing feeding tubes from a patient unable
to communicate.The Roman Catholic Church rejected the new
legislation, arguing that life support should never be stopped.Senators also used Wednesday's session to approve a
gender rights law.The legislation gives people the right to be
officially recognised by the gender of their choosing, which may in some cases
mean undergoing sex-change surgery.People aged 18 and above
will be able to have such an operation or hormone therapy without needing to
apply to a judge.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
B&B for next Tuesday:
Choose one option to write about:
- Imagine one of your parents is staying in your home with no definite end to the visit in sight. Confide in your diary how you honestly feel.
- Suppose one of your parents had been staying, and then left for the same reasons as Grandad. Write a letter to your dad/mum to explain how you feel about the situation.
- Imagine yourself as Sandy's grandfather. After returning home, you settle down to write to your family, explaining your reasons for leaving.
The TITLE:
·
the end of the
line/road
·
the end of the road and the end of the line
1. Lit. the place where the road stops; the end of the route, such as a bus, train, or subway route. Our house is at the end of the road. We drove to the end of the road and began our hike into the mountains.
2. Fig. the end of the whole process. When we reach the end of the road on this project, we'll get paid. You've come to the end of the line. I'll not lend you another penny.
3. Euph. death. When I reach the end of the road, I wish to be buried in a quiet place, near some trees. She was nearly ninety when she came to the end of the line.
This
slang phrase, as a free translation from Hebrew,
is used to describe a great
and wonderful thing.
end of the road: Most common to be used by teens these days.
end of the road: Most common to be used by teens these days.
1: Have you been to the big party last
week?
2: Sure. It was totally end of the road!
2: Sure. It was totally end of the road!
THE AUTHOR

KARA MAY:
Kara May is a published author and an editor of children's books.
Kara May won the Acorn award for her picture book Knickerless Nicola in
1989. She is the author of the Cat's Whisker books, published by Andersen Press
in hardback and Red Fox in paperback and the Emily H books, published under the
Hippo imprint for Scholastic. Kara has also written several plays for BBC Radio
as well as playscripts for the theatre. She lives in South East London.
Q: What were you like at school?
A: Discombobulated
Q: What did you want to be when you were a child?
A: An archaeologist – the one who discovers an ancient city paved with gold in the deepest depths of the Amazon jungle.
Q: Which three words describe you best?
A: Upbeat … Zany …Intrepid …. when the sun shines.
Q: What is your favourite word?
A: Beguiling
Q: What makes you cringe?
A: Feet on train seats.
Q: What quality do you most admire in a person?
A: Wisdom + a sense of humour.
Q: What is the most interesting place you have ever visited?
A: Uluru in the Red Centre of Australia.
Q: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
A: Dare to take a risk, dare to fail, dare to try again.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
B&B for next class:
* Read the first two pages of the play "End of the Road".
* Highlight the following expressions, and get ready to explain them:
* Highlight the following expressions, and get ready to explain them:
1. It's been murder.
2. To get hitched before she snuffs it.
3. Happy families again, is it?
4. He gets on me nerves.
5. He can't cope, love, not on his own.
6. It's Mum who gets lumbered.
7. He 's entitled
8. You are up to your eyes as it is.
VOCABULARY Revision:
She was warming herself by
the hearth in the drawing room.
He has worked as a school caretaker for twenty
years.
He has lived the prosaic life of a hardworking farmer
At dusk the sky
has a reddish colour.
In his early twenties he was certain his queerness was
a result of that night.
The flame of a candle that is bright and then
weaker is an example of the flicker of the candle.
Humans evolved from arboreal ancestors.
An example of
desuetude is the law concerning prohibition of alcohol which is no longer in
use because it was repealed.
She rallied from her illness.
The keystone of the
campaign reform was the ban on soft money.
He fumbled in his pockets for some change.
His back was covered with weals where he had
been repeatedly beaten.
He was panting heavily as
he ran
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
PASSWORD for next class: Choose one quote
“Do not allow me to forget you.”
“For you was I born, for
you do I have life, for you will I die, for you am I now dying.”
“One never quite stops believing, some doubt remains forever."
“When I stand and contemplate my fate and see the path along which you have led me, I reach my end, for artless I surrendered to one who is my undoing and my end.”
B&B for next class:
* Read the following poem.
Then, adapt it to The Demon Lover story we read.
THE
DEMON LOVER Author Unknown
Then, adapt it to The Demon Lover story we read.
THE
DEMON LOVER Author Unknown
"Oh, where have you been, my long, long love,
this seven years and more?"
"Oh,
I've come to seek my former vows
Ye granted me before."
"Oh,
do not speak of your former vows,
For they will breed sad strife;
Oh, do
not speak of your former vows,
For I have become a wife."
He
turned him right and round about,,
And the tear blinded his ee:
"I
would never have trodden on this ground
If it had not been for thee."
"If
I was to leave my husband dear,
And my two babes also,
Oh,
what have you to take me to,
If with you I should go?"
"I
have seven ships upon the sea---
The eighth brought me to land---
With
four-and-twenty bold mariners,
And music on every hand."
She has
taken up her two little babes,
Kissed them on cheek and chin:
"Oh,
fare ye well, my own two babes,
For I'll never see you again."
She set
her foot upon the ship---
No mariners could she behold;
But the
sails were of the teffeta,
And the masts of the beaten gold.
She had
not sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
When
dismal grew his countenance,
And drumlie grew his ee.
They
had not sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
Until
she espied his cloven foot,
And she wept right bitterly.
"Oh,
hold your tongue of your weeping," said he,
"Of your weeping now let me be;
I will show
you how the lilies grow
On the banks of Italy."
"Oh,
what hills are yon, yon pleasant hills,
That the sun shines sweetly on?"
"Oh,
yon are the hills of heaven," he said,,
"Where you will never win."
"Oh,
whaten a mountain is yon," she said,
"So dreary with frost and snow?"
"Oh,
yon is the mountain of hell," he cried,
"Where you and I will go."
He
struck the top-mast with his hand,
The fore-mast with his knee;
And he
broke that gallant ship in twain,
And sank her in the sea.
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