Program for September 5, 2010

TRAVELLING — DESIGN YOUR OWN DREAM TOUR

Just like young people around the world, we love travelling. Many of us like to see beautiful natural sceneries, or magnificent man-made landmarks. Some likes to witness and immerse in different cultures and ways of life. Others love the sense of adventure. Alternatively, many others just want to find tranquility in a serene retreat.

Discussion Questions

1. What are the major objectives/characteristics of your dream trip? Which one is the most important?
2. Do the characteristics of your dream trip change depending who (and how many) you are travelling with?
3. Do you think travelling can make people become more responsible and caring towards the earth, and towards each other? What other social and environmental benefits does travelling bring?

Design Your Own Dream Trip

• Imagine that you discussion group is a group a friend, and you’re planning to go on a trip together for a few days (4 days maximum).
• Plan the trip together to the smallest details: destinations, means of transport, itineraries and program of activities, accommodation, foods and logistics, etc.
• Each group will present their group’s dream tour to convince everybody that their tour is the most exciting.

Program for August 29, 2010

BODY IMAGE & PLASTIC SURGERY

Body image is a person’s perception of his/her own physical appearance, and is heavily influenced by cultural and fashion trends the person is exposed to. Barbie doll is currently considered to be an ideal body type by most young women. The implication is that most women of today consider themselves as overweight and not pretty enough. As the result, many of them have a very poor body image and a low self-esteem.

With the increasingly easy access to plastic surgery (sometimes, also called “cosmetics surgery”), many women have decided to use irreversible physical interventions to their bodies to obtain their ideal body image. Many are satisfied with the results. But there’re also many, who have regretted their decisions.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think that it’s bad to consider Barbie an ideal image of beauty? Why do you think that so many of young women today hold themselves against Barbie’s standards? Is the media at fault?
2. How do we construct our own body image without the aid of universal standards like those of Barbie?
3. Do you think that men are increasingly conscious about their body image?
4. What is your ideal body image for men / for women? What famous actors/actresses/singers represent your ideal body image?
5. Is plastic surgery good for self-esteem? Should we discourage the use of plastic surgery?

Program for August 22, 2010

OUR SHOPPING HABITS

After over two decades of economic reforms, from a very low starting point, Vietnam is set to attain middle-income status in the next few years. Together with an increasingly integrated market, and a very young population eager to follow global trends, Vietnam’s consumers’ habits are rapidly changing.

Vietnamese are increasingly brand-conscious and will overcome any barrier to obtain the objects of their desire. A quick trip to any chic café or bar in Hanoi or Hochiminh City, one will find Apple, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Calvin Klein being proudly shown off by many young (and even not so young) patrons.

Many Vietnamese, especially older generations, find it strange when their children buy new watches, mobile phones, or pieces of clothing when the old item is still perfectly usable. Citing environmental concerns, some even suggests that this type of consumerism is harmful to our society.

Discussion Questions

1. Are you brand-conscious? What brands do you like the most?
2. How often do you go shopping? Do you consider window-shopping a pleasurable pastime?
3. When you decide to buy something, what are the most important considerations (utility, brand image, price, popularity, etc.)?
4. Where do you prefer to shop (shopping malls, small boutiques, flea markets, etc.)?

Program for August 15, 2010

EXPLORE BAI TU LONG BAY WITH HYEC

This week HYEC will not hold a regular meetup at Nguyen Du primary school.

We're gonna be on a fun trip to Bai Tu Long bay (more details here).

Program for August 8, 2010

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATION

Increasingly, women and men find themselves working/studying side-by-side in most domains without any preconceived gender bias. Women’s job performances are considered at least equal to those of men.

Additionally, in many of the traditionally male-dominated areas, women actually enjoy many advantages over men. The Boston Globe recently reported that companies which had more than 50% of female managers outperformed those that didn’t. Many Ivy League universities are complaining that they must lower their standards for male applicants in order to keep the numerical balance between genders.

Many education experts say that these statistics are not a surprise. For many years, schools (especially primary schools) are mostly staffed by female teachers, whose style of communication is more suited to girls than boys. Many parents are calling for more male teachers and even single-sex schools.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think the fact that many more girls are qualified for Ivy League universities is a problem that should be solved, or is it merely an inevitable consequence of natural differences in men and women’s intellectual capacity?
2. Do you think that boys and girls have different mental and emotional characteristics, and therefore, there should be different teaching methods for boys and girls?
3. How do we solve this problem? Recruit more male teacher? Should we encourage single-sex schools in Vietnam?

Program for August 1, 2010

DEBATE: HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS AND MOTORBIKES

However, this regulation is practically ignored by a very large percentage of high-school students. Our traffic police force is powerless against rampant violations by the students with ingenious tactics such as having an additional shirt to cover their regular uniform white shirts.

Recently, a growing number of parents, teachers and police officers are raising their support for lowering the minimum age limit so high-school students can use motorbikes legally.

Below are some starting points to help your team brainstorm your debate. You shouldn’t limit yourself to the suggested points, and you’re encouraged to try to find many more supporting ideas.

Pros (For):

• High-school students are physically big enough to control motorbikes safely.
• High-school students are responsible enough to follow traffic rules just like people over 18. Just a small percentage of students display bad behaviors; and this percentage is the same as that of adults.
• Bad behaviors on the streets can also be observed with students riding bicycles.
• Using bicycles does not reduce traffic jams significantly because a bicycle takes as much space as a normal motorbike.

Cons (Against):

• High-school students are physically too weak to control motorbikes safely.
• High-school students are immature and more likely to display bad behaviors on the road endangering themselves and the general public.
• In case an accident happens, the damage causes by a motorbike is significantly more serious than by a bicycle.
• Using bicycles encourages less aggressive behaviors such as racing, dangerous driving, etc.

Program for July 27, 2010

DEBATE: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN EDUCATION

Prepared by Bảo Ngoc & DNT

“Affirmative Action” is a term originated in the United States in the 1960’s, when President J. F. Kennedy issued a policy giving people with disadvantaged backgrounds a more “affirmative” priority in employment. This type of policy has been implemented in many countries and in many areas such as: health care, social welfare and education. In the UK and many other countries, this type of policy is more often referred to as “Positive Discrimination”.

In Vietnam, Affirmative Action is very popular. In university entrance exams, the exam scores of students with disadvantaged backgrounds (ethnic minorities, students from poor remote regions, etc.) are often boosted with additional “affirmative” points. Many education experts do not agree with this policy, but many government officials say that the policy is necessary for the social-economic development of Vietnam.

Below are some starting points to help your team brainstorm your debate. You shouldn’t limit yourself to the suggested points, and you’re encouraged to try to find many more supporting ideas.

Pros (For):

• Affirmative Action (AA) is needed to address inequality in our society. We should help students from poor regions acquire good education so they can contribute to the development of their homelands.
• Affirmative Action (AA) makes sure that everyone has equal opportunities to employment. Rich parents can afford to send their children to better schools and tutoring classes. Their children will do better in universities and will have better chance to get good jobs. Without AA, the children of the rich will get richer, and the children of the poor will get poorer.
• AA leads to a more diversified environment in universities. Students with many different backgrounds studying together can learn from one another. University graduates will have a broader perspective in life, which will lead to a more open and dynamic society.

Cons (Against):

• AA discriminates against talented students. Disadvantaged students with lower scores will get in university and take the place of more talented students.
• AA itself is a kind of discrimination. Rich people (provided that they get rich legally) are entitled to a more secured future for their children because they’ve worked hard to earn money.
• Giving places to students from remote regions with lesser academic capacity will lead to lower teaching standards in universities. The whole society will suffer as a result.

THIS WEEK SESSION (JUNE 18) IS CANCELLED DUE TO TYPHOON CONSON

Because of the coming typhoon Conson, we will cancel this Sunday's session. This is to make sure our members are safe at home when torrid rains hit Hanoi today and tomorrow. :-)

We hope that you'll come back to HYEC the following Sunday (June 25) to enjoy our great atmosphere and interesting discussions.

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” — St. Augustine
“To live overseas is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” — Aldous Huxley

Most of us, especially young people, have at least once thought about living in some foreign countries. The fact is that there are millions of people who are now living outside of the countries where they were born. Traveling to foreign countries seems fun while living overseas may seem like a full-time touring opportunity. There are countless reasons for people to travel/live overseas, the most common of which are: the joy of change, sense of adventure, desires for challenges, opportunities to open their minds, to learn how to be patient and to satisfy their curiosities.

A. Discussion Questions

Your understanding of the two above-mentioned quotes

1. How do you understand the two quotes by St. Augustine and Aldous Huxley?
2. Where in the world would you like to visit the most and why?

Your personal experiences

3. Which foreign countries have you ever been to? Please share with your group your most memorable experiences.

Your opinions about living overseas

4. What do you think makes a person dream to have a brand new start overseas, even though he/she may already have a comfortable life in his/her home country?
5. Assuming there are no constraints (finance, job opportunity, visa, etc.), which country would you want to be a resident of and why?

B. Group Presentations

• Each group chooses a country to represent.
• Imagine that your group’s job is to launch a marketing campaign to make your chosen country as tempting / inviting as possible.
• Ataround 6.45pm, each group will have 5-7 minutes to give a short presentation (a “sales pitch”) to the club.
• Everyone votes for their favorite sales pitch. There will be A COOL PRIZE for the most convincing “sales pitch” !

C. Vocabulary

Countless (adjective):

vô số, không đếm xuể

Adventure (noun):

sự phiêu lưu, mạo hiểm

Enjoyment (noun):

sự thích thú, sự thưởng thức hay tận hưởng

Curiosity (noun):

sự tò mò, tính hiếu kỳ

Self-sufficient (adjective):

độc lập, tự túc

Resident (noun):

cư dân

Constraints (noun):

sự cưỡng ép, đè nén, kiềm chế

Ideal (adjective):

lý tưởng

Brand new start (expression):

sự khởi đầu mới

Tempting (adjective):

quyến rũ, mời mọc

Program for June 6, 2010

THE POWER OF SETTING GOALS

Prepared by Lê Duy Hiếu

“The most important thing about goals is having one.”
—Geoffrey F. Abert

“I want to be successful in life.” “I want to become the richest man in the world.” “I will marry the most handsome man in the world.” “I want to own a piece of land on the Moon.” “I want people to love me.” “I want to become the President of Vietnam.” “I want to speak English like a native speaker.”

Most people are like this: They have many aspirations, and they know what they want, but why is success still eluding them? Besides, if knowledge is power and the forerunner to success, why do they find themselves aimlessly wandering? There are many different answers, but the fundamental answer is the absence of a proper goal.

Discussion Questions

1. What is a goal?
2. What are the differences between Aspirations, Purposes, Goals and Objectives
3. What are some of your biggest goals in life?
4. Why do so many people fail to achieve their goals?
5. How to set SMART GOALS and achieve success?
6. Define a few SMART GOALS of your own.

Vocabulary

to elude + somebody/something (verb):

Lảng tránh ai/cái gì

aspire (verb), aspiration (noun):

ước mơ, khát vọng, khao khát. E.g. I aspire to be a famous artist. My aspiration is to become a famous artist.

forerunner (noun):

tiền đề, nền tảng

SMART (acronym):

(S)pecific, (M)easurable, (A)ttainable/Achievable, (R)ealistic/Relevant, (T)imely/Trackable

Program for May 30, 2010

AGONY COLUMN

Prepared by Trần Phương Hoa

Have you ever read an advice column (sometimes also called as “an agony column”) such as: "Dear Abby", "Dear Anne", or "Dear anh Chánh Văn" (Hoa Học Trò)?

Among those who read agony columns, some hopes to find the solution to their own agony by reading the columnist’s advice for a similar situation. The rest simply enjoys reading about other people’s private lives and problems.

Alternatively, you may prefer online agony columns which don’t have a columnist. In this case, the readers themselves can give many valuable and useful advices.

Discussion Questions

1. What are the most common issues in an agony column?
2. What are the main advantages and limitations of an advice column?
3. When you have a problem, who do you turn to for advice? What's the best piece of advice ever given to you?
4. Who was the latest person you gave advice to? What problem did he/she have? What did you say?

Role-playing Game

We will try to solve some real-world problems, and see who the best agony aunt/uncle is.

Vocabulary

column (noun):

(trong ngữ cảnh của bài này) một chuyên mục trong một tờ báo/tạp chí.

columnist (noun):

người phụ trách, người viết bài chính trong một chuyên mục

agony (noun):

một đau đớn về thể xác hoặc tâm hồn, một nỗi khổ

agony column / advice column (noun):

Chuyên mục tâm sự, gỡ rối

agony aunt / agony uncle (noun):

người chuyên trả lời các bức thư bạn đọc trong chuyên mục tâm sự

Program for May 23, 2010

HIV DISCRIMINATION

Prepared by Tran Anh Minh

Cancer: die. Encephalitis: die. AIDS, the same: die. However, people who have cancer or encephalitis get sympathy from the whole community, while people with AIDS are shunned away or even isolated from their family. What is the root of this difference?

Nobody wants to be infected by HIV. Moreover, it’s impossible for us to tell whether an infection is caused by the patient’s own action or whether it was done against his/her will. A rape victim or an unsuspected wife of an adulterous husband is clearly not responsible for her infection. Should we shun these poor victims?

On the other hand, drug users who shared needles with their companions or a playboy who had an unprotected intercourse are clearly responsible for their own infection. But are they immoral? After all, carrying HIV does no harm if they don’t infect more people.

Finally, the HIV infected patients have their own basic rights to be treated and taken cared of just like everybody else.

Discussion Questions

1. How much do you know about HIV and AIDS? Do you know the differences between them?
2. Do you know any real person with HIV, and their daily life before and after getting infected by HIV?
3. In your opinions, what are the best ways to protect other people from being infected with HIV and eliminate this epidemic?

Vocabulary

cancer (noun):

bệnh ung thư

encephalitis (noun):

bệnh viêm não

shun (verb) - shunned:

lánh xa – bị lánh xa, hắt hủi

root (noun):

gốc/rễ, nguyên nhân sâu xa

needle (noun):

kim tiêm

infect (verb) - infected - infection (noun):

gây nhiễm – bị nhiễm – sự nhiễm bệnh

epidemic (noun):

bệnh dịch

Program for May 16, 2010

TECHNOLOGIES IN OUR DAILY LIVES

(In a survey of 2000 people in the UK [1], three-quarters of the respondents said they have sent text messages, blogged or surfed the internet while on the toilet. :-)

In just a few years, technologies have radically transformed the way we work, communicate, or reach out to friends and family. In our daily lives, many pieces of technology have become indispensable.

Many think that our dependence on technologies is a threat to society, but many others think that it is an inevitable development that we should not resist. In our discussions today, we will not judge whether using a particular technology is good or bad. Instead, we’ll only share and observe our daily habits. Then, we’ll try to predict the consequences or effects that the use of technologies will have on our lives.

Discussion Questions:

1. What technologies? Make a list of all the pieces of technology you use on a daily basis. (A piece of technology can be an electronic equipment, a gadget, a software, a website, etc.)
2. How important? In the list above, what pieces of technology are really indispensable (i.e. you cannot live without them)? What pieces are really hard to give up, but you still can live without them? And finally, what pieces are merely habits and you can make an effort not to use them?
3. Our daily habits. Do you want to access Facebook whenever you go? Can Google be your shopping assistant? Can the internet replace TV as the main entertainment platform? How do you discover hot new stuffs to talk about with your friends?

Vocabulary:

survey (verb/noun):

khảo sát, thăm dò; một bản khảo sát/điều tra/thăm dò/nghiên cứu

respondent (noun):

người trả lời

indispensable (adjective):

không thể thiếu được, không thể loại bỏ được

inevitable (adjective):

không thể tránh khỏi, tất yếu

resist (verb), resistance (noun):

chống đối, cưỡng lại

assistant (noun):

người trợ lý, trợ giúp

merely (adverb):

chỉ đơn giản là, chỉ thuần túy là

References

Program for May 9, 2010

SUMMER TRIP TO TAM DAO

This Sunday, HYEC will NOT hold a regular indoor session at Nguyen Du primary school. Instead, we will have an excursion to Mt. Tam Dao. (Still open to register if you're interested; follow the provided link for more info.)

We will resume our regular programs on next Sunday (May 16, 2010).

Program for April 25, 2010

In support of Earth Day 2010:

“TWO STRINGS OR NOT TWO STRINGS?”

(Warning: Topic cấm trẻ em trên 70 tuổi và những bà cô khó tính!)

Quiz: How many strings are there in this photo?

Riding around on a beautiful summer day in Vietnam, it’s impossible not to notice the bare backs of our modern Cô Tấms with various numbers of strings: two, three, four, one, or even one and a half! The police are calling this: “the number 1 traffic hazard.” Our elderly citizens call this: “the decadence of society.” Wives: “Look at them, what a shame!” And husbands (with a feint surprise): “What? What are you talking about? I didn’t see anything!”

And all the while, in his comfy grave, Shakespeare is rolling around and mumbling: “Two strings or not two strings: that is the question.”

Debate Questions:

1. Do you like all those “strings” floating on the streets around you? Would you personally wear any of those?
2. Pro List: Make a list of reasons that “strings” should be encouraged. Cons List: Do another list of reasons why they should be discouraged.
3. For each of the items in the Cons List, try to come up with a remedy. For each of the items in the Pro List, try to come up with a counter-example.

Vocabulary:

battle cry (noun):

tiếng xung trận

raw material (noun phrase):

nguyên liệu thô

petrol (noun):

(trong ngữ cảnh của bài này) dầu mỏ

hazard (noun):

mối nguy hiểm

decadence (noun):

sự xuống cấp

faint (adjective/verb):

giả vờ

comfy (adjective) = comfortable:

thoải mái, tiện nghi (dạng thu gọn dùng trong văn nói)

remedy (noun):

cách giải quyết, chữa chạy

counter-example (noun):

phản ví dụ

Program for April 18, 2010

"REPRODUCTION FOR HIRE"

"Reproduction for Hire" (Đẻ Mướn) is one of the first ever made-in-Vietnam movies about sex and marriage life. In the movie, Vân, a loving but infertile wife, decides to give her husband (Bảo) a child by hiring another woman (Mai) to sleep with him.

Despite the fact that this practice is illegal, it is quite widespread, especially in the poorest rural regions of Vietnam. For many poor couples, it is too expensive to have an IVF (in vitro fertilization), and the easiest way to obtain a biologically related child is to hire someone else to have sex with the husband (or with the wife, if it is the husband who is infertile).

Because it is not officially sanctioned and protected by the law, there have been many conflicts related to this practice. For example, the hired mother/father may decide later that they want to claim the right to her/his child. Even worse, many hired women tried to blackmail their “employees” into giving them large sums of money in order for the truth to remain a secret. And for these reasons, many people want this practice to be legalized so hiring couples can protect their rights.

Discussion

1. Can you think of any humanitarian reasons that might support the legalization of this practice?
2. What complications (or disadvantages) this practice might bring if it is legalized?
3. Sensitive question: If you were infertile, would you let your husband/wife to have sex with someone else?
4. If it was possible to have an exact copy of yourself via the process of human cloning, would you want a copy?

Vocabulary

reproduction (noun):

sự sinh sôi, sinh sản. reproduction system = hệ sinh sản

for hire (adjective phrase, noun + “for hire”):

người làm thuê / vật cho mướn. E.g.: nurse for hire = hộ lý ở nhà riêng; “This car is for hire.” = “Chiếc xe ôtô này là xe thuê.”

widespread (adjective):

phổ biến

rural (adjective):

thuộc về nông thôn

In Vitro Fertilization (medical term):

thụ tinh trong ống nghiệm

sanction (verb/noun):

chấp nhận, phê chuẩn, ủng hộ

blackmail (verb):

tống tiền

illegal / legal (adjective) / legalize (verb):

bất hợp pháp / hợp pháp / hợp pháp hóa

Program for March 28, 2010

"LOVE, LIFE AND LIES"

Prepared by Hanguyen

“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie” ~~ Ann Landers

Who dares to claim that he/she hasn’t told a lie during his/her life?

On the one hand, people argue that lying should be kept to a minimum because its consequences are so often undesirable. Therefore, in most situations, telling lies seems to be one of the dominant factors why strong relationship among people breaks down. One conventional view of lying is that telling lies is bad and should be definitely avoided at all costs.

On the other hand, though most of them are perceived as bad, lies are also considered good. Sometimes, we justify to ourselves that it doesn't matter to tell a white lie and that perhaps, someone would lie to avoid disappointing others, or to protect himself from stressful or difficult situations.

Discussion

1. How do you understand the above quote by Ann Landers? Why do you think people tell lies?
2. Under what circumstances is it justified to tell lies? In other words, should we always tell the truth?
3. How can you detect if someone is lying to you?
4. It’s generally not good to tell lies, but is it a perfect ground to judge someone in life, especially in love life?
5. Do you have any bad/memorable stories/experiences to share with us about you being lied to or you telling lie to others?

Vocabulary

consequence (noun):

Hệ quả

undesirable (adjective):

Không mong muốn, không ưa thích

conventional (adjective):

Theo cách thông thường, truyền thống hay quy uớc

white lies (noun):

Lời nói dối nhỏ, thường vô hại (hay mang tính xã giao)

justify (verb):

Biện hộ, bào chữa

detect (verb):

Khám phá, phát hiện, nhận ra

judge (verb):

Đánh giá, phán xét

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY

To all of our Frog Princesses :-)

We wish you lots of happiness and joy on your special day!

2010 — THE YEAR OF THE TIGER

HYEC Wish You and Your Family a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Let's hope that the Year of the TIGER will bring a ROARING success to every members of our Frog Family! :-)

Program for January 31, 2010

BRAINSTORMING: THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

Our species got ahead of all others on earth by virtue of our constant innovations to adapt to new environments. The ability to think out of the box is still one of the most important factors determining our success in the modern world.

Today, we’re going to practice thinking out of the box, and — this is important — communicating our novel ideas to others. The communication part is important because what good does it make if you cannot get other people to be excited by your ideas, and then help you realizing them?

Brainstorming Game 1 (1 hour)

In this game you’re going to practice brainstorming individually and explaining your ideas to others.

Brainstorming Game 2 (1 hour)

In this game you’re going to practice brainstorming both individually and collectively, explaining your ideas to your group, and finally preparing a smashing group presentation! :-)