Protecting Our Children from the Dangers of Smoking

The President expressed his appreciation for Senator Ted Kennedy above all today. Lamenting that the senator could not be there for the signing of Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, he called it “change that’s been decades in the making.” By all accounts, it is the strongest measure protecting children from the dangers of smoking to date – read the fact sheet for all of the details.

He recounted the all-too-familiar statistics: that more than 400,000 Americans now die of tobacco-related illnesses each year; that more than 8 million Americans suffer from at least one serious illness caused by smoking; and that almost 90% of all smokers began at or before their 18th birthday.

He spoke on his personal experience:

I know – I was one of these teenagers, and so I know how difficult it can be to break this habit when it’s been with you for a long time. And I also know that kids today don’t just start smoking for no reason. They’re aggressively targeted as customers by the tobacco industry. They’re exposed to a constant and insidious barrage of advertising where they live, where they learn, and where they play. Most insidiously, they are offered products with flavorings that mask the taste of tobacco and make it even more tempting.

We’ve known about this for decades, but despite the best efforts and good progress made by so many leaders and advocates with us today, the tobacco industry and its special interest lobbying have generally won the day up on the Hill. When Henry Waxman first brought tobacco CEOs before Congress in 1994, they famously denied that tobacco was deadly, nicotine was addictive, or that their companies marketed to children. And they spent millions upon millions in lobbying and advertising to fight back every attempt to expose these denials as lies.

Fifteen years later, their campaign has finally failed. Today, thanks to the work of Democrats and Republicans, health care and consumer advocates, the decades-long effort to protect our children from the harmful effects of tobacco has emerged victorious. Today, change has come to Washington.

This legislation will not ban all tobacco products, and it will allow adults to make their own choices. But it will also ban tobacco advertising within a thousand feet of schools and playgrounds. It will curb the ability of tobacco companies to market products to our children by using appealing flavors. It will force these companies to more clearly and publicly acknowledge the harmful and deadly effects of the products they sell. And it will allow the scientists at the FDA to take other common-sense steps to reduce the harmful effects of smoking.

This legislation is a victory for bipartisanship, and it was passed overwhelmingly in both Houses of Congress. It’s a victory for health care reform, as it will reduce some of the billions we spend on tobacco-related health care costs in this country. It’s a law that will reduce the number of American children who pick up a cigarette and become adult smokers. And most importantly, it is a law that will save American lives and make Americans healthier.

Making clear that this legislation does not represent the end of the road on fighting back the health risks of smoking, the President nonetheless described it as another very significant sign of change in Washington:

Despite the influence of the credit card industry, we passed a law to protect consumers from unfair rate hikes and abusive fees. Despite the influence of banks and lenders, we passed a law to protect homeowners from mortgage fraud. Despite the influence of the defense industry, we passed a law to protect taxpayers from waste and abuse in defense contracting. And today, despite decades of lobbying and advertising by the tobacco industry, we’ve passed a law to help protect the next generation of Americans from growing up with a deadly habit that so many of our generation have lived with.

(FILE 2C) FIRST AID DO’s AND DON’T’s

Emergencies and panic usually go hand in hand–which is why you need to be armed with first-aid techniques and equipment beforehand to help minimize distress and damage. Here’s how to deal with some common injuries and ailments.

FIRST AID FAILURES!!!

N.B. An idea for a writing assignment could be to explain what Mr Bean does and why  it is incorrect. Say what he should have done instead.

NOSEBLEEDS

Don’t: Leaning back can be harmful—the blood could get into the windpipe, blocking the airway.

Do: Sit in a comfortable upright position and lean forward slightly, then pinch your nose just below the bony bridge and above the fleshy lobes of the nostrils until the bleeding is stemmed. Might help: Ice packs applied around the nose and on the forehead.

 Aftercare: Once the bleeding is controlled, do not blow your nose as this might dislodge the clot and make you bleed again.

TOOTH LOSS

Don’t: Never scrub the tooth it to “clean” it as this may damage the root surface. Indeed, avoid handling the root end; pick it up by the top.

Do: Gently rinse the “lost” tooth in a bowl and then drop it in a glass of milk or a warm, mild saltwater solution; then head to the emergency department, where it might be re-implanted. Also always handle the tooth by the top only, not the root.

CUTS AND SCRAPES

Don’t: Contrary to last century’s popular wisdom, do not apply a tourniquet or tie the injured limb to stem bleeding. You will cut off circulation, doing more damage.

Do: Wash the wound with distilled water. Minor cuts and scrapes usually stop bleeding on their own, so swab with antiseptic and wait. If that’s not enough, apply gentle pressure with a clean cloth or bandage, and hold it in place for 20-30 minutes.

Alert! If blood spurts forth from the wound or continues to flow after continuous pressure for half an hour, seek medical assistance at once.

Might help: A wound more than ¼-inch deep may need stitches. Get a tetanus shot if your last one was taken five years ago, and make sure you follow it up with a booster a month later, to ensure five more years’ immunity.

Aftercare: Apply an antibiotic and cover with a bandage. Change dressing daily until healed.

 

BURNS

Don’t: Never put ice on the burn—it’ll delay healing or cause extra damage (think frostbite). Also, leave the butter in the kitchen, unless you want to make it worse.

Do: Immediately cool the area by holding under cold running water for at least 10 minutes.

Aftercare: Cover the burn with a loose bandage (or clean washed cotton sheet for a larger area) and go to the doctor.

FROSTBITE

Don’t: Don’t rub the affected area and never rub snow on frostbitten skin.

Do: Get out of the cold. Warm your hands by tucking them under your arms. If your nose, face or ears are frostbitten, warm the area by covering it with dry, gloved hands.

Alert! In severe cases, seek medical help quickly.

BLISTER

Don’t: Never pop a blister. Doing so will expose very sensitive raw skin, which can be more painful and can lead to infection. If the blister does break, do not tear the loose skin off. Often the tear will heal; else the hanging section will fall off naturally in a few days when the underlying skin has toughened up.

Do: Cover with a loose gauze or cotton wool bandage until healed, after applying an antiseptic, just in case.

TWISTED KNEE OR SPRAINED ANKLE

Don’t: Exercising it will not make it go away nor lessen the swelling!

Do: Remember the acronym RICE:

• Rest the injured area.

• Ice it for 20 minutes at a time (at 20-40 minute intervals) for the first 24 hours.

• Compress lightly with a bandage if you’ve managed to treat it before the swelling has developed.

• Elevate it over the level of the heart if possible to minimize swelling.

CHOKING

Don’t: It is everyone’s first instinct, but don’t slap someone who is choking on the back. You could force the offending object further down the windpipe. Let the person cough and don’t rush to offer water.

Do: Coughing forcefully is usually the best way to dislodge a piece of food. If that is not helping or the person seems unable to cough or draw breath, stand behind the person and deliver five sharp blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. Check the mouth quickly after each blow and remove any obvious obstruction. Meanwhile, call a doctor.

If the obstruction is still present, try up to five abdominal thrusts—this is known as the Heimlich manoeuvre: Place a clenched fist above the navel and pull inwards and upwards.

POISONING

Don’t: Making the victim vomit is a bad idea—it can do more damage than good. Do not offer water either.

Do: Is it something they swallowed? Remove anything remaining in the mouth while you rush the person to hospital.

Might help: Bring the ingested substance (bottle or package) along for faster, more effective treatment. Keeping the person calm can also help slow down absorption.

Alert! Does the substance seem corrosive? Check for blistering or raw, reddened skin in or around the mouth. If you find any, the poison may also have spilled on to the person’s clothing, skin or eyes, so remove the clothing and wash the skin and eyes with cool or lukewarm water (a 20-minute shower, or until help arrives, should do).

MORE HERE!

(F2F-2) COULD YOU BE A GENIUS…?

Here’s the video of the little girl I mentioned in class.

MORE… WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS OF GIFTED CHILDREN, AND DON’T MISS THE FINAL VIDEO OF A “prodigious savant”. You could also try the following link to get a list of the TOP 100 LIVING GENIUSES. TELEGRAPH

6-year old Emily Bear has wowed audiences from the White House to her own house. Playing the piano since age 3, Emily also composes her own music.

This child is amazing. His name is Ryota, he is only 5 years old and he is an expert dancing Dance Dance Revolution!!!

An internationally recognized 13-year-old prodigy, considered the only known child binary genius, in both realist painting and poetry. See more of her paintings HERE

This performance is by Wendy Vo, a Vietnamese-American child. She performed this piece when she was 6 years old.

Levi knows 80 (growing by the day) capital cities of the world. He was 27 months when this video was taken.

A fantastic way of doing multiplications!

PRODIGIOUS SAVANT TALKING ABOUT HIS CASE. HE SUFFERS FROM ASPERGERS SYNDROME AND, AS A CHILD, HAD  EPILEPSY SEIZURES. HIS GENIUS IS THOUGHT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE ILLNESSES. (If any of you have read “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time”, you will recognise Asperger Syndrome from the book.)

(NEF UPPER) LISTENING TO QUESTION TAGS…

 

 

 

 

This is a great place to listen to and practise your question tag intonation.

BBC QUESTION TAGS CHALLENGE PROGRAMME

 

(F2F 1C) Prepositional Phrases

We’ve been taking a look at prepositional phrases this week as we are all in good spirits because it isn’t raining any more!  Have a look at these…

Exercise 1 Choose the prepositional phrase you think best fits in the gap in the sentences below. at last          in a whisper                          in debt                     in his pyjamas        out of luck         in pencil                                  in public             on my own           on the phone                                          out of danger
1:	We all laughed when he came to school  ……….
2:	I don’t need any help. I’ll manage  ………..
3:	Jane is much better now. The doctor says that she is  ………..
4:	No wonder he looks worried. Someone told me that he is  …… to the bank for more than four thousand pounds.
5:	You can’t talk to her now. She’s still  …… , but I will ask her to call you back.
6:	Because she didn’t want anyone else to hear she spoke to him  ……….. .
7:	The journey home took 26 hours so you can imagine how we felt when we arrived home  ……
8:	All the answers have to be written  ….  so they can be marked by computer.
9:	He still gets very nervous when he has to speak  …..
10:	I’m afraid you’re  …… , there aren’t any tickets left.

Exercise 2 These are more difficult, but I am sure you can do them! as a matter of fact                  from time to time                                   in charge of         in comparison with            in honour of         in search of           in time                     in time for               on the one hand                                       on the verge of
1:	There are always two sides to the question,    ……we will make more money that way but on the other we may lose some of our oldest customers.
2:	I disagree that he is one of the best students, he really is quite lazy and  ……..I really think he should be moved to a lower class.
3:	I know I’m late but am I still  …….dinner?
4:	……….. the rest of the country Chester has been very lucky and has not experienced the floods which many other towns have suffered from.
5:	Bill has gone off on his own  ……….  a present for his wife.
6:	I don’t see him very often, just  ……..
7:	Who is  ………all these dogs? They seem to be running wild!
8:	We are having a big celebration  …………..our golden anniversary.
9:	He was  ………………………………………….leaving the house when the phone rang.
10:	He got to the station just  ………to see the train disappearing out of view.
Here are the answers: 1: We all laughed when he came to school in his pyjamas ………. 2: I don’t need any help. I’ll manage on my own ……….. 3: Jane is much better now. The doctor says that she is out of danger ……….. 4: No wonder he looks worried. Someone told me that he is in debt …… to the bank for more than four thousand pounds. 5: You can’t talk to her now. She’s still on the phone , but I will ask her to call you back. 6: Because she didn’t want anyone else to hear she spoke to him … in a whisper …….. . 7: The journey home took 26 hours so you can imagine how we felt when we arrived home … at last 8: All the answers have to be written … in pencil . so they can be marked by computer. 9: He still gets very nervous when he has to speak in public 10: I’m afraid you’re … out of luck , there aren’t any tickets left. 1: There are always two sides to the question, …on the one hand…we will make more money that way but on the other we may lose some of our oldest customers. 2: I disagree that he is one of the best students, he really is quite lazy and …as a matter of fact…..I really think he should be moved to a lower class. 3: I know I’m late but am I still in time for…….dinner? 4: ……In comparison with….. the rest of the country Chester has been very lucky and has not experienced the floods which many other towns have suffered from. 5: Bill has gone off on his own …in search of……. a present for his wife. 6: I don’t see him very often, just …from time to time….. 7: Who is …in charge of……all these dogs? They seem to be running wild! 8: We are having a big celebration in honour of…………..our golden anniversary. 9: He was ………on the verge of .leaving the house when the phone rang. 10: He got to the station just in time………to see the train disappearing out of view.

(F2F unit 1B) Can You Keep a Friend? Some Free Advice.

 

Good friends

Some people know loads of other people. They have huge Christmas cards, mailing lists, phone contact files, and address books. Sometimes we envy them for all their friends. But sometimes those friends only remain in the phonebook, memories, or photos. People who have “friendship overload” find it hard to hold onto those friends, to keep them as friends, even if they want to. Yet, there are ways to keep the friendship alive, whether your friends are near or faraway. Like a garden, friendship needs tending, need time and care. Stay in touch with your friends as often as you can. For long-distance friendships, you can always call on the phone and talk together. Or you could take advantage of email. If there is an event, like birthdays or Christmas, or even if you just want to say “hi,” a card works just fine. Online cards are always available on the net. For those friends who are just across town or at school, keep in touch with them by mailing actual cards, letters, and notes. These are some of the best ways to communicate – and don’t forget that handwritten messages tend to be more appreciated because they’re more personal.

Real friends?

After you’ve got in touch with them, some may respond and you may get the opportunity to see them personally. Try to spend your time with your friends in a special, meaningful, interesting way, especially for those friends you haven’t seen for a long time. Taking a long walk, strolling through a park, or watching a movie are easy ways to have fun. Find a quiet, special place for quiet conversation and catching up on their news. Listening to each other’s problems is a way to keep your friendships meaningful, and to reassure each other in both good and bad times. But beware: sometimes spending time with your friends becomes boring when you end up talking about each other’s problems all day. And remember not to call on your friends for their attention only when you have a big problem or want something from them. That’s not the only time you should see or contact your friends. Remember, friendship is a two-way street. If you want them to listen to you, it is reasonable for you to listen to them. Maybe that way you can help a friend over a difficult patch in their lives.

Real friendship?

Friendship also means responsibility. They are not friends just because you need them during difficult times; they are friends because you like, you love and you appreciate them. If you are a true friend, you will always make yourself available, especially during their hardest, most difficult times. Friends play an important role in a person’s life. Some say friends are an extension of your family; although you are not blood-related, you share a deep relationship and common interests with each other. It pays us to treat our friends well — they’re worth more than wealth or property.

More good friends!

(F2F unit 1) How to Confide in Someone

It is human nature to feel the need to share our burdens with others. However, knowing how to confide in someone is often more difficult than people realize. You must decide who to tell, when to tell them and how much you should reveal.

1. Step 1Determine if the person is trustworthy enough to confide in. You don’t want to bear your soul to the office gossip. Be sure that the confidante has a reputation of discretion and maturity.
2. Step 2

   Decide if you want your information kept silent by your confidante or if you don’t mind if she speaks about it with other people. Be sure to let the confidante know what you expect of her before disclosing anything.

3. Step 3

   Choose what you will tell your confidante and what you won’t reveal. It is best to make your mind up about this ahead of time so that you don’t walk away from the conversation angry at yourself for giving away too much information.

4. Step 4

   Find a discrete place and time to speak with your confidante. Pick a spot that will allow you to speak freely and without worrying about others listening in on the conversation.

5. Step 5

   Share your information. Speak calmly and slowly and allow your confidante time to ask questions to clarify the information.

6. Step 6

   Thank your confidante for listening and for giving you the opportunity to reveal your feelings.

7. Step 7

   Listen to any words of advice that your confidante may offer. Do this even if you weren’t looking for advice on the subject. It is human for people to want to assist you in some way. The most natural way for a confidante to do this is to offer advice.

 

Here’s a forum on confiding. Take a look at what ohers think.

EXTRA CLASSES – CONVERSATION, WORKSHOPS etc (times and classrooms)

All students are welcome at these classes. You do not have to sign up, JUST GO ALONG!

DOWNLOAD THIS PDF - anglés conversa, laboratori, tallers 2009-2010.pdf

WELCOME TO A NEW BEGINNING…

So, folks, it’s back to school and on with learning English.

WELCOME TO ALL MY NEW STUDENTS…

 

… AND WELCOME BACK TO THOSE WHO’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE!

I hope this year will be fun and worthwhile. Don’t forget, comments are welcome – it helps to motivate me and anyone else whose work appears on this Blog.

EXAM RESULTS…

Most of you will have seen that THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED here:  

…to those who passed…..

 

… commiserations to those who haven’t…

 

In any case, best wishes to all for a GREAT SUMMER!

Helen