Post 7: Interesting topics for discussion

Topics for discussion:

1. Which methods are most effective for improving memory?

Most people have occasional gaps in memory, such as forgetting a new name or the meeting time. Usually, this is simply a sign that a person is too busy. On the other hand, having a consistently poor memory can have a bad effect on different sides of people's lifestyle.

I've always wondered is it really possible to improve your memory and what are the best methods to protect your brain against  the mental decline ? 

2.  How can people best be encouraged to make healthier lifestyle choices?

I believe that a healthy lifestyle is not a problem. It is not something that you want to spend your whole life dreaming about. However, for many people setting a goal to maintain or improve your health is really difficult; therefore, I want to discuss the ways to be encouraged to take a balanced diet, do regular exercise and effectively manage the stress. 

3. Why should people study humanities ?

The points which I'd like to mention here: 

- The humanities help to understand the past facts which have influenced our life today.

- The most areas of the humanities contain not only a theory but also a practical communication (e.g: learning a new language).

- The knowledge of humanities broadens a personal outlook, creativity, intelligence and increases your career chances.

4. Being an Only Child or Having Siblings?

The life of an only child or a child with siblings is different in many ways. Each of these kids is brought up in different circumstances that influence their character and behavior noticeably. Since I myself have an older brother, the topic will be interesting and easy to write about.

There I'd like to point some positive aspects in having siblings:

- Having siblings means having a company and a stronger sense of support.

- How I learnt to share things and got along with other people better.

On the contrary, I will mention some drawbacks of being an only child, such as loneliness and selfish behavior. 

Obviously, there are also some disadvantages of having siblings, for example, a rivalry.

Post-5: Your favourite learning English resource

My favourite learning English resource - TED Talks

The link : https://www.ted.com/talks

 Today, I want to tell you about TED Talks. I discovered it about 4 years ago when I started to learn English and needed to practice my pronounciation.

 This resource provide a high number of short, powerful talks that cover almost all topics : from science to business to global issues and besides that all is  in different languages, so it may help you to get used to the fluent speech of native speakers. 

 I enjoy the talks because they are presented in an available format. Firstly, the website  is very convenient. You may use the tags to find an appropriate subject of the talk and also turn on the subtitles. The talks  take from around 3 minutes to 30 minutes, so you can always find something to watch that fits your schedule. And the last, but not the least, these people who are sharing their thoughts with you are always really inspiring. I believe their ideas motivate to continue learning new things and watching more and more. 

If you could send the things you really hate to a room where they would disappear forever, what things would you choose? 

There are lots of things that irritate people in their life, such as sleeplessness, late trains, traffic jams or other else. I've chosen three things that irritate me the most.

Firstly, I hate when people are always late. I'm a very punctual person and sometimes I don't understand why people don't value their and other' time. For example, my friends are regularly late and I have to wait them for 10-15 minutes. English writer Edward Verrall Lucas had a view on lateness, "I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them."  I hold the same opinion. People should always remember how they feel themselves when they have a meeting but find yourself waiting 15 minutes, a half hour, or even longer. It's always annoying because you feel like you're wasting your valuable time and that the other person is showing that their time is more valuable than yours.

Other thing is glazed frost. I find it really dangerous for people.  All the time in November and March I can't walk without being afraid of slipping and falling down because here is a high likelihood that you hurt yourself or even break something. 

Moreover, I don't like when I am doing some work and my relatives call me by saying “Come to me, please, I need to show you something interesting!” and when I come there, they just ask me to do a stupid work.

 

The link to the article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/14/lisa-stansfield-how-we-made-all-around-the-world

The article under review is named: "Lisa Stansfield: how we made All Around the World". It is written by Dave Simpson and was published on 14 Oct 2019. The text consists of two parts: the interview with Lisa Stansfield - the singer and songwriter, and the interview with Ian Devaney, songwriter and producer.
The article is about Lisa Stansfield's early life and her career beginnings. According to the text, her career started when she was at school. She and her friends Ian Devaney and Andy Morris formed a band called "Blue Zone". However, when their first song "People Hold On" was released, they become famous as a band named “Coldcut featuring Lisa Stansfield”, clearly that was the end of "Blue Zone".
It is specially noted that Lisa Stansfield was the first white British woman to reach Number 1 on the R&B chart – the American black music chart.
The author also mentioned that the lyrics of her songs aren’t from a personal experience. Lisa tends to make up stories and she’s good at putting herself in someone else’s shoes.  As a result,  it becomes significant to other people far more than it does to the singers. 
Questions: 
1. What are the most famous Lisa Stansfield's songs ?
2. What awards has Stansfield won ?
3. How many albums did Stansfield release ? 

Hello, my name's Katya Toropkina. 

I took this photo while travelling to St. Petersburg.  As you can see, there are two poems on the wall. 

For me, this picture is associated with words. Every day we use thousands of words for communication with our family, friends, preparing our works, studying and different other activities. Now I'm studying foreign languages so my future proffesion will depend on the words, its combination, my speech.

I believe words aren't just compounds of  letters and syllables, they're a way for expressing your thoughts.  

I fond of writing, especially lately. There's nothing as beautiful as the skill to express yourself through the words, be heard and give the ideas of thinking to someone else.