Christmas movie: "It's a Wonderful Life"

Here's a colourized version of the movie, plus English subtitles. Don't let yourself be confused by the first couple of seconds, where the title and actors' names are mirror-inverted - in fact, the whole movie is.


If you'd care for a look at the script, here it is: It's a Wonderful Life - SCRIPT

However:
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. All the best.

NPR's Exit Interview with President Barack Obama

At this website, you'll find the complete transcript of the interview: NPR's Exit Interview with President Obama

"Post-truth" named 'word of the year' by Oxford Dictionaries

The central passage of the text, where the meaning of "post-truth" is defined, is this:

In the era of Donald Trump and Brexit, Oxford Dictionaries has declared “post-truth” to be its international word of the year.

Defined by the dictionary as an adjective “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”, editors said that use of the term “post-truth” had increased by around 2,000% in 2016 compared to last year. The spike in usage, it said, is “in the context of the EU referendum in the United Kingdom and the presidential election in the United States”.

But the whole article is worth reading, as is the list of words that were also considered for this choice of 'word of the year':

'Post-truth' named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries

Good follow-up reading for this: An article in The New York Times, where Zeynep Tufekci writes about the role of Facebook in the spreading of non-truths (better known as: "lies").

Mark Zuckerberg is in denial

And this is what Barack Obama thinks about this topic:

Barack Obama on fake news: 'We have problems' if we can't tell the difference https://t.co/ixd1v2mbph

— Guardian news (@guardiannews) November 18, 2016

The Economist: US election briefs 2016

Very informative comparison of the two main candidates' views:

US election briefs 2016 (PDF)

Michelle Obama in Phoenix, Arizona: "Who We Are"

On 20 Oct., 2016, Michelle Obama made a speech at a "Hillary for America" (HFA) meeting. You can follow the whole script at this address at whitehouse.gov, which is the official website of the US presidency: Remarks by the First Lady at HFA rally in Phoenix, AZ.

Please print out this five-page worksheet and fill it in. It'll take 30 to 35 minutes to do.

Worksheet on Michelle Obama's Phoenix address

Wikipedia is the best part of the Internet

Robert Gebelhoff states the secret of Wikipedia's success:

Wikipedia specifically declares in its “Five Pillars” that the website is not meant to be an “experiment in democracy.” Still, the essential democratic characteristic of the site — giving the masses equal voice, even at the risk of silly and ugly arguments — is what makes it successful.

The Washington Post, "Science shows: Wikipedia is the best part of the Internet" (19 Oct. 2016)

US Election 2016: 3rd TV debate

Two unusual details:

- Trump won't commit to accepting outcome of election (BBC)

- Trump: We need to get out the "Bad Hombres" (CNN)

Trump saving us from #badhombres #debates pic.twitter.com/HtYDcVeoHY

— LeahLaO (@LeahLochoa) October 20, 2016