Hits in the headlines #76
When you think of British culture and traditions, you might imagine afternoon tea, pubs, and complaining about the weather. But one rather strange tradition has gained national notoriety and has started to garner interest from overseas. This hilarious, dangerous, and quick event is something you may have seen online. This event is, of course, the Cheese Roll at Coopers Hill in Gloucestershire (How do you think you pronounce this place name?). Every year, thousands of people turn up to watch competitors race after a wheel of cheese that rolls down a very steep hill. Yes, it is as crazy as it sounds. Despite safety concerns, the event continues year on year, even taking place unofficially in the times that the event has had issues. You might be asking what the prize is for winning this race. Well, it is the cheese!
The second article is about a cinema in London that cancelled the showing of a movie that was written by AI. With the rapid changes happening in this field, it only feels like a matter of time before it takes over the media that we consume. In fact, many images and videos shared online are already AI-generated, whether people realise or not. But, when it comes to movies, there seems to be a resistance to this change. There seems to be some sanctity in the creation of movies, perhaps from the respect for the art. Though many in the industry say that it will be a while before AI can win you an Oscar, many still recognise the threat of this technology to their livelihoods. You may remember the writer strikes across Hollywood in 2023. As we saw recently, we are only now seeing the effects of this. Well, one of the biggest concerns that strikers wanted addressed was the use of AI, in place of human writers. Is it only a matter of time before AI makes our TV shows for us? Do movies need to be “protected” from the pervasiveness of this technology? Would you go and watch a movie like this?
Finally, the video shared this week is actually one hopes to ease some concerns and educate us better about our health. People regularly hear talk about the things that are good and bad for their health, but one of the biggest concerns for all of us is cancer. It seems that every time you go online, you will read something about a different product that causes cancer. Perhaps there are things that you already avoid for health reasons. But knowing what you should and shouldn’t do is an extra stress in our lives that could sometimes be avoided. This video seeks to dispel rumours of thought-to-be common cancer causes, that are actually completely safe. You shouldn’t take my word for it, so I won’t talk about them in this post, but you can watch the video to hear the professionals help to ease some anxiety.
Why not use this as a chance to learn some new language?
Try to note some new language that you see or hear in the articles or video and bring it to the class.
Remember, I always encourage you to send in your interesting articles, videos, or podcasts. You can message me directly, or email me here.
Have a great week.
See you in class!