Google Threatens to Quit China

Background

For many companies, doing business with China must present a moral dilemma.

On the one hand, China is obviously an excellent business opportunity.

On the other hand, however, everyone knows the “bad” thinks about China: its poor human rights records and lack of basic freedoms for many people; the Tibet issue; its questionable dealings in countries such as Darfur in Africa and other developing countries; its environmental problems; it’s continued involvement in the endangered animal trade of rhino horns, elephant tusks, tiger skins, shark fins, etc.

Given the above concerns, I wonder how many companies would choose principles over profits and not do business with China?

Not many, I imagine.

Discuss

1. What is your opinion of China?
2. Do you think companies from Western, democratic countries are hypocritical and immoral for doing business in China? Why or why not?
3. If you owned a company, would you do business in China?
4. If enough companies threatened to stop doing business in China, do you think this would force the Chinese government to change?

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The End of Taiwan?

Do people really care about global warming? Do people really care about the environment? Do people really care about the future of the Earth?

I’m sure that most of us do care. The problem is, what do we do to show that we care? What changes are we prepared to make in our daily lives to help our planet?

According to reports, if humans do not make dramatic changes to the ways we live, to the ways that we consume and use resources, then the Earth is basically doomed.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, humans are selfish creatures. All we do is take, take, take, and we won’t stop taking until there is nothing left.

doomed =  a situation that is very, very, very bad; hopeless

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China Cover Up

Embedded video from CNN Video

Most Gullible Man

BACKGROUND

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!”

It seems hard to believe that a person could be cheated out of money even once by an online or telephone scam. But how about being cheated 11 times by the same people!

scam = a dishonest way to get money

QUESTIONS

1. Are you a very trusting person? Do you always believe what people tell you?

2. Have you ever trusted anyone then later regretted it?

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“A man in Kaohsiung has been swindled 11 times by fraudulent phone rackets in the past 2 years, making him the nation’s most gullible victim of such fraud…”

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Online Scammers

BACKGROUND

Everyday, we all receive junk mail in our email inboxes. Some of this mail is from people trying to trick us out of money. For example, “I am a wealthy businessman and I will give you $$$millions of dollars if you help me to escape from my terrible country”, or something like that.

It seems hard to believe that some people actually fall for this kind of scam. But, incredibly, they do.

fall for = to be be tricked out of something

scam = a dishonest way to get money

QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever been tricked out of money in some way? Do you know anyone who has?

2. Describe some of the junk mail you recieve from people trying to trick you out of money.

3. How do you think people who send this kind of junk mail should be punished?

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“A college student in Nigeria has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for scamming an Australian woman out of $47,000 online by pretending to be a widowed white businessman desperately in love with her.”

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Smoking Ban Violations

BACKGROUND

On January 11, a new law was introduced that banned smoking in most “public indoor spaces,” such as offices, restaurants, train stations, etc. Predictably,  some smokers continue to smoke in prohibited areas.

Personally, I agree with the law. Why? Well, for two main reasons:

1. It is not only unhealthy, but extremely unpleasant for non-smokers to be in an environment where other people are smoking.
2. As an ex-smoker myself, I firmly believe that the more difficult and troublesome it is for a smoker to smoke, the more likely it is that he or she will be encouraged to quit smoking.

Predictably – expected to happen [= inevitably]

Prohibited – not allowed

Quit – stop

QUESTIONS

1. What is your opinion of the smoking ban? Do you agree with it? Why or why not?

2. Would you report somebody or even take their photo if you saw them breaking the smoking law?

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“…in the one month since the tobacco ban went into effect, it (the anti-smoking group) had received 142 reports of violations…”

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