Closing out 2023 with some less serious, but interesting stories that you can use not only for your English, but also as a chance to reflect on the past year. Has it been everything you wanted? What would you like to do next year?

Find some stories for the end of the year, as well as a little New Year’s message from Kurtis

A message of thanks and a collection of articles for you to use in your studies over the holiday period.

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If students use calculators for mathematics, is it time to let students use ChatGPT for their English work?

Find out why this question might not be so weird as it first seems, and more in this post

It’s getting closer to Christmas, which means it’s time for Christmas movies. One company is offering perhaps the perfect job for some of you — watch Christmas movies and get paid.

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It’s time for the Booker Prize and a great chance to find the next book for your reading list. In one of these articles, the authors of the books shortlisted for this award talk about the stories that have inspired their writings. This left me with a question: If you could write a book from a story in your life, what would it be about?

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Is your house making you see things that aren’t really there? Is TikTok ruining society? Why does it matter if some buildings are ugly?

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What price would you put on your privacy? Facebook thinks $10 a month is about right

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Another week another celebration — a British holiday this time. Find out about Guy Fawkes Night and the weird celebrations of one small town in England.

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Happy Halloween! This week’s links are all Halloween themed, but not all spooky. Whether you celebrate or not, I’m sure you will find something interesting in amongst these stories.

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Do you believe in ghosts?

Even if you are one of the many people who doubt the existence of them, there is no denying the creepy feeling and strange events from Britain’s most haunted house. While you’re watching this video that will get you in the Halloween mood, you will hear an interesting accent from the UK which might be a test of your listening ability!

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Due to some access issues, we will be moving future meetings to Google Meet.

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An ancient landmark and icon of the British countryside was destroyed recently, causing strong reactions from the public. Find out about this strange story in this week’s links

Is social media causing a distrust in scientists? The success of sensationalism and controversial topics on social media means that ideas can spread quickly, and sometimes the truth is not a contributing factor.

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The AI boom has been a growing threat to creative industries and media platforms have been flooded with AI generated content. To stop this, one music streaming service is stopping AI generated music from making any money on its platform — Could this be an answer to the developing problem of artificial content?

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How often do you just write down your thoughts about something? Not just writing reminders or to-do lists, but actually your thoughts about something you have experienced, read, or learned?

Some people might even wonder what you gain from this kind of writing, but there are many reasons for this including better writing, expression, and more.

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The battle for the “right to repair” has been successful on some grounds — In Europe, new phones will need to have batteries that are easy to replace and components that are available for purchase by the consumer. But how many people are really repairing their own devices anyway? And what if it is not only phones and laptops?

Maybe the right to repair will be coming to your local fast food chains too…

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The mystery of the disappearing TV show: What is happening to so many big budget series and why are they being cancelled?

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Barbie was a box-office and cultural success, but what is the secret to its popularity? How long does it really take to recover when you have a bad night’s rest? How much stuff do you own, and do you need it?

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A varied collection of stories this week, in the hope that you find something that interests you here. Maybe you already know about these stories, and maybe you will learn something new. As always, try and use this as a learning opportunity — note some new words or interesting expressions and bring them to the class. Remember, the best way to learn new language is to use it!

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