Sampola discussion topic for Tuesday 12 April

This is the discussion topic for our next class on 12 April.

That’s good to know

All of the following questions relate to stories that have appeared on the BBC News website, although none of them concern main news events. Most are of what is known as ‘human interest’ stories and most are very short, though there may be more information behind them. For next week’s class you should first identify which stories/questions sound interesting to you. Then check out the details of as many as you want and be ready to present the information you have found. If you want to investigate any stories further, you can, and you may wish to collect details from other websites. Try googling some key words or names.

In the class, each person in your group will first tell what they have learnt about their stories and the team can discuss them. If there is time left, use your smart phones to find out about other stories that you haven’t already discussed.

1.         What is The Four Candles sketch and why is it in the news?

2.         Who are (or were) the Fearless Motorbirds?

3.         What happened to three golden cars in London?

4.         How were ancient Vikings traced to the S. W. tip of Newfoundland?

5.         How did children in Surrey help police to find two suspected burglars?

6.         Why did a British passenger pose for a photo with the hijacker of the Egyptian Air plane last week?

7.         Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak are the famous founders of Apple, but there was a third founder. Who? And why did he drop out of the company?

8.         Why are Finnish football clubs angry with their own Football Association?

9.         How could you get a photograph of heaven?

10.       What are the pros and cons of camel racing and could it come to Europe?

11.       How does Rowan Atkinson succeed in the role of French detective, Maigret? (You will have to go off the BBC site for this, but there is a link.)

12.       Why is Eddie the Eagle back in the news and is he pleased about it?

13.       How are self-identity and internet use connected?

14.       How could laser beams protect us from aliens and why might it be necessary?

15.       Why was the Accident and Emergency (A & E) department at a Middlesborough hospital so busy over Easter?

16.       Are teeth whitening treatments, and kits for home use, a good idea?

17.       Why is a farmer in Surrey demolishing a ‘Tudor castle’ even though he doesn’t want to?

18.       What happened when Elvis met Nixon?

19.       What is Blockchain tech? How can it make it easier to buy a house, a bottle of wine or play the lottery?

20.       Should you order your whisky ‘on the rocks’?

21.       Why are babies all over the world sleeping in cardboard boxes?