Smooth Ride to English

Watching cartoons in English is a bit more uncommon here in Brazil than watching movies and TV shows in English. Still, there is a big upside to watching cartoons to improve or learn English, And here with me to talk about this today is teacher Kian!Music by Ashot Danielyan on Pixabay

Let's take a look at conspiracy theories in this episode! Was the moon landing fake? Is the Earth a sphere? Did Xuxa's record played backwards summon the devil? Go on this ride with me to explore this weird and surprisingly common phenomenon.Pre listening activities coming soon!Music by Ashot Danielyan on PixabayTranscript:Sometimes, stories that sound exciting might not be true. It's important to think carefully about them. Many conspiracy theories don't really make sense when we look closely at them.Let's take the moon landing hoax, for example. Some people say it was all a trick, but there's a lot of evidence showing that it really happened. Scientists have studied the rocks brought back from the moon, and we have lots of pictures and videos from the time. It's pretty clear that people really did go to the moon.Host: These stories can be more than just fun to talk about—they can be dangerous. For instance, some people have been refusing to get vaccines because they believe stories that say vaccines are harmful. But vaccines actually help prevent diseases. We've seen this during the Covid-19 pandemic, where some people didn't take the virus seriously because they believed stories that weren't true.It's important to be careful about what we believe and to think critically about the information we hear. By doing that, we can make better decisions for ourselves and our communities.Thank you for listening, you can find activities and more info in the description. I’m your favorite teacher, Lua, signing off.

Let's take a look at conspiracy theories in this episode! Was the moon landing fake? Is the Earth a sphere? Did Xuxa's record played backwards summon the devil? Go on this ride with me to explore this weird and surprisingly common phenomenon.Pre listening activities coming soon!Music by Ashot Danielyan on PixabayTranscript:Some stories that say powerful groups are hiding things have become really popular. Let's talk about one: the moon landing. Even though there's a lot of proof that it really happened, some people believe it was all a trick by NASA. They think NASA used special effects to fake everything, like the pictures and videos from space, and even the rocket launch. But that doesn't make much sense, especially when you think about how much money and effort it would take to do that back in the 1960s.Another idea that's gotten a lot of attention lately is the belief that the Earth is flat and that vaccines are bad for you. Why do people think this way? Well, according to an article on The Conversation linked below, some experts think it's because when big events happen, like the Covid-19 pandemic, people start to feel uncertain and scared. They look for answers, and sometimes they believe in these strange theories because they want something to make sense of it all. But these ideas don't really match up with what science tells us. They're like trying to fill in gaps with something that doesn't quite fit. We’ll see more about the dangers of this on the next segment.

Let's take a look at conspiracy theories in this episode! Was the moon landing fake? Is the Earth a sphere? Did Xuxa's record played backwards summon the devil? Go on this ride with me to explore this weird and surprisingly common phenomenon.Pre listening activities coming soon!Music by Ashot Danielyan on PixabayTranscript:Do you ever wonder if the moon landing was real? Or if the Earth is really round? Maybe you believed that Xuxa’s records backwards sent a message from the devil. I sure hope you don’t, but today, on "Smooth Ride to English," where we talk about different things and help you practice English, we're going to talk about something very interesting: conspiracy theories!Let's start by understanding what conspiracy theories are. They're ideas or beliefs that say powerful groups or people are secretly controlling events. Sometimes, these theories come up when things happen that are hard to explain. They give us a story that seems to make sense out of something confusing. Psychologists think people like conspiracy theories because they make us feel like we have some control in a world that can be really confusing. They help us make sense of things that seem random or strange. So, when we talk about conspiracy theories, it's not just about believing in weird stuff; it's about trying to understand why some people find them so fascinating and comforting. Stay with me for the next segment.

This month is very important for Brazilian history! Let's find out why?Pre-listening activity: https://forms.gle/KQH8jckGGPS92meU7Comprehension activity: https://forms.gle/VxBXPksZhrV9X8vJ7Music by Ashot Danielyan on PixabayTranscript:Let’s do a quick trip to Brasília, January 29th, 2004, where 27 transgender people and travestis went to Congress to claim their rights, which resulted in the Health Ministry officially showing their commitment to helping the queer community.In 2016, trans people who hadn’t gone through gender affirmation surgery could officially change their name and gender and in 2018 we could change our names without the need for a lawsuit.Now in the 2020 elections, 30 transgender people were elected in our country, including, but definitely not limited to Erika Hilton, Tieta Melo, Lorim da Valéria, Dandara, Duda Salabert, Paulette Blue, and Linda Brasil.We have been approaching a new era these last years, but we still have a long way to go. Black trans women still face violence every day in our country, we still have little to no chance in the job market, and we frequently drop out of school and college because of bullying and discrimination. We are in no way a utopia, but you can help make trans people's lives better if you educate yourself on the issues and walk beside us in this fight.Thank you for listening, you can find activities and more info in the description. I’m your favorite teacher, Lua, signing off.

This month is very important for Brazilian history! Let's find out why?Pre-listening activity: https://forms.gle/fZsR52hE7PVg7KFz7Comprehension activity:https://forms.gle/kYx4ZonGoXJvLrYC8Music by Ashot Danielyan on PixabayTranscript:Let’s talk a little bit about the history of medical procedures for trans people.In 1971 the first gender affirmation surgery for trans women was performed in Brazil, and the doctor responsible for it, Roberto Farina, was investigated for mutilation, which caused a commotion in the entire medical community, almost 20 researchers located in many countries sent letters supporting Farina. “It’d be a mistake from the legal authorities in Brazil to prosecute Dr. Farina for following an internationally respected and accepted medical procedure,” said John Money, a plastic surgeon from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. That was not enough to convince the judge. In September 1978, he sentenced the doctor to imprisonment for 2 years. Just a year before, the brilliant writer João Nery had also had a procedure done by Dr. Farina.The letters kept coming, and Waldirene, his original patient, would retrieve letters in his defense in her hometown. The last supporting statement was from Waldirene’s father, Espiridião, who said she was perfectly healthy and had great relationships with people around her. The sentence was dropped in November 1979.Finally, in 2008, gender affirmation surgery and HRT started being offered by SUS, the national public healthcare service. Since then, over 400 procedures have been done! I, myself am currently receiving gender-affirming care on SUS and it has been a wonderful experience, one that amidst all the chaos of the last years, makes me proud to be Brazilian.