Well, Franco, this is the case with almost any social network. It is something we as people cannot do anything about it. You are right, morally, they should not give out our information to the public without our consent. However, if you read carefully on their agreement, it clearly states they have authority to give your personal information to other sources. I agree that it is not right for them to do that, but legally they are not doing anything wrong. Upon signing, you are agreeing with their agreements and terms. It is upto you as a user to decide wether or not to join these social networks.

greatsanfrancisco:

Hi Sharad. i think it´s ok too, but do we really know what are they doing with our information? Cause we receive later thousand of emails to sell us things, and they are designed specifically for each one depending on our preferences…. But what else could they do with it?

kasemodz:

I think Facebook is meant as a social network similar to myspace. What do you mean by reliable? They should not be considered as a news/information source. The user should decide what he or she publishes to the world.

greatsanfrancisco:

Personal details of new UK spy chief on Facebook

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/05/uk.spy.chief.facebook/index.html

Questions:

- Do you think that social networks, such as Facebook, are reliable?

- Where is the point that divides the things that people could know about you, and the others than shouldn´t know?

- Should the new UK spy chief be expeled?

Vocabulary:

. outstanding : excellent; clearly very much better than what is usual

. slate : to be expected to happen in the future or to be expected to be or do something in the future

I think Facebook is meant as a social network similar to myspace. What do you mean by reliable? They should not be considered as a news/information source. The user should decide what he or she publishes to the world.

greatsanfrancisco:

Personal details of new UK spy chief on Facebook

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/05/uk.spy.chief.facebook/index.html

Questions:

- Do you think that social networks, such as Facebook, are reliable?

- Where is the point that divides the things that people could know about you, and the others than shouldn´t know?

- Should the new UK spy chief be expeled?

Vocabulary:

. outstanding : excellent; clearly very much better than what is usual

. slate : to be expected to happen in the future or to be expected to be or do something in the future

Hi, everyone, I’m Sharad Shankar. I’m currently a rising senior dual majoring in Electrical Engineering and Economics. I’m 21 years old and currently doing my internship as required by any Engineering degree. Besides that my hobbies are sports, cars, and basically anything computer related.

I was born and brought up in India, but I moved here at the age of eight. When I first moved here, I could speak English, but not in an “American” way. I was taught British English in India since I went to a English primary school. Anyways, when I came to US, I was introduced to a computer. Ever since then, I taught myself how to use a computer and later I started opening computers. At first, it was a challenge for me to understand and speak English like my friends did in elementary school. But through the help of computers, transition to English instead of Hindi was a piece of cake. Enough about me, think and answer these questions:

• In what ways will learning English help your life?
• What is your plan after you learn to speak English fluently?
• Why do you think English is the universal language in the world?