Lesson Topic Suggestions

Without lowering one's stripes to the lowest of the low such as Shanghaiist or Chinasmack, perhaps a weekly roundup of Chinese views on current affairs as expressed on social media. This would give poddies an opportunity to learn some slanguage and also provide foreign devils an insight into Chinese public opinion.

Level: Upper Intermediate to Media

Topic: 双十一

Content: A focus on the origin of 双十一, with discussion of reasons behind the success of 双十一  

Level:Intermediate to Media

Topic: G20

Level: Newbie - advanced

Topic: "Spring forward, Fall back"

Notes: "Spring forward, fall back" refers to the US habit of switching their clocks back one hour in early November, and then moving them forward one hour in early March. I recall only 2 States (Arizona and Hawaii) do not do this clock switching.

What this means for us in China is that people in Beijing or Shanghai (or wherever) that call back to the US now are a measly 12-15 hours ahead of colleagues, friends or family. Come early November, we'll be 13 - 16 hours ahead of colleagues, friends or family. Better figure out when your important phone call is with them  back in the US so that you call on time.

Level: Newbie - advanced

Topic: Modeling Rosetta Stone's Financial Statements in Excel

Notes: You want to fine tune your earnings model template that you use to  analyze financial statements, and value the stocks of publicly traded companies.  You decide that moving from Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), Riverbed (NASDAQ: RVBD), and F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Rosetta Stone (NYSE: RST)is going to help you do that. Plus you can see whether you have the items driving the growth in the model that would want accurately portrayed. Your Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow statement sheets look ok, but its yourIncome Statement Sheet that is giving you most of the modeling problems, since that's the sheet that the CEO/CFO usually discuss hwne talking about next quarter's revenue and earnings per share. After this, you'll model Boeing (NYSE: BA). 

Level: Newbie - advanced

Topic: Which way is faster?

Notes: sometimes, you're in a taxi, and the driver will ask you if you want to take 4th ring road, or 3rd ring road.  If you're a newcomer to the city, you usually don't have a clue to the city's traffic patterns, so you usually tell the driver something along the lines of "you pick the route that's fastest!". The driver might be trying to tell you that either way might be fast, or might be totally congested, and he's really making you pick so that if the choice ends up being the slow one,  its your fault, not the driver's. 

Level: Newbie - advanced

Topic: Your favorite airline

Notes: economy minded travelers may not care what airline they fly to China. So whether to pick from Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Lufthansa, United, Delta, American, Korean Air or Emirates might be what you see on some website that offers tickets to China.

There are lessons with an airline's name, but not one lesson that has multiple names in a single lesson.

Oh, and for laughs, you might consider putting China Airlines (Taiwan) into the lesson with Air China (Mainland) and see who notices.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Before, During and After Marathon picture taking

Notes: Annoyingly, my picture isn't here.

http://www.sportsnote.com.tw/running/album.aspx?id=2b355baf-6294-4dc7-b56d-d843ee218dd1&a=42a1859b-0208-42d7-a422-9b2a33115b3b

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: goody bag after the half-marathon

Notes: in the bag, there's the finisher's medal, a bottle of Gatorade (people handing it out called it 饮料, but i know better.  Gatorade tastes nasty when not running, but around mile 7, all that sugar and salt is what you're body's craving for ), a cupcake (蛋糕), and a reflective blanket.

Dajiahao!

I have a few suggestions surrounding my work and study- if you have time then I would very much appreciate it!

LEVEL intermediate - upper intermediateTOPIC healthcare economicsNOTES

I'm interested in any vocab covering topics like: cost benefit and cost utility analysis; economic modelling and evaluation; pharmacoeconomics; pharmaceutical supply, demand and regulation; microeconomics & macroeconomics; efficiency and equity.

Sorry for such a long list! really any vocab on this topic would be fantastic :) Thank you for the podcast re. US healthcare reforms! Very helpful :)

LEVEL   KTV Time (Elementary/Intermediate)

TOPIC   蔡琴 - 被遗忘的时光

NOTES   Any lover of the classic movie Infernal Affairs will recognise this song and it's haunting notes. The Mandarin is slow and clear without too many lines so I feel it would be a good song to fit into the lesson length and for poddies to pick up.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: the 9 kinds of boyfriends, and How to Kill 8 hours a day and still keep your job

Notes: Humor is culture sensitive, and also contextual, so I suspect Matt Groening's Life in Hell won't be perceived as funny by the Cpod staff.   But I suspect that the Cpod female staff might see the humor in categorizing the 9 kinds of boyfriends (Chinese or otherwise).  And there's always the need to kill time at work around the world....

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/13-of-the-best-life-in-hell-comics-by-matt-groen#22vsn3e

Level: newbie - advanced

Topic: patents

Notes: Intellectual property has been discussed, but lets have another lesson talking about patents at a lower level.  

Level: newbie - advanced

Topic: dating a coworker

Notes: don't do this, unless you and the coworker are both MATURE adults, and the coworker is not a superior or subordinate. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Ordering Lunch online

Notes: Lihua, Yoshinoya, McDonalds deliver to your office.  You don't like the food, but you don't want to go out from the office, and you didn't bring lunch. Do you want the 12 Kuai set lunch, or the double cheeseburger with fries?

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Demographics (or maybe you say 人口统计数据)

Notes: So this kind of information from the Wall Street Journal on the US population is just really interesting. 

http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/what-where-you-live-says-about-what-youll-buy-1813/

Makes one wonder if this type of marketing information is collected in China, and made available online for marketers or companies as well.  Not sure, but maybe its just me...

http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjgz/tjdt/201410/t20141010_619596.html

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Religious Education for the kid

Notes: Atheist? Buddhist? Hindi? Muslim? Christian? If so, which sects? Catholic? Mormon? Sunni? Tibetan? 

A decision might need to be made regarding discussing religious beliefs with the kid.  Hopefully, mom and dad discussed these beliefs prior to getting married and having kids, so that there are no disagreements....

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Excel Macros

Notes: Easy to record a macro that does some repetitive function for you in Excel. For laughs, Cpod should have someone record an easy macro, then need to go into Visual Basic to edit the macro.  Then we can learn a few programming terms.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Why Do Americans Stink at Math?

Notes: We envy the Chinese and Japanese, and it turns out they envy us. Everybody around the world is unhappy with their schools...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Layoffs

Notes: Don't seem to see news around layoffs much in China Daily or Chinasmack.  So maybe Chinese companies don't make significant announcements around layoffs. But Chinese companies that list on American stock markets like Alibaba might make these types of announcements. 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hp--the-last-of-the-megalayoffs-201922972.html

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Stretching and warming up before athletics

Notes: I don't mean yoga postures, I mean calf raises, and other stretching exercises. Stretching is what some athletes do prior to starting training. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: For the Grammar Police - "to correct and serve"

Notes: Lifted directly from this Guardian article:"If you want to start an argument online, make an assertion about English usage. "Apostrophes are on their way out", or "People who misuse apostrophes deserve to be guillotined". For extra spice, add a dash of what's commonly considered solecism: "People who fret about apostrophes are, like, literally the worst thing in the world."

 http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/03/the-sense-of-style-the-thinking-persons-guide-to-writing-in-the-21st-century-steven-pinker-review

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Environmental/Wildlife Protection

Notes: Noticed that Yao Ming is into this as well. 

http://www.wildaid.org/news/yao-ming-says-no-ivory-and-rhino-horn

http://www.chinasmack.com/2014/pictures/chinese-state-broadcaster-cctv-promotes-world-rhino-day.html

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Tickets on Daimai - Preseason NBA: Brooklyn vs. Sacramento in Beijing

Notes: yikes, the mere 200 RMB seats are already gone. Nothing but 800 RMB and up. Annoying. This is how you know China arrived; the 10,000 RMB seats are sold out.

http://en.damai.cn/event/tickets_69342/

Level: Newbie -  Advanced

Topic: Charge your iPod yourself

Notes: teach the kid to plug the iPod into the USB port themselves (or the USB hub plugged into the USB port).  This way, when the iPod has no electricity, the kid doesn't bother you.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: E-bike has another flat

Notes: In Mandarin, one says the tire has no air, but in American English, we can say that the tire has a flat.  But this is the 4th flat tire in as many days.  Are there really that many nails, glass or junk that i'm running over? Or am I getting flats because the bike is defective?

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Jaywalking, and accidents waiting to happen

Notes: In general, drivers follow the traffic lights.  But there have been a number of drivers that do u-tuns from the far right-hand lane, across multple lanes of traffic to do a u-turn.  Or people that go the wrong way down the street.  or people walking or riding their e-bikes against the light across the street. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: British Player in the NFL

Notes: I guess the UK is ready for some football.  I guess they'll start calling it soccer 10 years from now.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/american-football/29383914

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Comparing smartphones

Notes: There have been intermediate lessons around this, but there should be also a elementary and upper intermediate lesson around this. 

It would also help if you could talk about having an international plan, so when we head back to the US, the Chinese phone will automatically see the American network (In China Mobile's case, will automatically see AT&T's network).

It would be nice to compare a Lenovo to a Samsung to an iPhone to a Xiaomi. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Scotland Independence: Yes or No

Notes: Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Belfast.... what's the difference? :)

Too late to have a real lesson, and I haven't heard much buzz about Scotland on Chinasmack, so I don't suppose there's much chance of this becoming a lesson, but one can amuse oneself with the idea...

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Getting around on the Bus

Notes: While most everyone flies or takes the train around China, the intrepid few take the bus.  There's usually a bus station in the city that allows the economy-minded person the chance to ride to really small towns across China.  Buying a ticket, finding a seat, and get ready for a 6 hour ride.  Hope the roads aren't too bad....

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: We told you, no dual citizenship!!

Notes: Kid was born in Xi'an to one Chinese and one British parent. Chinese/British couple are living and working in China, but want to have the kid have both China and British passports, thinking that both passports might come in handy one day. Parents think they can get around no-dual-Chinese/Foreign citizenship difficulty by paying off various Chinese officials or being quiet about the British passport while they live in China. Eventually, governments figure out what's happening, so eventually the government realizes that the Chinese kid's been getting a visa for a country (China) that he's a citizen of, and revokes the China visa application.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Brazil vs Argentina in China

Notes: Soccer superpowers/archrivals collide in Beijing in October.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Parking Lot Fees for residents' bikes

Notes: no 通知 about building maintenance starting to charge residents a fee for each bike they put into the parking garage.  But maintenance wants to eliminate free parking for various non-tenants of the building, so they're making it clear that everybody with a bike is going to pay something; e-bike, mountain bike, motorcycle, tricycle it doesn't matter. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Britishisms, Part 2

Notes: I thought it was called a school uniform, or a PE (Physical Education) uniform.  But apparently, its called a "house kit".  Or at least its called a house kit at British schools. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: There goes the neighborhood

Notes: It was bad enough that Memoire Cafe and SPR Coffee tried their hand at selling coffee in Guagua's building.  But the new sign downstairs in Guagua's building says that Burger King is going to be the new tenant now that Memoire Cafe is no longer in business. Guagua's parents are in for a fight on their hands when Guagua wants to eat at Burger King every day, especially when its so convenient.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Running 1,609 meters bestows the same health benefits as running a marathon. 

Notes: I read it online, so it must be true. 

http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleID=1891600

http://online.wsj.com/articles/run-a-mile-race-instead-of-a-marathon-1410218741?mod=WSJ_hppMIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Holiday plans

Notes: October 1 is coming.  Chinese people may already be home, or may already have made plans to travel.  Expats are whining about how the Ayi left for her home, and now they have to cook and clean for themselves.  Such hardship, such misery...... 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Biennial health check

Notes: every couple of years, someone needs to assess their overall health state.  go to the doctor, so the doctor can ask questions relating to family history of disease (relatives getting cancer), HIV/STD testing (are you practicing at-risk behaviors?), habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, age (guys, are you 50 or older?).  Doctors also need to ask about your immnunization history (do you have rabies, tetanus, polio vaccines or boosters?).  Let us not forget some of the necessary tests to determine some related issues in these areas, like the blood test, urine test, prostate or cervical exam.....

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Auspicious Events

Notes: surely, Kenny G's visit to Beijing on Sept 5 is to be celebrated. Personally, I'd love to celebrate with another request for a point/counterpoint lesson with the NY Times taking the pro-Kenny side, and my jazz guitar idol's searing indictment of the G-man.

I'll also add this link to a web page proclaiming that Chinese shopping centers/malls use Kenny G's "Going Home" as a way to tell shoppers the mall is closing. Is this true in Shanghai at any particular mall? Or maybe nobody pays attention to when a mall closes?

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/china-embraces-kenny-gs-going-home-as-its-anthem-to-go-home-20140512

http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm

http://www.kennyg.com/

after mining the internet, I actually found a critic chiming in on the Gorelick/Metheny discussion (hope the internet skilled have access to the NY Times).

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/16/arts/music-jazz-can-take-itself-too-seriously.html

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: What do I have in common with the editor of Vogue China?

Notes: Running. And we happened to be at the same dinner table at the same time once. So I guess that's two things, smug, smug, wink, wink, namedrop, namedrop.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/20/world/asia/angelica-cheung-vogue-china/

Level: Newbie - intermediate

Topic: Kuadi reimbursement

Notes: One might need to fill out a expense report because the person paid for a package that was delivered to the company.

Level: Newbie - intermediate

Topic: Not a team player

Notes: the idea here is around having a lesson where maybe one person on the office staff doesn't help out others, or thinks only about himself at work. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Foreigner that thinks he's more Chinese than Chinese person

Notes: amuse yourself.

LEVEL: Qingwen: elementary

TOPIC: 要。。了／快。。。了／快要。。。了

NOTES: Using, or when to use, the above constructions and what it means.

For example 快放假了，你有什么打算？

Level: media, avanced, UI

Topic: the new robot restaurant in Shanghai

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: World Geopolitics

Notes: any graphic that can show the United States and Iran with aligned interests has to be an interesting situation.  I noticed that Chinasmack doesn't have any geopolitical stories as of late, but then I also noticed no commenting on the killing of a gun instructor by a 9-year old learning how to shoot an Uzi in automatic mode either. 

http://graphics.wsj.com/isis-strange-bedfellows/?mod=e2fb

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Skype call to the relatives in the US

Notes: Using skype-to-skype communication allows you to stay in touch with the grandparents back in the US for free.  Annoying that out of all the tech we were promised by 2001, we only have the picture phone. At least we can waltz to "The Blue Danube" if we wish.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Appendicitis

Notes: fever, pain in the abdomen, astronomically high white blood cell count (after taking the blood test). Somethings up.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: The school bake sale

Notes: international schools like to help out in the local community.  Usually this means having a bake sale, where parents contribute some baked goods, like cookies, or cakes to the cause, the kids bring the baked goods to school, where they are purchased by other kids for munching.  In this way, funds are raised for good causes, like the local orphanage, or a local Chinese school.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Things to do before you leave China

Notes: Your years in China are starting to come to an end. You've already escorted family/friends to the Mutianyu Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square et al. multiple times. You can see that you'll be heading back to the US in another few months, so its time to do things that expats wanted to do before they leave China after living there for years.  What's on the China bucket list:

1. Eat at the Temple Restaurant

2. Take a Sichuan cooking class

3. Go to a Beijing GuoAn soccer game

4.????

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Sexy Architecture tours

Notes: Is architecture sexy? Architecture is probably sexier than, say, fluid mechanics.  

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Sexy Half-Marathon training

Notes: if you can just keep yourself from pulling a muscle, breaking or spraining an ankle, getting blisters or plantar fasciitis (bad foot injury) or shin splints, knee inflammation and other assorted injuries, you just might have a fantastic, enjoyable half-marathon. Running 45 miles per week or more gets everyone's hormone levels up. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Sexy Regression Analysis and Business Decisions

Notes: Its fun making money, but when you can make money predicably, that's sexy!!

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/09/regression-analysis-basics-business.asp

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Sexy All Things 787

Notes: 787 deliveries, test flight status and more.  Airplanes are 100% cool. 

http://nyc787.blogspot.hk/

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Sexy IT

Notes: IT needs to more sexy than it is.  One reason IT needs more sex appeal might be because IT is dominated by single introverted guys.  Maybe Cpod can do something about this.  Head to Oracle World, Microsoft Management Summit, VMworld, CA World, Symantec Vision, and get guys to start speaking Chinese (why this might appeal to some dudes is not clear to me, but i'm brainstorming her.  Can anyone make Linux sexy?  Not sure, but worth trying.  

this thread now has a ton of spam

1. Does anyone remember, from a few years ago, the chinese translation of "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"?

2. how about a qing wen on catch phrases, cinema quotations, expressions, other casual American and British expressions that you're not likely to find in dictionaries or textbooks and that, probably, you can only use in conversations with other American and British students of Chinese?

3. I don't want to be too critical of something I've loved for several years now, but is anyone at CPod paying any attention to these posts. In most cases, spam like we see here, is a sign that the board is failing.

Sandra

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Exotic office applications

Notes: Everyone knows Word, Powerpoint, Excel. Usually they know Outlook (or if not, Lotus Notes or Groupwise) and Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Exotic applications are the ones not usually in the office lexicon (Access, Publisher, Acrobat, but one or two people in the office know them). 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Salads

Notes: (not another food lesson!!!!) It's helpful to know that if you want to say balsamic vinaigrette, it's 黑醋汁. (this  is in case you want to actually eat healthy). 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Sports and Salaries

Notes: what do I take from this? 

1) be a guy

2)play a sport popular in the US.

http://graphics.wsj.com/us-open-32/?mod=e2fb

Of course, this was not an exhaustive list, as there are about 100-200 pro leagues in the world (not that anybody cares...)

Level: Ele - Upper inter

Topic: Cancer treatments 癌症治疗化疗

Notes: Relative gets cancer. Aside from asking what type (liver, colon, lung, skin...), you want to ask what type of treatment are they getting (Chemotherapy, radiation, both, neither )

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: Autism 自闭症

Notes: any kind of content will do. 

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: Flowers?  What did you do??

Notes: A guy gives his wife flowers for no reason, thinking it will be a pleasant surprise.  The wife, unaccustomed to receiving flowers without explicitly asking for them, accuses him of wrongdoing. What's a guy to do?

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: low-income versus high-income muscle

Notes: Nothing like a cool infographic from the BBC to make you wax nostalgic. 

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20140819-infographic-hellcats-true-price

Level: Intermediate - Advanced

Topic: Cosplay in China

Notes: Visiting China in the autumn with my teenage daughter, I'm sure she will want me to ask around about this.

Also interesting how this now global trend is viewed in China thinking of the heavy Japanese influence

Level: Intermediate

Topic: Fun Run

Notes: It's occured to me I don't know how to say 'fun run' in chinese. There's lots of lessons on formal competitions, but how about something less formal like a fun run? How far is it? What are you running for? Are you thirsty? That was tiring, etc, etc

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Lines for treadmills at the gym

Notes: Does your gym have broken treadmills? It's annoying, because people want to exercise after work, and then there are lines to use the treadmills. Then some dude is running a half marathon on a treadmill, and using a treadmill to run for an hour and 40 minutes or something. Not cool.  

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: No wonder you're obese

Notes: For the first time in about 5 years, i'm having McDonalds for lunch (Homo Sapiens does not live by plants alone). I usually don't because of this type of information:

quarter pounder w/cheese - 490 kcalories

Large french fries - 430 kcalories

Large Coke - 210 kcalories

Total - 1130 kcalories

Amusingly, at my current weight, age and average running speed this year, i'm going to have to run about 10 miles tonight to burn off 1,130 calories. Times like this I wish I could run 7 minute miles for 10 miles. (or maybe you say 4.3 minutes per kilometer for 16 kilometers; roughly about the same speed and distance (thank you AE 105!!)). Or another way to say this, is that I will have to run for 1 hour and 40 minutes to burn 1,130 kcalories.

http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/meal_builder.html

http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Homework Research on the Internet

Notes: there's been a plagiarism lesson, but not much on doing internet research.  Actually, as long as you cite your information sources, you can look far and wide for helpful information using the internet.  One of the best internet sources i've seen is the CIA World Factbook.  Don't know if its blocked in China, but the World Factbook is one action packed resource of helpful country information. 

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Parents teaching virtues

Notes: Jihua and Xiangxiang are, like many parents, concerned about the values that their son is picking up.  They want to ensure that they start teaching their son virtues like honesty, forgiveness, kindness, humility, cleanliness, patience and truthfulness.  They have a discussion to think about how to start teaching virtues better. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Second hand clothes (also known as Hand-me-downs)

Notes: Older sister or cousin outgrows their clothes. But the clothes are still relatively clean and in good shape, so its a waste to throw them away.  The solution is to give them to a younger sibling or cousin, who probably appreciates getting new clothes every once in awhile. 

Level: Newbie - Upper inter

Topic: Star Wars Episode VII

Notes:Back in the US, the overwhelming majority of Americans over the age of 35 or so has seen and heard of the movies Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi.  Because there will be a long awaited release of Star Wars Episode VII in December 2015, Cpod should capitalise on this freight train of marketing and have a Star Wars Chinese lesson or two.  There likely isn't much in Chinese on Star Wars, but in English, there's an Empire's worth of content, enough to satisfy your inner Jedi. Shout out to George Lucas, who attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars

http://www.starwars.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lucas

http://cinema.usc.edu/

Level: Newbie - Upper inter

Topic: Windows vs Linux vs Macs vs the cloud vs Android vs iOS

Notes: Most people don't care what systems they use to access the internet or be productive at work; they just want stuff done.  For others, the type of device they use reflects on them, and who they think they are.....

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: Your hard drive is dead

Notes: Now, your computer won't even boot up to Windows.  The IT guy at work or home realizes that your hard drive is failing, and you need a new one. 

Level: Qing Wen

Topic: 勿vs 不

Notes: If the recent Qing Wen "All about But" covered this, then no need for a discussion on "wu" vs "bu".  But if it didn't, then it would be nice to know when to use either of them.  Most of the time I would use 不 for "not" something, but then I tend to see 请勿吸烟 for "No Smoking" or 请勿靠近 for "No loitering" (loitering is what i've seen on a lot of signs in the States).

Level: Newbie - Upper inter

Topic: Snacks for the office

Notes: some kind person is buying the office staff cookies or peanuts or some other kind of snack.  the employees decide to create a pool of money so that they can use the pool money to buy more snacks, and better snacks too. 

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: I want a watch

Notes: Jihua and Xiangxiang ask their kid what time is it.  He still learning to tell time using a clock, not a digital watch.  They give him a watch (hands, face) so that he can learn to tell time. 

A lesson on 金庸 seems like an obvious one and could be a lot of fun too.

Super duper advanced level of course!

thanks, P

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: Is it appropriate?

Notes: Jihua and Xiangxiang are letting their 6 year old son Guagua watch Bears Come Out (熊出没 xiong1chu4mo4).  Laolao comes over to help watch Guagua and notices this. Laolao says something along the lines of "you're letting this kid watch this TV show? It isn't appropriate for kids!!!! What kind of parents are you?"  Hilarity ensues.

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: are you ready for some football!!!!

Notes: time for another request for an intermediate NFL lesson (for the American, beer drinking, tailgating masses).

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: return to Suzhou after 20 years away

Notes: No doubt a person that left any city in China (except a city with less than 100,000 people) when they were 10 and returns to that city when they were 30 is seeing tremendous change.  Changes in height, architecture, and number of buildings, changes in the activity level in the city, and the people themselves.  Maybe for the local, its annoying to hear the returnee complain that the changes were for the worse (or for the better).

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: potty training

Notes: Potty training is teaching your 1 year old kid how to use the toilet, instead of doing number 1 or number 2 in the diaper.

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: Types of police officers

Notes: Lets start with my favorite, the Fashion Police时尚警: making the world safe from ugly, tasteless clothing and attire. Then move toward the Grammar Police语法警: so that we might know when to use who and whom, and not be boldly going anyplace.  There is of course, the Internet Police网警, but they're boring.  then there is the Transformer Police 变压器警, and their motto "to Punish and Enslave". These police officers are not to be confused with Sting, Stewart Copeland or Andy Summers. 

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: Maternity Leave and Gender Discrimination

Notes: The latest on the laws and data available in China. 

http://www.bon.tv/shows/level/2014-8-2/1407037707690.shtml

Surely this deserves a lesson:

http://news.online.sh.cn/news/gb/content/2014-07/30/content_7013880.htm

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2014/aug/01/peach-bum-pants-crack-chinese-fruit-market-knickers-qixi-festival

Level: Newbie - Upper intermediate

Topic: Contact Information

Notes: First name, last name, phone number, landline phone number, email address (work and home)

Level: Newbie or Ele

Topic: Cricket

Notes: I don't know the first thing about cricket, but let's not deny the cricket fans their lesson:

Level: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: Mysterious World of IT, part 7 - Explaining the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and 32-bit and 64-bit applications. 

Notes: This is more than a lesson in Chinese, it will also ferret out the IT people on the website, as they jump in to bloviate and pontificate. 

Topic discussion: 

Advanced directions

I know we already have the basic directions stuff with a map but it would be nice to have a leeson on directions in far more detail.

for example

"when the traffic light turns green we can go through the zebra crossing, at this point take the second left, go under the bridge and onto the highway. then turn left at the second intersection down and keep moving down the one way street" 

Im finding it hard in China to understand peole when they give me thorough directions, stuff like adjacent, perpundicular, crossroads, all that stuff is still lost on me

Level: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: Groundrules for the kids/getting a babysitter

Notes: Mom and Dad are going out for a couple of hours. Ayi went home to her village for a week.  Mom & Dad's 6 year old son is being watched by his 12 year old cousin.  Mom tells the 12 year old their cell phone numbers, and tells the kids not to use the stove to cook things, do not let strangers into the house (not even the kuadi for something they ordered), and if someone knocks on the door, to ignore it, or say "come back later".  

Level: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: Mysterious World of IT, part 6 - A call for tech support

Notes: your computer stopped working?  Call tech support. Can't get access to your HR application? call tech support.  Can't login to your HR, Finance or Office 365 applications?  call tech support. Suspect you have a virus?  Call tech support.  Want upgrade to Windows 8?  Call tech support. 

evel: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: Visiting the US from France

Notes: Another call for Cpod to scour the web in search of heartfelt Chinese thoughts about visiting the US.  See, now the French are giving their thoughts on those rascally Americans (although in a few cases, I wonder what country these French people are visiting, because they sure don't sound like they're describing the US to me....).

http://mentalfloss.com/article/55306/11-french-travel-tips-visiting-america

Level: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: Mysterious World of IT, part 5 - Hiring an IT Services Company (or outsourcing your IT)

Notes: small Shanghai company is too small to hire a full-time guy to come in and maintain/upgrade their computers, and the one server they use to backup their data centrally.  They want to hire an IT service provider to do this for them at lower cost. But how do they find them, and what do they look for in a good IT services provider?

Level: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: Corruption

Notes: "Tigers and flies".  Did 习近平 really say something about tigers and flies?

Level: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: No Electricity, part 2

Notes: in the previous 停电 lesson, a couple go to a fuse box to restart the power to the apartment.  In this lesson, the power goes off to the apartment in the middle of the night, shutting off the air conditioning in the middle of a hot summer night (that's what wakes them up; they both wonder why the apartment is hot when they turned on the airconditioning before they went to bed). The couple get to discuss whose responsibility it is to pay the electric bill.  And since this happens in the middle of the night, they get to worry about the food in the refridgerator going bad, because the 物业 isn't open until 8:30am tomorrow morning. 

Level: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: Britishisms, Part 1

Notes: This time, the American gets schooled as there needs to be an explanation around "handbags at dawn".  Especially fun since this describes a duel between Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. 

Level: Newbie - Upper Inter

Topic: One Finger Divides China, Part 8

Notes: Food is different between North and South China.  Language is different between North and South China. Buildings have winter heat in the north, and in the south, its supposed to be warm enough to do without building heat. In martial arts, there was a distinction between northern and southern styles of fighting.  Anything else? is this north v. south distinction disappearing or eroding as China modernizes?

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Surfing USA

Notes: Shanghai couple decide to go to the US for summer vacation, first to Los Angeles, then to Honolulu. In LA, they rent surfboards at Manhattan Beach and try their hand at surfing.  Fun, but the water was cold.  In Honolulu, instead of going to Waikiki Beach, they head to Waimanalo near Kaneohe to get away from the crowds. Plus, they don't have to worry about running their surfboards into anyone.  

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: which movie should we see? Part 4

Notes: Jihua wants to see Transformers 4.  Xiangxiang wants to see Tammy. Around the world, men and women are the same.....

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Go to the local photo print shop

Notes: You're back in Shanghai from your day trip to Suzhou.  You want to go to the local printer shop to have your photos printed out. This way, you can mail them to your grandmother (the one without a computer) and your 5 year old cousin back in the States.  You take the flash drive with the 121 pictures you took to the print shop.  The printer guy uploads the folder onto the his computer and then asks a few questions:

Which pictures do you want printed?

What size picture do you want? (it turns out there are like small wallet size up to poster size, and there are 20 sizes inbetween)

Is ok tomorrow for delivering all these?

You realize you want pictures for yourself as well, and some of the pictures came out really well; good enough to send to luddites and other relatives.  So you want 5 of this one, 3 of that one, 7 of this, and about 1 each of the restof them. all size 8.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Close, closer.... too close!

Notes: You're on vacation and you want some nearby stranger to take your picture with your camera. You ask someone if they are willing to do so, and they are. The then step back 50 feet from you. You tell them to come closer, because you don't really care that much about the scenery. The person comes closer, but not close enough, so you tell them even closer than that.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Hotel Medical Emergency

Notes: Business traveler checks into a hotel for a few days' worth of meetings.  Upon day 2 in Beijing, the business traveler steps off a curb and severely sprains her ankle. She has to go to the hospital, as she's in severe pain.  But she's in a foreign city and country and doesn't know where the nearest hospital is.  She asks the staff at the hotel front desk to help make an appointment for her at a local hospital, explain the problem to the appointment person at the hospital, and then get her a taxi to go to the hospital.  Oh by the way, the taxi driver doesn't know where the hospital is, so our business traveler needs to know how to get to the hospital also.

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Who else is Irked by Americanisms

Notes: Every once in awhile, someone from latin America mentions that their country is in the AMERICAS, making them AMERICANS.  Costa Rica is representin' finally.  But against a friendly tongue-in-cheek article suggesting (dare I say it) Americans root for the Netherlands as well. 

http://online.wsj.com/articles/why-its-time-for-the-u-s-to-go-dutch-1404325468?mod=worldcup14fb

http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/07/03/a-rebuttal-to-wall-street-journal-editors-call-for-us-world-cup-fans-to-ignore-costa-rica

Nice try, but I'm still rooting for BRAAAZZZILLLLL!!!!!!

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: I forgot the combination to the Safe in the Closet

Notes: Business travelers sometimes go to 4 or 5 star hotels that have a safe for valuables in the closet.  So you can put your laptop and passport into the safe when you go out for the evening.  But what happens if you forget the combination to the safe?

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: World Cup, Part 7

Notes: speaking of World cup, we need a lesson on trash talk, American style. C'mon Cpod, I know Shanell is leaving so Cpod had better get some more Americans on staff ASAP :-)

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: One Finger Divides China, part 2

Notes: Conversations with colleagues is that maybe the stuff and people in Beijing is about 95% the same as in Shanghai (plus they both have their own attitudes of superiority).  But maybe Beijing has only 50% in common with Guangzhou or Hong Kong.  Different from casual observation about the difference between Washington DC, and New York and Boston.  Maybe 50% different each city from the other. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Are You Going with Me?

Notes: Family summer vacation version 2:  Jihua and Xiangxiang consider go seeing the in-laws back in suburban Portland Oregon for vacation.  I hope everyone gets along, and there's plenty of room in the house for family to share for the next 3 weeks.....

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: where to go for summer vacation?

Notes: Jihua and Xiangxiang (husband and wife) are planning a family vacation.  They both want family fun for them and Guagua, and are ok with leaving Beijing for a week.  One person wants to go to Sanya, because there's beach and water that will keep Guagua occupied and happy for a few days.  The other person wants to go to another city in China to see a friend.  Interesting conversation that will bore Guagua to death, and lead to anarchy and no fun for anybody.  Then you're also in another city in China with no real interesting landmarks that distinguish it from the city you left.  Where to go? (in other words, besides the Bund, what's worth seeing or doing in Shanghai that I can't see or do in Beijing?)

Level：Intermediate(?)Topic: Qingwen on obtaining/receiving/fetching/getting.Notes:  Ok, I understand when to 收到 and when to 受到。But what about all the others words that have similar meanings--取/得/拿/获/接/领?  I looked through QW and couldn't find anything, but maybe it's there.  Help!

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Air Conditioner doesn't work

Notes: The air conditioner only blows out air.  Not cold air, just air.  Employees are hot sweaty and miserable.  But in an office down the hall, the other employees have nice cold air blowing on them, and with a big window full of sunshine and heat shining on them. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Manual or Automatic Transmission in your car

Notes: Driving a manual transmission car seems to be a dying art these days. Pushing in the clutch, getting the car moving without stalling the engine, then getting the car to go from 1st to 2nd gear... ah, what fun.  Nowadays, the automatic transmission does all this shifting for you. 

Level: Ele - Advanced

Topic: switching from English to Mandarin back to English typing on your Windows machine faster. 

Notes: did you know that you can hit ctrl spacebar to instantly get from English to Mandarin, then hit ctrl spacebar to get back to English?  Now you do!!

Level: Ele - Advanced

Topic: Uploading pictures to a website

Notes: Jihua wants to upload a picture of Guagua's game winning goal to Sina.com.  Jihua usually downloads stuff, not uploads, so he's not sure what to do. 

Level: Newbie - upper inter

Topic: Cousins from the US coming to visit Beijing

Notes: Its cool to have cousins visit from Chicago, but no one wants to go to any of the Great Walls, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Doom, and eat Peking Duck AGAIN for the 200th time.  Can't these cousins just stay home, eat jiaozi and watch 熊出没?

Level: Newbie - upper inter

Topic: Chinese Corner/Chinese Table

Notes: University students from China are being drafted into supporting American, Australian/New Zealand and British university students efforts to learn Chinese. So at their American universities, Chinese students help Americans learn Chinese. Though she's majoring in Computer Science at Dartmouth, Jingjing is regularly at the Chinese table at Wilder Hall speaking Chinese with other students.

Level: Newbie - Upper inter

Topic: Supporting an English Corner

Notes: Never heard of an English corner back in the US?  That's because English corners are for Chinese people (in China) that are trying to learn English.  American, you can help by going to the local university in Beijing/Shanghai and speaking your New Orleans or Atlanta or Boston accented English for the benefit of eager Chinese minds. Even better, go to Lanzhou, Xining, Tianshui or another city where you're the only foreigner for 100 miles and practice your English there. 

Level: Newbie - upper inter

Topic: Too tired to go to school?

Notes: Guagua is dead tired from 4 days of soccer games.  Jihua picks Guagua up from the hotel at 9:30pm, and Guagua falls asleep in the back seat.  The next morning, Guagua is still way too tired to get up and get dressed for school.  Jihua and Xiangxiang start discussing if they should let Guagua stay home from school for one day to just sleep off the effects of the tournament.

Level: Ele 

Topic: Watching your kid's sports tournament

Notes: Guagua's U10 tournament is thrilling and exciting and agonizing.  No wonder the parents are more stressed out than the kids. 6 games where Jihua and Xiangxiang were cheering for Guagua to kick and pass well against kids from Dulwich College Shanghai, British International School Puxi, Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok, British School Manila, and British International School of Ho Chi Minh City.  And those British School Manila parents take their sports seriously.  No fights ensued (at least nothing Jihua saw personally).

Level: Ele 

Topic: Don't lose your passport!!!

Notes: Guagua, as well as number of his teammates at his British international school, is an American Citizen.  He need his passport to check into the hotel where the teams participating in the U10 soccer tournament will be staying.  Guagua's parents are nervous about giving their son his passport, but the alternative is to go to the school with the passport themselves.  So Jihua and Xiangxiang are going crazy telling Guagua "don't lose the passport!", "keep your passport in your backpack", "only give your passport to your teacher Mr. Smith", "Please don't lose your passport!!!!!".  Guagua is starting to get so paranoid, he doesn't want to even touch the passport anymore. 

Level: Ele 

Topic: Follow that car!

Notes: When i'm in a taxi, every once in awhile, I want to say to the driver, "see that car turning the corner? Follow that car".  

Level: Newbie

Topic: Slow download and upload speed

Notes: You want to upload some pictures to Snapfish.  You want to download some music from Baidu Music.  You're afraid to do either because your internet connection is so slow.  You only have a 512K internet connection.  Your friends all have 2Mbps or higher. 

Level: Newbie

Topic: Commencement season

Notes: Likely some universities in China invite some famous person (western or Chinese) to speak at its commencement ceremonies. Time to dispense some timeless advice. 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Tournament time!- Come watch your child play!

Notes: Jihua and Xiangxiang have been taking Guagua diligently to his soccer practices.  In another weekend or so, the U10 British schools regional soccer tournament will start.  It's not enough that parents take their kid to the tournament; parents have to watch the kids play as well. This tournament is big.  It's over 2 days with 10 schools and at 3 separate places.  Getting to all these places is a hassle, since there at different parts of the city.  Now Jihua and Xiangxiang have to decide who will attend all the games over the weekend, Jihua, Xiangxiang or both of them? Are they going to take a taxi or rent a car?  Do they want to eat out, or bring lunch to the games? Did they make friends with the other parents? 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Brand Loyalty

Notes: Why stick with one solution, when the competitor is as good, or cheaper, or less hassle to set up and operate?  Brand loyalty.  

Level: Newbie

Topic: Online Flower Delivery for mom's day or spouse's day

Notes: The word from 2-3 Chinese people that i've talked to in Beijing is that you shouldn't get flowers online.  Despite the convenience, the quality of the flowers is suspect in many cases.

Level: Newbie

Topic: After School Activities

Notes: Guagua's sporting event is coming up.  Jihua and Xiangxiang have to decide if they actually want to watch Guagua play, because Guagua's soccer tournament is an all day affair against 10 other schools. Xiangxiang has work, and Jihua promised a friend to help him move.  What has priority?

Level: Newbie

Topic: Alibaba IPO

Notes: More interesting that Alibaba is listing on either the NASDAQ or the NYSE in the US than in China. Time to comply with US GAAP.

Level: Newbie

Topic: spilling the taxi driver's tea

Notes: You quickly and clumsily get into the front seat of the taxi, and accidently knock over his tea that was sitting in a bottle inbetween the 2 front seats.  How do you say i'm sorry, let me help clean it up?

Level: Newbie

Topic: Do Chinese obsess over Harvard?

Notes: Learn some Chinese, and come to China to ask some middle class parent if they're happy if their kid just goes to the University of Washington.  I think Jihua will be happy if Guagua gets into Washington or Cal Berkeley. Xiangxiang is rooting for Oregon, Illinois or Stanford. Both are training Guagua to avoid UCLA and Notre Dame.  

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2014-05/06/content_17487104.htm

Level: Newbie

Topic: Samsung vs. Apple

Notes: So, Apple won in a patent infringement lawsuit.  But only won pocket change.  

Level: Newbie

Topic: Star Wars, Episode VII

Notes: Superbowls and Star Wars films apparently get roman numerals.  Star Wars fandom is finally going to get the film its been waiting for these many decades.  It doesn't even have to be a good film to make a billion dollars. I can't believe George Lucas sold out to Disney.  Watch out Shanghai, there's going to be a Star Wars ride at your Disneyland before you know it. 

Level: Newbie

Topic: good AQI apps

Notes:  so Beijing isn't the only city in China with bad air.  I noticed only Sanya seems to have consistently good air. 

Level: Newbie

Topic: Ringtones

Notes: You need a distinctive ringtone for your phone.  otherwise, when the generic iPhone or Android ringtone goes off, you and 5 other people go for your pockets. 

Level: Newbie

Topic: Did you bring lunch?

Notes: Coworkers ask each other if they brought lunch from home. If not, they can then decide if they want to order from lihua.com or mcdonald's or from the guy around the corner who had to go back to his home village.

Level: Newbie

Topic: 10 All American foods that Foreigners can't stand

Notes: 2 Beijingers head to San Francisco or New York or Chicago, and look for real American food.  I can understand not liking casserole (especially tuna), grits (in Hell, Satan makes you eat lumpy grits), bacon (especially overcooked, dried out bacon). Ok, maybe American bread is too sweet. But not liking Red Velvet Cake? Peanut butter? Cereal (ok, I don't really like soggy Cap'n Crunch either).

http://nutrition.answers.com/diets/10-all-american-foods-that-foreigners-can-apos-t-stand?param4=tb-us-de-health#slide=30

Level: Intermediate
Topic: Composing Music

I appreciate this is quite a specialist one, but as a composer of modern classical music myself it would be very useful to have a lesson outlining some of the vocabulary and phrases of putting on a performance of your own music etc, You could even include some Chinese transliterations of Mozart or Tchaikovsky.

Level: Newbie

Topic: Are Humanities Majors Doomed (in the US, over the forecast period)?

Notes: No, just rightfully put on the backburner at schools that charge $40-80K per year for 4 years. And don't ask humanities professors with an interest in the outcome of your decision either.

http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/06/06/whats-a-college-student-to-study-experts-weigh-in/

Level: 请问

Topic:参观

Notes: I was just going through the CPod library and couldn't find too many lessons on this little construction. Also, I seem not to use it too much and would like to know how to use it in more contexts...

Level: Newbie

Topic: No McDonald's on the Subway

Notes: Beijing and apparently Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are enacting bans on eating and drinking while on the commute.  Hefty fine for those violating the ban. No breakfast on the go anymore. 

Level: Media

Topic: MH370

Level: Newbie

Topic: Postal codes in China

Notes: You want to mail a letter to a friend on the other side of Beijing. You have his address, but not his postal code. You want to find it online. You know Beijing's general city postal code is 100000, but you also know that in Dongdaqiao there is 100020, 100230, and some others.  How do you refer to the postal codes in China? In the US, we call them ZIP codes.  

Level: Newbie

Topic: Guagua U10 Sports team sleepover

Notes: Guagua Soccer team training is going well.  His grades are still good. Jihua and Xiangxiang are still married.  2 months from now, Guagua's soccer team is playing in a British international school tournament with all the other British U10 school teams in Asia (like 20 schools, so maybe the sun never did set on the British Empire after all). Guagua gets to have a stay in a fancy hotel for the 2 day tournament (the best sleepover ever!!) that will be held in Shanghai. So in addition to flying to Shanghai from Beijing, Guagua gets free time from mom & dad.  Mom & dad get free time from Guagua for 2.5 days.  What will the adults do with the time? Have toe-curling sex? Go out on the town to enjoy Beijing's cool club and entertainment happenings? No, Xiangxiang and Jihua will probably just sleep and eat leftovers at home.

Level: Intermediate

Topic: 请问 on the adverbial/prepositional uses of 将

Notes: Although I understand the use of 将 as a future tense marker, I am completely baffled when it comes to the other, seemingly myriad uses of this character. One dictionary I consulted shows no less than 11 distinct meanings/usages for this versatile character. Could you please do a 请问 explaining some of the more common usages of 将？ 

Thank you for your wonderful and helpful explanations! 

Level: Intermediate - Upper Intermediate

Topic: Taxi-Hailing Apps

Notes: It seems like every taxi driver in Guangzhou is using one taxi-app or another.  I'd be most interested in listening to a podcast about the pros and cons of using these apps (i.e., convenience versus safety, tech-saavy jumping the queue over the old, etc.).

Thanks!

Level: Newbie

Topic: Travel to the USA

Notes: I love this stuff.  I didn't find this in Mandarin, but a website that explains what to do in the US, and how not to bring your culture on the plane with you would be interesting.  Here's what apparently Russian and Japanese observations on Americans.  Yeah, one version of this is needed in every language. 

http://mentalfloss.com/article/55140/10-japanese-travel-tips-visiting-america

http://mentalfloss.com/article/54461/4-russian-travel-tips-visiting-america

Level: Newbie

Topic: The Evolving Workforce

Notes: Interestingly, data from the 2011 Kelly Services Global workforce survey showed that 77% of Gen Y is willing to move for the right job. 23% were not willing to move. So of the 77% that were willing to move:

- 19% were willing to move to another town

- 13% were willing to move to another state/region/province

- 13% were willing to move within the same country/district/province

- 40% were willing to move to another country/continent.

(these are the Kelly percentages; they exceed 77% because of round-off error, I suspect).

Mull this data source over for yourself. Where are you in here?

http://www.slideshare.net/thetalentproject/talent-mobility-the-evolving-workforce-7750143

http://www.easyir.com/easyir/kellyservices/KGWI_Social%20Networking_report.pdf

Level: Newbie

Topic: Learn the Chinese name of the place you're going

Notes: Repeating loudly the English name of the school/hotel/building etc. will not help the taxi driver understand you any better. 

Level: Newbie

Topic: The Death of Hong Kong as specialized retail outlet

Notes: Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu are better at Hong Kong than Hong Kong. 

Level: Newbie

Topic: Snow gives way to ice and slush

Notes: When it first falls, snow is gorgeous everywhere.  Then cars, trucks and buses drive on it, people walk on it, and it turns into slush and mud, and looks as brown and dirty as it is, especially in the streets. 

LEVEL qinwen
TOPIC 着呢

how to use 着呢 naturally

is this expression used often.

grammar.

LEVEL qinwen
TOPIC 着呢

how to use 着呢 naturally

is this expression used often.

grammar.

Level: Upper Intermediate or Advanced

Topic: Are humans animals? (人类是不是动物？）

Level: Newbie

Topic: Which athletes live the longest?

Notes: between endurance, power and team athletes, endurance athletes lived the longest.  Let's keep those running shoes handy.  

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/which-athletes-live-longest.htm

Level: Newbie

Topic: Guagua made the school sports team!

Notes: Despite having parents that spent years in the US, Guagua is going to a British international school.  Guagua tried out for the school's U10 soccer team.  And he made it!! Now he has to actually attend team practices and games, and do homework as well. Jihua and Xiangxiang get to fight about who picks up Guagua after school/soccer practice, since Guagua will miss the bus that normally takes him home. 

Level: Newbie

Topic: The Mysterious World of IT, Part III

Notes: Free antivirus software.  

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-essentials-download

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/security/3456902/best-free-antivirus-for-windows/

http://buy-static.norton.com/norton/ps/3up_us_en_navnis360_nbfr.html?om_sem_cid=hho_sem_sy:us:ggl:en:e|kw0000041397|32008979716|c&country=US

Level: Newbie

Topic: The Mysterious World of IT, Part II

Notes: Nobody seems to know how electricity or plumbing work (or do they?).  So why is IT "mysterious"?

Level: Newbie

Topic: The Mysterious World of IT

Notes: Windows XP end-of-support is coming April 8, 2014.  After that date, your Windows XP computer is at risk of being hijacked by a virus.  I was going to go through a humorous doomsday scenario about what happens after the attack, but the reality is scary enough.  You are not spared the reality by using a pirated copy of Windows XP, or any other pirated OS (maybe one of the many flavors of Linux, but if you're having problems with XP, you are not in Linux's league). 

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/endofsupport.aspx

http://redmondmag.com/articles/2013/04/22/windows-xp-death-march.aspx

http://www.cioinsight.com/it-strategy/enterprise-apps/slideshows/it-life-after-microsoft-ends-windows-xp-support.html/

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/prepare-yourself-for-the-looming-deadline-of-windows-xp/#.

Level: Newbie

Topic: coming out as a gay man or woman

Notes: First one wants freedom, then the whole damn world wants freedom.

Level: Newbie

Topic: Dentist appointment for crowns for your teeth

Notes: first time visit? Had x-rays taken in the past 6 months? Have problems with Novicaine? 

Level: Newbie - Advanced

Topic: Mexican Food in Beijing

Notes: Who knew a few people from Sydney were into Mexican food in Beijing? Maybe there's a Mexican restaurant in Shanghai. I wonder if its any good. 

Level: Ele - Advanced

Topic: 100 Best Books of All Time

Notes: Amazon has their bucket book list.  I tried putting 100 最好的书 into google, and kept getting stuff around books for kids, or the New York Times bestseller list.  Maybe China Daily or People's Daily aren't hip to Dune,The Autobiography of Malcolm X, or Catch 22, but I am. 

Level: Ele - Advanced

Topic: Lessons we'll never see on Cpod

Notes: This time, its the Russian Army choir's cover of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky".  Just in time for the Sochi Olympics.  And for good measure, i'm linking the Guardian's blog about it, so that cpod can also make a lesson on the commentary around the German team's outfits. 

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/07/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony-live

Level: Upper Intermediate

Topic: Fake accents (see below)

Notes: Sometimes when native English speakers are conversing with people with poor English skills, they adjust the way they speak.  Speaking at slower speed is one thing, but sometimes native English speakers misprounounce words and speak as if they have a foreign accent when they converse with people who they believe have poor English skills.  This can be very awkward to watch; it can actually be ridiculous.   I wrote "fake accent" as the topic, but maybe someone else can think of a better topic name,  as this one could be misleading. This is a socio-linguistic topic that I'm sure many people would be fascinated with.  

Level: Ele - Advanced

Topic: Running indoors vs. Running outdoors

Notes: Indoors on a treadmill is boring, but you're generally isolated from bad weather. Running outdoors is interesting, but running in cold or rain or heat and humidity is no fun. Avoiding dogs, cats pedestrians, bus stops, e-bikes, cars is a challenge on busy days. Occasionally, passing women and men shout out encouragements. 

Level: Ele - Advanced

Topic: The Pat Metheny Unity Group World Tour

Notes: Chinesepod needs to go on the offensive to get the Pat Metheny Group to put some Asian dates on their schedule.  A tour with European and American dates does not a world tour make. Such Eurocentrism.....

http://www.patmetheny.com/schedule/

Level: Ele - Upper inter

Topic: If only the US was as powerful as the world thought it was

Notes: You talk to citizens of other countries (Egypt, for example), and then they find out your an American, and then a discussion ensues about some world affair in which America has or must take a position.  

Level: Ele - Upper inter

Topic: the most watched television program in American History

Notes: So there are approximately 310 million Americans, and 111 million of them were watching SuperBowl XVIII. At least we have data. 

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/story/0ap2000000323430/article/super-bowl-xlviii-mostwatched-tv-program-in-us-history

Level: Elementary -Intermediate

Topic: Ancestors and Genealogy

Note: So more than just your great grandfather and great grandmother, this lesson is more about how many generations can you trace back to on either side of your family.  Can you go back to the 1800s? 1700s?

Level: Elementary -Intermediate

Topic: Baldness

Note: Can you go to a hairdresser in Shanghai and ask them to shave your head?

Level: Intermediate or Upper Intermediate

Topic: What exactly is rice?

Notes: It's not a vegetable or a fruit, so what is it?  It's definitely not meat.   What is it?  

Level: Elementary or Intermediate

Topic: Playing a game of weiqi

Notes: Asking someone if they want to play a game, whether anyone should take a handicap, their level (maybe their rank, how long they have played, or simplu beginner, advanced, intermediate). Expressing victory, passing, or conceding a game.

Level: Elementary-Intermediate

Topic: "This cove is beautiful" 

Notes: How do we say "cove" in Mandarin?  That's the main point of this lesson.  

LEVEL: Elementary, Intermediate

TOPIC: Traditional vs. Simplified Characters.  

I could not find a lesson on the site that talked about the two forms of characters and neither term showed up in the vocab search, so I'm assuming this hasn't been done yet. I'm very surprised!  (But maybe I just didn't find it...) This is useful if you need to tell someone "I can write and read simplified characters, but not traditional." 

LEVEL: Elementary, Intermediate

TOPIC: I was wondering if you could do a 请问 to clarify the distinctions in meaning and usage between the many words translated as 'immediately', i.e. 马上，立即，立刻，赶快， 即刻, 顿时，立时，等等。(I feel like there are some I am still omitting)

Level: inter - upper
Topic: pension system (for foreigners, too)
Note: acording to this blog, you only have to pay for 15 years to be a pension recipient(3000RMB/month)...I just got curious! 

http://ameblo.jp/fang289196664/entry-11757455135.html

Level: Intermediate

Topic: Your Friend, the drug addict/thief

Note: Remember, the people you hang out with reflect on you. 

Level: Intermediate

Topic: Marketing Consumer vs. IT Professional

Note: Marketing to both consumers and IT pros is difficult because they are two separate groups, with 2 separate needs. 

Level: Elementary

topic : children talk with parents  in daily

note : I am a Thai Mother(not good in Chinese) that try to teach my children speak English and Chinese by speaking with them in English and Chinese . I play Chinese pod for  them every morning , I find that my children will interest when the dialog is about talking between mommy and child . My children played pretending from your dialog " Candy Party" .It make me very surprise because they never talk Chinese to me but now they can play it . Thank for making the good dialog ,I love Chinese pod .

Level: Elementary-Intermediate

Topic: Soundtrack (of a film)

Notes: Sometimes movies have soundtracks, also known as "scores", which are the collection of music that was in a particular movie. The music is sometimes especially composed for the movie, or is a bunch of songs that already existed before the movie came out

Level: Intermediate

Topic: Marketing phone calls 

Note: Telemarketer calls colleague.  Telemarketer asks colleague, "do you want a bank loan"?  Colleague says no.  Colleague hangs up.  Foreigner asks colleague, "why did you even answer the phone? In the US, we're trained not to answer phone numbers we don't recognize.  This way, we don't have to tell people we don't want bank loans, or want better toothpaste, or want to learn to speak English". 

Level: Intermediate

Topic: A tattoo of a flower

Note: How would we say something like, "I want to get a tattoo of a flower on my back" ?  The main thing is , "tattoo of a..." 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Alligator Jerky

Notes: Nothing says Florida like Alligator Jerky (or maybe a T-shirt with Florida State, or Florida Gators or Miami Heat or Miami Dolphins on it).  Tourists from Shanghai decide to head to Naples FL for the Christmas/New Year holiday.  They bring back Alligator Jerky as gifts for Laolao, Yeye, Nainai, Shushu.....tasty!!!

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: We're the industry leader in .....

Notes: Have a scenario where some marketing dude needs to position his company as the industry leader in aircraft manufacturing, chinese language instruction, network management solutions, or mobile device management.  It wants to create a brand that it can leverage across all its product lines. 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: China curriculum, UK curriculum, American curriculum, Montessorri: which one

Notes: So you can't just pick a elementary school with an eye on your child's education today, you have to pick with an eye on where your kid is going to go to college 12 years from now.  Hopefully, these visions align.....

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: No Snow

Notes: 5 winters in Beijing, and there has been one snowstorm with more than 5 inches of snow (and I missed it while on vacation in the States). Three winters had less than an inch of snow the entire winter. Grey and cold equals boring and miserable. 

LEVEL : inter - upper
TOPIC : driving schools in china
NOTES (optional):I was just wondering if it's common to use driving schools in China, and how much it'd be to get a driver's license. It costs us US$2000-4000 for schools on average here in Tokyo.It's a bit cheaper when you choose 自动档车(compared with 手动档车) though.

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Trash Talk

Notes: Back in the US, NFL fans were treated to some healthy dissing watching the Seahawks beat the Niners.  It would be interesting to explore when and how and on what sports guys talk trash.  Maybe Beijing Guoan fans talk smack about Shanghai Shenhua. 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Report Card

Notes: It's report card season

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Battery fire

Notes: You plug in your laptop, then go get a cup of coffee (because Windows 7 still takes a few minutes to boot up).  You return to see your desk smoking, then a little flame shoot out of the laptop.  You smell that weird smell of an electrical fire.  You keep calm and carry on.  You grab the fire extinguisher and put out the fire. Then realize you didn't back up the files on your laptop.  You panic and freak out. 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Brought leftovers for lunch

Notes: Coworkers want to know if you want to do takeout, or go to lunch with them.  You reply that you have leftover chili that you're going to eat.  You explain to them what chili is after they go "what?" Remember to include an explanation about chili pepper, and Tabasco sauce (because you're from Louisiana). 

Level: Intermediate or Upper Intermediate

Topic: Camouflage

Notes: Both humans and other animals use camouflage as a means to not be seen by their enemies.  How do we use this word for humans and other animals?

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Cross Country Driving trip

Notes: Driving on dry, flat, 4-lane highway is fun.  Driving on bumpy, 2-lane highway is not.  Being lost in an unfamiliar town without GPS is annoying. Keeping the kids occupied in the back seats is a challenge.  Make sure the lesson includes "are we there yet?"

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Losing your iphone

Notes: Did you set up iCloud first? Did you set up "Find my iPhone" first? even if you did, you still need to start changing all those passwords.  Not just the email password (change from 123456 to 234567), but the banking password, the other email password, and so on... Go to China Mobile to get another SIM card with your old phone number.  You could call the police, but good luck getting them to actually do something for you.

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Driving on Ice

Notes: The fun that can be had doing 60 mph on dry pavement, then feeling traction leaving the tires as you hit black ice over a bridge, or start driving through freezing rain.  Even if you make it, the dude in front of you in the truck/4 wheel drive vehicle doesn't make it, and goes sliding off the road.  This of course puts the fear of God in everyone left still driving......

Level: Intermediate or Upper Intermediate 

Topic: Reptitles and Mammals

Notes: This can also be two separate lessons 

Level: Intermediate or Upper Intermediate

Topic: Insects

Level: Intermediate

Topic: My pet hamster made it into the English cricket team.

Level: Elementary or Intermediate

Topic: Petting a dog/cat

Note: "petting" means gently touching an animal in a way which the animal should not mind.  The lesson can have a person ask another person if he or she can pet the person's dog.  

Level: Intermediate or Upper Inter. 

Topic: "She dances really well"

Notes: There must be a better way to say this than 她跳舞跳得很好. Perhaps this lesson can also include other verbs that have two syllables, such as drive(开车)，cook (做饭), and swim (游泳).  So, again, I'm not looking for a lesson that teaches 他开车开得很好, 她做饭做得很好, or 她游泳泳得很好.  I'm looking for better ways to say these sentences. If there isn't a "better way", than just other ways of saying them. 
 

Level: Elementary-Intermediate

Topic: "I can't stop"

Notes: Saying things like, "I can't stop cracking my knucles", or simply saying, "I can't stop", in the sense of stop doing something

Level: Upper Intermediate

Topic: Birds 

Notes: It will probably be best to focus on one type of bird, such as peafowl, better known as peacocks. This lesson can include the following: 

• birds making nests
• Eggs hatching
• Birds laying eggs
• male birds, such as peacocks displaying. "Displaying" means showing their beautiful feathers to attract a mate.  
• Birds feeding their chicks
• birds roosting in trees
• Birds chirping
• aggresive birds, that attack those who get near them

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: We're playing Minecraft/Grand Theft Auto 5/Halo 3/Call of Duty

Notes: We need a lesson on Minecraft. I know 5 kids in Beijing that play Minecraft.  Are there any kids in Shanghai that play Minecraft? 

Level - Elementary

Topic: How to make the English cricket team in 15 easy minutes.

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Insufficient Hard Drive space

Notes: In ancient times, 100 GB made for a pretty roomy hard drive on your laptop.  Dozens of videos, mp3s and big, macro driven excel files later, and your hard drive is daily giving you warnings about how you have insufficient hard drive space. Please clear your browser cache, or delete files or something.  Otherwise, Windows 7 will become unstable and explode in a violent death while doing some important work for your boss. 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Polite Dinner Chit-Chat with Senior Executives

Notes: Sports (always easy with guys, but make sure if you're an American, try to know something about soccer when in dinner parties with international staff).  Ask the guy from Scotland who works at BBC why your BBC News app keeps crashing on your phone. Ask the Germans if they know where the other funny German is. Ask the hostess what her next assignment is, and say something like "how exciting!".  Avoid comments like "what is that?" at the same time giving a disgusted face. Remember, this is a time to listen to other people, not pontificate about your own life. 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Sports conversations at dinner parties

Notes: One of my former female coworkers mentioned that she never liked sports, but knew how to talk about them with men.  Just figure out what the names of the local teams are, then remember if they had a game last night.  When you go to a dinner party, just say something about it like "I didn't see the game. How did the Patriots do?"  Then watch the guys start waxing eloquent or agonized, then pretend to listen to their incessant lip-flapping (these are my words, not hers. She was much nicer.)

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Kidneystones

Notes: Coworker has to pass a kidneystone.  Blinding, blinding pain.  Out for a couple of days.  Other coworkers want to know how to avoid this agony, and what causes kidneystones in the first place.  Coffee, meat, and other high pH stuff are part of the causes of kidney stones.  Drink lots of water.  Lower the coffee intake.  

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Drain water from the heater tank

Notes: Radiators in the apartment (constructed in 2002) are controled by a gas-fed water tank. But today, the radiators aren't working. Turns out that the instructions for the water tank aren't in Chinese, but in Spanish.  Tenant misreads the instructions, and accidently overfils the water tank.  Tank has to be drained of excess water.  Building maintenance is called to drain the tank (overfilled/overpressured tanks can more easily burst/explode if heated).  Turns out also the problem was not the lack of heat to the tank, but the gas bill wasn't paid for the month. 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: Selfies

Notes: What do the cool teens of Shanghai call the pictures one takes of oneself with their cameraphone?

Level: intermediate

topic: Low Attendance (in school)

notes: There have been lessons on taking attendance(点名), but not on the noun "attendance". I wouldn't be surprised if there's no way no say, "Your attendance is too low" in Chinese, but if there is a way to say it , then I suggest a lesson on this topic. 

Level: Ele - upper inter

Topic: All the elevators are broken!

Notes: There were only 3 elevators in the building for the residents, and cleaning staff.  Usually, one elevator might have problems and get shut down for a day.  But today, Jihua and Guagua have found that this morning, all three elevators don't work.  And they live on the 27th floor.  Good thing they don't have to climb all these steps; just have to descend. But their ayi has to climb up.... They'll leave for Guagua's bus stop about 10 minutes earlier than normal to account for this, cursing the maintenance team (again!) for letting this happen.  At least Guagua and Jihua haven't been stuck on an elevator (like Xiangxiang got stuck for about 3 minutes one time). 

Level: Advanced, Media, Upper inter

Topic: Runway 01 departure from Beijing to San Francisco.

Notes: Ok, last one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnUw10NWCvU

Level: Advanced, Media, Upper inter

Topic: Arrival into Shanghai Pudong from LAX

Notes: I can get Dragonair, Guohang, UPS 109, and Shanghai in contact with ATC but i'm still trying to get the other Chinese airlines.  United 877 being cleared to land on runway 16, .....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GCvx1DYZwA

Level: Media

Topic: The Flight to Shanghai from LAX

Notes: For those few of us that LOVE the flight, and are happy to be on it, and are even happier to be listening to air traffic control, here's some cool views of United Flight 877 taking off from runway 25 right. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8NwH-j_2pY

equally as interesting, here's the flight path information from Flight Aware:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N226UA/history/20120713/2023Z/KLAX/ZSPD

Level: Media

Topic: Death of Nelson Mandela

Notes: Interesting to get a take on this from Shanghai. 

Level: Intermediate - Upper Intermediate

Topic: Econometrics, Part IV

Notes: Cpod wants to test the Medical Translation market for Mandarin. How does one figure out if the market is worth the effort?  Market sizing, market trends, market forecasting, surveys, existing research available online. Determining who's likely to buy, when and what would make them buy, and how much they would be willing to pay is always the challenge.  But if it were easy, then no one's willing to pay you millions of dollars to do it.

Level: Newbie - Advanced 

Topic: Medical Departments

Notes: It turns out that Hablamos Juntos, in creating universal symbols for health care for Latinos, created symbols where the text has also been translated into Mandarin. 

https://www.segd.org/static/microsites/hablamos_juntos/links/DefineMandB.pdf

LEVEL   Elementary, Intermediate
TOPIC   Bitcoin

Note:  is there a new word for this [比特币?]and how the phenomenon is taking over China and the world.

Heard it just dropped 20% on China not allowing transactions using BitCoin.

Level: Elementary - Upper Intermediate

Topic: Leftover pizza

Notes: Who doesn't like pizza? Show your face!

Level: Intermediate - Upper Intermediate

Topic: Econometrics, Part III

Notes: It turns out that Wabash University will also have some online course in Econometrics.  They even give you some helpful Excel add-ins to download to do Monte Carlo simulations, plot histograms and other cool stuff.  But do you trust some website to not install a virus on to your computer?  This is still the internet, after all.....

http://www3.wabash.edu/econometrics/EconometricsBook/Basic%20Tools/ExcelAddIns/index.htm

Level: Intermediate - Upper Intermediate

Topic: Econometrics, Part II

Notes: For those that have never had a course in Economics, or Econometrics, the Massachusetts Institute of Transmissions offers some free, action-packed, open courseware on the subject.  The 21st century just rocks....

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/economics/14-30-introduction-to-statistical-methods-in-economics-spring-2009/

Level: Intermediate - Upper Intermediate

Topic: Econometrics

Notes: Jenny, Hank and Kay want to better target Chinesepod ads to receptive prospects. Linking to Facebook, "Likes" and blog posts only go so far. Jenny's looking at website analytics from Google Analytics and getting more information about customers and whoever else wanders onto the Chinesepod website, but how to increase traffic with more likely subscribers? Yeah, people taking trips to China, but how do you cull that from the people in the broader US population, not just the people that look at Chinesepod? Let's ask some more lower level questions and run regression analysis on the results. Let's buy data from InfiniGraph and run regressions on some data sets. Is there correlation between airline website frequent flyers and Chinese language subscribers online? any surprises in the data? Like it turns out that people that buy milk on wednesday are 105 times more likely to buy a Cpod subcription that a person looking at a travel website?