Jorge's blog

Acknowledging global English varieties can empower students and reflect their identities.   (📷:empowervmedia) E nglish has become a truly global language, but that also brings a big teaching question: which English should we teach?  English is spoken all around the world and has official or special status in over 80 countries . Naturally, there are many regional varieties (British English, American English, Australian English, Indian English, and more). As Cambridge linguist Eline Laperre puts it, “there is not just one Standard English: there are several” . In other words, even the idea of a single “Standard English” is misleading. The choice of which variety to focus on also shapes learners’ sense of identity: language ties closely to community and culture . Instructors today must decide whether to teach a traditional native-speaker norm (like “Standard British” or “General American”) or to acknowledge the full spectrum of World Englishes  (or how to combine both appro...

The liar's dividend lets scandal-plagued politicians and others claim plausible deniability for real actions.   (📷:politicamericana) I n an era of ubiquitous misinformation, a new phenomenon has emerged: the liar’s dividend . In simple terms, the liar’s dividend occurs when bad actors dismiss real news as “fake”, using the very existence of deepfakes and false content to muddy the waters and evade accountability . This means even genuine evidence (videos, audio recordings, or photos) can be shrugged off as forgeries. Researchers warn that as society becomes more aware of sophisticated deepfake and AI-manipulated media, cynical public perceptions may grow, “primed to doubt the authenticity of real audio and video evidence” . In practice, the liar’s dividend is already undermining confidence in media and institutions: by casting doubt on truth itself, it lets scandal-plagued politicians and others claim plausible deniability for real actions. As noted by scholars, people can learn t...

International students in Australia often balance study with part-time work to help cover living expenses and gain experience.   (📷:blogs.ed.ac.uk) A s an international student on a Subclass 500 visa, you must comply with strict visa conditions  while working. During active study periods you are limited to 48 hours of paid work per fortnight . In practice, this means about 24 hours per week on average; outside term-time (semester breaks or vacation), you can work unlimited hours. Always check your visa conditions   to confirm limits and other obligations. Crucially, you must remain enrolled and attend classes (falling behind in your course can breach your visa even if you obey work rules). Under Australian law, student workers have full legal rights  in the workplace. You are entitled to at least the national minimum wage and safe working conditions. Employers must treat you equally: international students “have the same working rights as all other workers in Austr...

Parental-alienation claims have found an audience in family courts.   (📷:judgegiljones) P arental alienation is a theory born in divorce battles: it alleges that one parent (usually the custodial parent) is “brainwashing” or manipulating the child to reject the other parent . In practice, it’s most often raised by a parent (often the father) after the other parent (often the mother) accuses him of abuse. The accusation says: the abuse claims are false, part of a strategy to alienate the child. Mental health professionals largely reject this idea as junk science , but courts nonetheless hear it. In theory it is supposed to be gender-neutral (any parent could allegedly “alienate”) but in practice it almost always echoes the old notion of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) , a concept invented by psychiatrist Richard Gardner in the 1980s. Gardner’s PAS portrayed mothers as “hysterical” or irrational and advocated treating rejecting children by giving custody to the accused father an...