8 September
Collections
Do you have any collections?
Have you ever collected any items in your life?
What were they?
If you started collecting items, what would you collect?
Why do people like collecting things?
What is the most valuable collection you have ever seen?
Do you know anyone with an interesting collection? What do they collect?
What is the strangest thing people collect?
Do you prefer digital collections (e.g., movies, music) or physical ones? Why?
Is there something from your childhood that you wish you had collected?
Related Words: collection, collecting, items, objects, hobby, passion, rare, unique, valuable, antiques, coins, stamps, cards, figures, memorabilia, artifacts, display, storage, organization, catalog, treasure, nostalgia, vintage, assortment, series, edition, archive, acquisition, preservation, showcase
Watch the video above and discuss what you learned from it during your Spoken Cafe session
The Curious Case of Chrysippus: Did Laughter Kill Him?
Chrysippus, a prominent Stoic philosopher, was born in 279 BC in Soli, a city near modern-day Mersin in Turkey. His journey to becoming one of the most influential figures in ancient philosophy took him to Athens, where he studied under Cleanthes, the leader of the Stoic school. Chrysippus eventually became the head of the Stoic School around 230 BC, greatly shaping Stoic philosophy during his tenure.
Despite his philosophical significance, Chrysippus is remembered for a rather peculiar and somewhat comical death. According to historical accounts, during a feast, Chrysippus saw a donkey eating figs and becoming drunk from the overconsumption of the fruit. Amused by the sight, he supposedly quipped, “Now give the donkey wine to wash the figs!” He laughed so uncontrollably that he fell to the ground, shaking with laughter. His laughter became so intense that he eventually died from it. Many people believed that he had passed away from laughing too hard, though some speculated that excessive wine consumption might have been the real cause of his death, suggesting that it was due to alcohol poisoning.
Interestingly, Chrysippus is not the only person reported to have died from laughter. A famous Greek painter named Zeuxis allegedly died after laughing at his own depiction of the goddess Aphrodite as an old woman. This unusual death was often interpreted as a punishment from the gods for mocking their divine image. More recently, in 1989, a 62-year-old man nearly died after fainting multiple times from watching a humorous episode of the popular TV show Seinfeld. Even more personally, I (the founder of Spoken Cafe) once found myself breathless and nearly unable to breathe for a full minute while watching a humorous episode of Gibi, specifically “Şadan.”
This raises an interesting question: Could laughter, often considered “the best medicine,” actually be dangerous? While it’s commonly said that laughter is good for health, it seems that in certain extreme situations, it might do more harm than good!
Watch the video above and discuss what you learned from it during your Spoken Cafe session
READ/SPEAK
What was the funniest thing you have ever heard or seen? Tell us the story.
Do you like watching funny TV shows? Which one is your favourite?
What makes you laugh the most—movies, jokes, or something else?
Do you know any funny stories about famous people from history? What are they?
to protect (an individual, formation, or place) from shootings by taking up a shooting position
LEARN THE IDIOM AND SPEAK
How do you learn new words? Do you use Google Translate to learn vocabulary, or do you have better options for a dictionary?