Anti-fur campaigner Heather Mills McCartney is threatening to stalk actress Jennifer Lopez in an increasingly acrimonious row over animal rights. The wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has targeted Ms Lopez because of the singer-actor’s affinity for wearing fur and for incorporating it in the fashion range of her clothing company Sweetface. Ms Lopez frequently attends premieres and awards shows draped in fur, but maintains she wants to be “educated” as to why she should shun mink and sable coats. She has for a long time agitated animal rights activists, who accuse her of leading a renaissance of fur and making it something for the young and wealthy to covet and aspire to purchasing.

Ms McCartney’s latest escapades eventuated in her losing her prosthetic leg in a clash with security guards at the New York offices of Ms Lopez’s fashion company. A scuffle ensued in the corridors of the building as Ms McCartney brandished a DVD, intended for Ms Lopez, containing a documentary of how animals were brutally killed or skinned alive for their fur. Demonstrators from PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – were part of the fray. Ms McCartney, who lost a leg in a car accident in 1993, had to replace her artificial leg in a stairwell, as the guards refused her entry to a restroom. She was unrepentant about her crusade against Ms Lopez, and has threatened to “show up” at her home or “get a hold of her at her premieres”.

WARM-UPS

1. JENNIFER LOPEZ: In pairs / groups, talk about Jennifer Lopez, her music, films and fashion. Does she have a responsibility to help stop the fur trade?

2. ANIMAL RIGHTS: Look at the issues below concerning animal rights. In pairs / groups, discuss whether you support them.

1. No animals should be killed for food. We should all be vegetarian.
2. Animals should not be killed for their fur. Fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people.
3. Laboratory testing on animals by cosmetics companies is totally wrong.
4. Bull fighting should be banned immediately.
5. Horse racing results in the deaths of many horses just so people can gamble. It should be stopped.
6. Animals live in the wild. Owning a pet should be made illegal.

3. I’M A MINK: You are now a mink. You have heard rumors that there is a huge increase in global demand for mink coats. Some of your family and friends have mysteriously disappeared. You have heard humans like wearing mink coats. Speak to the other “minks” in your class about what is happening and what you are worried about.

4. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

Fur / Jennifer Lopez / Sir Paul McCartney / The Beatles / fashion companies / mink coats / animal rights activists / stalking / animals skinned alive / movie premieres

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

5. FUR COATS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with fur coats. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. $10,000 PRESENT: If someone gave you a $10,000 present, what would you want? Rank these gifts in order of which you would want most:

1. _____ White mink fur coat
2. _____ Gold necklace
3. _____ Armani suit
4. _____ Top-of-the-range mountain bike
5. _____ Week-long holiday in Tahiti
6. _____ Stereo equipment
7. _____ A 1927-vintage bottle of red wine
8. _____ A very small car

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Jennifer Lopez has been arrested for stalking fur coat designers.	T / F
b.	The wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney is stalking Jennifer Lopez.	T / F
c.	Jennifer Lopez has a fashion company that promotes fur products.	T / F
d.	Animal rights activists accuse Ms Lopez of making fur more popular.	T / F
e.	Ms McCartney lost a leg in a fight with Ms Lopez’s security guards.	T / F
f.	Ms McCartney wanted to give Ms Lopez the new Paul McCartney DVD.	T / F
g.	Guards allowed Ms McCartney to use a restroom to replace her leg.	T / F
h.	Ms McCartney promised to stop stalking Ms Lopez.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	acrimonious	unapologetic
b.	affinity	avoid
c.	draped	liking
d.	shun	fray
e.	covet	wielded
f.	escapades	bitter
g.	scuffle	campaign
h.	brandished	antics
i.	crusade	adorned
j.	unrepentant	desire

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	an increasingly acrimonious	shun mink and sable coats
b.	the singer-actor’s affinity	in fur
c.	draped	of the fray
d.	“educated” as to why she should	up at her home
e.	something for the young and	skinned alive for their fur
f.	a scuffle ensued	for wearing fur
g.	animals were brutally killed or	her crusade against Ms Lopez
h.	part	row over animal rights
i.	She was unrepentant about	wealthy to covet
j.	threatened to show	in the corridors of the building

WHILE READING / LISTENING

WHICH WORD? Strike through the incorrect word in the italicized pairs.

Jennifer Lopez in anti-fur stalking

Anti-fur campaigner Heather Mills McCartney is threatening to stalk actress Jennifer Lopez in an increasingly / decreasingly acrimonious row / column over animal rights. The wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has targeted Ms Lopez because of the singer-actor’s affluence / affinity for wearing fur and for incorporating it in the fashion range of her clothing / cloth company Sweetface. Ms Lopez frequently attends premieres and awards shows dripped / draped in fur, but maintains she wants to be “educated” as to why she should shun / shunt mink and sable coats. She has for a long time agitated animal rights activists, who accuse her of leading a renaissance / reconnaissance of fur and making it something for the young and wealthy to covet and aspire / inspire to purchasing.

Ms McCartney’s latest escapes / escapades eventuated in her losing her prosthetic leg in a clash with security guards at the New York offices of Ms Lopez’s fashion company. A truffle / scuffle ensued in the corridors of the building as Ms McCartney brandished / branded a DVD, intended for Ms Lopez, containing a documentary of how animals were brutally killed or skimmed / skinned alive for their fur. Demonstrators from PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – were part of the fray / fry up. Ms McCartney, who lost a leg in a car accident in 1993, had to replace her real / artificial leg in a stairwell, as the guards refused her entry to a restroom. She was repentant / unrepentant about her crusade against Ms Lopez, and has threatened to “show up” / “show down” at her home or “get a hold of her at her premieres”.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘stair’ and ‘well’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. WHICH WORD? In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “FUR” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about Jennifer Lopez, fur and stalking.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

campaigner row affinity draped agitated covet

eventuated ensued brandished skinned fray unrepentant

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. What were your initial thoughts on this headline?
2. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
3. What do you think about Jennifer Lopez?
4. What do you think about fur coats?
5. Do you think Ms  McCartney should be arrested for stalking?
6. Do you think Jennifer Lopez’s security guards should be arrested for hurting Heather Mills McCartney?
7. What do you think Sir Paul McCartney thinks about his wife’s escapades?
8. Is it wrong for J-Lo to attend movie premieres draped in $10,000 mink coats?
9. Do animal rights activists have a right to be angry at J-Lo?
10. Do you aspire to own a fur coat?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. What do you think of Heather Mills McCartney’s actions?
4. Do you think Jennifer Lopez should watch the DVD of minks being skinned alive?
5. Do you think you would change parts of your lifestyle if you saw how brutally some animals are killed?
6. Do you think there are better ways for Ms McCartney to get her message across to Ms Lopez?
7. If you were Jennifer Lopez, would you ask police to put a restraining order on Heather Mills McCartney?
8. How strongly do you believe in animal rights?
9. Have you ever been involved in a scuffle?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What question would you like to ask about this topic?
2. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
3. Was there a question you didn’t like?
4. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
5. What did you like talking about?
6. Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?
7. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

ROLE PLAY: This role play is to discuss whether or not Heather Mills McCartney should be arrested for stalking. Team up with classmates who have been assigned the same role as you. Develop your roles and discuss ideas and “strategies” before the role play begins.

Introduce yourself to the other role players.

Role A – J-Lo You are angry that this woman is stalking you. She is giving you and your fashion company lots of bad publicity. There is nothing wrong with buying fur coats. It is fashion. You think Ms McCartney should concentrate on more important issues, such as starving children. THINK OF MORE REASONS TO BE ANGRY ABOUT.

Role B – Heather Mills McCartney You are extremely angry that such a high profile singer and actress is promoting fur. You have proof animals die in extreme pain. You believe celebrities have a responsibility to teach people about the Earth and its creatures. You will not stop trying to talk to J-Lo. You are not stalking her. THINK OF MORE REASONS WHY KILLING ANIMALS FOR FUR IS BAD.

Role C – Mink farmer You are fed up with animal rights protesters attacking your mink farm and giving your industry a bad name. No one attacks leather in the same way. Farming mink is the same as farming chickens. People who say minks die in pain or are skinned alive are liars. THINK OF MORE REASONS WHY THE FUR TRADE IS A DECENT ONE.

Role D – Minky the mink You have insider information that millions of animals suffer great pain before they die. Mink farmers don’t want to spend money on making sure minks die “nicely”. You don’t understand why humans want to wear mink when artificial fur is warmer and cheaper. You’re worried about your family. THINK OF MORE REASONS WHY YOUR FRIENDS SHOULD NOT BE SLAUGHTERED.

Change roles and repeat the role play. Comment in groups about the differences between the two role plays.

In pairs / groups, discuss whether you really believe in what you said while you were in your roles.

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Jennifer Lopez in anti-fur stalking

Anti-fur campaigner Heather Mills McCartney is ___________ to stalk actress Jennifer Lopez in an increasingly ____________ row over animal rights. The wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has targeted Ms Lopez because of the singer-actor’s _________ for wearing fur and for incorporating it in the fashion range of her clothing company Sweetface. Ms Lopez frequently attends premieres and awards shows ______ ___ fur, but maintains she wants to be “educated” as to why she _______ _____ mink and sable coats. She has for a long time agitated animal rights activists, who accuse her of leading a renaissance of fur and making it something for the young and wealthy __ _____ and aspire to purchasing.

Ms McCartney’s latest ___________ eventuated in her losing her prosthetic leg in a clash with security guards at the New York offices of Ms Lopez’s fashion company. A ________ ensued in the corridors of the building as Ms McCartney ____________ a DVD, intended for Ms Lopez, containing a documentary of how animals were brutally killed or ________ ______ for their fur. Demonstrators from PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – were part of ___ _____. Ms McCartney, who lost a leg in a car accident in 1993, had to replace her artificial leg in a stairwell, as the guards refused her entry to a restroom. She was ____________ about her crusade against Ms Lopez, and has threatened to “show up” at her home or “____ __ _____ ___ her at her premieres”.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on Jennifer Lopez. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson.

3. THE FUR TRADE: Make a poster about the fur trade. Start from the beginning with mink or sable farms and end with the fashion industry and animal rights activists. Did you all find out similar things?

4. LETTER TO JENNIFER OR HEATHER: Write a letter to Jennifer Lopez or Heather Mills McCartney (or both). Tell her/them what you think of fur and of Heather’s stalking of Jennifer. Tell her/them what should happen to resolve this situation. Read your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar solutions?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. F

d. T

e. T

f. F

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	acrimonious	bitter
b.	affinity	liking
c.	draped	adorned
d.	shun	avoid
e.	covet	desire
f.	escapades	antics
g.	scuffle	fray
h.	brandished	wielded
i.	crusade	campaign
j.	unrepentant	unapologetic

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	an increasingly acrimonious	row over animal rights
b.	the singer-actor’s affinity	for wearing fur
c.	draped	in fur
d.	“educated” as to why she should	shun mink and sable coats
e.	something for the young and	wealthy to covet
f.	a scuffle ensued	in the corridors of the building
g.	animals were brutally killed or	skinned alive for their fur
h.	part	of the fray
i.	She was unrepentant about	her crusade against Ms Lopez
j.	threatened to show	up at her home

WHICH WORD?

Jennifer Lopez in anti-fur stalking

Anti-fur campaigner Heather Mills McCartney is threatening to stalk actress Jennifer Lopez in an increasingly / decreasingly acrimonious row / column over animal rights. The wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has targeted Ms Lopez because of the singer-actor’s affluence / affinity for wearing fur and for incorporating it in the fashion range of her clothing / cloth company Sweetface. Ms Lopez frequently attends premieres and awards shows dripped / draped in fur, but maintains she wants to be “educated” as to why she should shun / shunt mink and sable coats. She has for a long time agitated animal rights activists, who accuse her of leading a renaissance / reconnaissance of fur and making it something for the young and wealthy to covet and aspire / inspire to purchasing.

Ms McCartney’s latest escapes / escapades eventuated in her losing her prosthetic leg in a clash with security guards at the New York offices of Ms Lopez’s fashion company. A truffle / scuffle ensued in the corridors of the building as Ms McCartney brandished / branded a DVD, intended for Ms Lopez, containing a documentary of how animals were brutally killed or skimmed / skinned alive for their fur. Demonstrators from PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – were part of the fray / fry up. Ms McCartney, who lost a leg in a car accident in 1993, had to replace her real / artificial leg in a stairwell, as the guards refused her entry to a restroom. She was repentant / unrepentant about her crusade against Ms Lopez, and has threatened to “show up” / “show down” at her home or “get a hold of her at her premieres”.

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