I got an idea

Did you know some bears like beer?

2007-02-04T22:20:00.000Z

A black bear went on a binge at a campsite in the US state of Washington - 80 miles (129km) northeast of Seattle - guzzling down some 36 cans of beer.

Campground workers were stunned to come across the bear sleeping off the effects in their grounds, surrounded by dozens of empty beer cans.

He had apparently tried out and rejected the mass-market Busch beer in favour of local brand Rainier.
The bear appeared to have got into campers' cool boxes and used his teeth and claws to puncture the cans.

Fish and wildlife enforcement Sgt Bill Heinck said the bear tried one can of Busch and ignored the rest - then got stuck into three dozen cans of Rainier.

"We noticed a bear sleeping on the common lawn and wondered what was going on until we discovered that there were a lot of beer cans lying around," camp worker Lisa Broxson was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

She said the bear was chased away by wildlife agents, but returned the next day.
The agents decided to trap the bear with doughnuts, honey and, of course, two cans of Rainier beer. It did the trick and he was captured.
"This is a new one on me," Sgt Heinck said in an Associated Press report. "I've known them to get into cans, but nothing like this. And it definitely had a preference."

Read the whole BBC story here.

The Festival in the Desert

2007-02-02T13:37:00.000Z

The BBC offers you a wonderful audio slideshow about the Festival in the Desert: music, voice and great photos.

The Festival in the Desert, in Essakane, northern Mali, has become an increasingly prestigious event.

Thousands of international visitors travel for days to join local tribes people and artists among the dunes of the Sahara, in celebration of the music and culture of Mali and beyond.

Hear and see it here. Superb!
Why are we destroying this wonderful planet?

PARALLEL LIVES

2007-02-01T19:32:00.000Z

The BBC has published three very interesting texts about migrants in the UK.

Read them here.

The children of migrants in three of Britain's long established ethnic communities recount the experiences of their parents and describe the difficulties of growing up in a closed society.

Read their stories and then use the form at the bottom of the page to send your comments.

Chinese in Belfast: Wai Kuen Mo
Most of the Chinese in the UK who are over 60 years old don't speak English, like my mother
Somali in Cardiff: Hussain Noor
In order to avoid verbal abuse and hassle in the streets, my mother wouldn't leave the house, unless she really had to
Turkish in London: Mehmet Dikenli
The Turkish community in London is full of hard-working people but they have suffered from not really integrating

Liberia gets all-female peacekeeping force

2007-01-31T22:20:00.000Z

A unit of United Nations peacekeepers with a difference has arrived for work in Liberia - they are all women. More than 100 female peacekeepers from India are there to work as an armed police unit to help stabilise Liberia which, after years of war, is trying to rebuild its own police force from scratch.

Stepping off the chartered plane in immaculate blue uniforms and berets, the 103 women were immediately on parade and probably bewildered by the media frenzy. It is just a coincidence that the first all-female peacekeeping force is in Liberia, the first African country to elect a female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Crime is high especially in Monrovia and the war has left a degree of violence simmering just below the surface.

But having served in turbulent areas, including parts of northern India, the commander Seema Dhundiya says they are well prepared.

"These girls are experienced and have been trained. They have worked in areas of India where there was insurgency. They will do a good job and the Liberian ladies will get motivated and inspired to come forward and join the regular police."

Excellence, excellence, excellenece

2007-01-31T22:13:00.000Z

Non-learners 'may lose benefits'

The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, has said he would seek to take away benefits from young people who refused to take up education or training opportunities. In a BBC interview he advocated a "carrot and stick" approach - education maintenance allowances balanced by "compulsion if necessary".

He wanted to ensure all aged 16 to 18 were in some form of education, as part of a drive to improve the UK's skills. His priorities would be "excellence, excellence, excellence", he said.

Earlier this month, the Department for Education and Skills confirmed plans to raise the school leaving age in England, in effect, by 2013.

Statistics indicate 267,000 of those aged 16 and 17 are not in education or training.

Mr Brown said young people must realise they could not receive benefits unless they were "contributing to their own training".
He also called for employers to take a more active role in training young people.

Read the whole text: BBC NEWS.

UK sees second warmest January

2007-01-31T22:05:00.000Z

This January is on course to be the second warmest in the UK since records began and the fifth warmest in central England for 350 years.

The average UK temperature so far for the month - which experts say is unlikely to change - is 5.9C (43F). The average Central England Temperature (CET), which has been measured since 1658, is 7.1C (45F). The Met Office began recording UK weather in 1914, with the warmest January since that time coming in 1916.

During that record month, the average temperature was 6.3C (43F).
The Met Office said temperatures had been pushed up by winds blowing warm air in from the west.

This month's average is 2.5C above the Met Office's long-term January average, measured between 1971 and 2000.
This January has also seen 17% more sunshine and 21% more rain than normal.

Read the BBC story here.

2007-01-16T19:24:00.000Z

Ice storms in the USA have given people wonderful chances for extraordinary pictures.

See more BBC photos here.

Can chewing gum be used to tackle obesity?

2007-01-15T22:10:00.000Z

Scientists are looking at whether an appetite-suppressing chewing gum could be used to tackle obesity. The Imperial College London team are developing a drug based on a natural gut hormone that mimics the body's "feeling full" response. An injectible treatment could be available in five to eight years, but the long-term goal is to produce a form that can be absorbed in the mouth.

One in five adults are obese, but that could rise to one in three by 2010.

The hormone in question is called pancreatic polypeptide (PP), which the body produces after every meal to ensure eating does not run out of control. There is evidence that some people have more of the hormone than others, and becoming overweight reduces the levels produced. A vicious circle then results, causing appetite to increase, an inability to resist the temptation of food, and further increases in weight.

Early tests have shown moderate doses of the hormone, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), can reduce the amount of food eaten by healthy volunteers by 15% to 20%.

The team have now been given funding of £2.2m from the Wellcome Trust to take it forward. As well as chewing gum, they believe it could be incorporated in a nasal spray.

Lead researcher Professor Steve Bloom said: "We have got a problem and we don't know what to do about it.
"We hit on the idea of a chewing gum because obese people like chewing."
BBC story - Read more here.

Jaywalking and crossing roads in the UK and USA

2007-01-11T20:08:00.000Z

Distinguished historian Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, visiting professor of global environmental history at Queen Mary College, University of London, tried to cross the road while in Atlanta for the conference of the American Historical Association, only to find himself in handcuffs and surrounded by armed police.

"I come from a country where you can cross the road where you like," said the visiting professor of global environmental history at Queen Mary College, University of London. "It hadn't occurred to me that I wasn't allowed to cross the road between the two main conference venues."

The bespectacled professor says he didn't realise the "rather intrusive young man" shouting that he shouldn't cross there was a policeman. "I thanked him for his advice and went on."

The officer asked for identification. The professor asked for his, after which Officer Leonpacher told him he was under arrest and, the professor claims, kicked his legs from under him, pinned him to the ground and confiscated his box of peppermints.

Professor Fernandez-Armesto then spent eight hours in the cells before the charges were dropped. He told the Times that his colleagues now regard him as "as a combination of Rambo, because it took five cops to pin me to the ground, and Perry Mason, because my eloquence before a judge obtained my immediate release".

Not every jaywalking Brit abroad will be similarly blessed, nor enjoy the intervention of the city mayor.

Just because you can do something in the UK doesn't mean it's OK in another country. Jaywalking is an offence in most urban areas in the United States - although enforcement varies between states - and Canada, and in places such as Singapore, Spain, Poland, Slovenia and Australia.

Read the whole BBC story here.

EU plans 'industrial revolution'

2007-01-10T15:06:00.000Z

The European Commission has unveiled a new energy strategy, calling on member states to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 20% by 2020.

EC President Jose Manuel Barroso said there must be a common European response to climate change. New policies were needed "to face a new reality" - to make Europeans' energy supplies more secure, he said.

The urgency of the change was stressed by Russia's oil row with Belarus which hit EU states Germany and Poland.

The EU's civil service wants more investment in renewable energy, arguing that the old fuels have a political as well as clear environmental cost.
"We need new policies to face a new reality - policies which maintain Europe's competitiveness, protect our environment and make our energy supplies more secure," said Mr Barroso.
"Europe must lead the world into a new, or maybe one should say, post-industrial revolution, the development of a low-carbon economy."

But the EU should also adopt a unilateral commitment to reduce EU greenhouse emissions by at least 20% by 2020 as compared to 1990 levels.
"This will send a clear signal on how seriously we take the future of our planet," Mr Barroso added. Mr Barroso also said it was unacceptable that the supply of energy from Russia through transit countries should be interrupted without prior consultation.
He said this raised a real problem of credibility and Europe must act to guarantee that it did not happen again.

Environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth said the policy was "completely inadequate" and that it "failed to provide the low-carbon blueprint that is urgently required"."If the EU is serious about tackling climate change it must make far greater cuts in its carbon dioxide emissions. The proposed 20% cut does not demonstrate any intention to stay below the two degree limit," Catherine Pearce, the group's international climate co-ordinator, said.

There are three central pillars to this integrated energy policy, Mr Barroso said.
-A true internal energy market
-Accelerating the shift to low-carbon energy
-And energy efficiency through the 20% target by 2020

Japanese mark Coming of Age day

2007-01-08T17:37:00.000Z

Japan has been marking Coming of Age day, celebrating the transition into adulthood of those who turned 20 last year.

But in another sign of the country's demographic difficulties, the number of youths being honoured is the smallest in nearly two decades.

Twenty is the age when you can vote and drink alcohol legally here.
The celebrations take place at city halls, temples and other public venues like Tokyo Disneyland. Many of those taking part wear formal outfits, such as traditional kimonos, to mark the occasion.
This year though, there is more evidence of the country's declining birth rate. Official figures show that just under 1.4m adults turned 20 over the last 12 months. That is only 30,000 more than the smallest group ever, recorded in 1987.

In fact, taken as a percentage of the total population, the 2006 group is the smallest ever.
That is why experts say the government has to find new ways to persuade these young adults to have families of their own.

Japan is facing a labour shortage and a pensions shortfall. This is the year that millions of the country's baby boomers start to retire. Many of them who have had jobs for life will be looking forward to a relatively comfortable retirement.
The generation who have just entered adulthood will probably find life is much harder.

BBC story

Playing rugby wearing size 18 boots

2007-01-07T16:40:00.000Z

A teenager forced to quit rugby because his feet were too big is playing again, thanks to size 18 boots from America.

Carl Griffiths' feet grew while taking life-saving medication for leukaemia and the 14-year-old was relegated to water-carrier for his team.

Well-wishers helped by bringing Carl, from Trimsaran, Carmarthenshire, large boots and trainers from the US. The 6ft 4in teen, who was given the all clear last month, said: "I'm just glad to be out there again. I'm chuffed."

Rugby-mad Carl, whose feet are now nearly size 19, was forced to quit playing for the Trimsaran under-15s team for a year because he could not find boots to fit him.

"It was frustrating because I couldn't play with all my friends on the pitch," said Carl, whose team face Ystradgynlais on Sunday.

Carl still struggles to fit into size 14 socks - the biggest his parents can find. His mum Michelle Griffiths, 34, said: "They're the biggest available, but we have to replace them all the time because his heels go through them. We can't find any others.
"The hospital has said he's coming to the age where his growth should be slowing down, but there's no sign of that happening yet."

Carl's 11-year-old sister Shannon takes size eight women's shoes and his brother Matthew, who is 6ft 1in, has size 13 feet. Their father Wayne is 6ft and takes size 12 shoes and Mrs Griffiths has size nine feet.
Trimsaran Under-15s team coach Martin Evans welcomed Carl's return to the team.
"His very presence in the line-out, being head and shoulders above the rest, is intimidation itself," Mr Evans told the South Wales Evening Post.

To understand shoe sizes go here.
BBC story

Tongan royal mourning is broken

2006-12-28T18:09:00.000Z

Tradition in Tonga.

Tonga's royal family is preparing to end 100 days of mourning for the late king by releasing 40 royal undertakers from a three-month captivity.

The undertakers, known as nima tapu, meaning sacred hands, are forbidden from using their hands after preparing King Tupou IV's body for burial.

The nima tapu have spent the last three months confined in a special house where they are fed by other people. After an end-of-mourning ceremony, the undertakers are allowed to return home.

Having touched the late king's body during the funeral preparations, the royal undertakers are strictly forbidden from using their hands for any other purpose until the period of mourning is over.

The current generation of nima tapu are more fortunate than their predecessors.

Until 300 years ago they would have been strangled or had their hands cut off following the king's funeral.

Tonga's royal end-of-mourning ceremony is characterised by gift-giving. However, the new King Tupou V has decreed that, in a change of protocol, the traditional gifts of food, pigs and the fermented root drink kava should be presented to his mother Queen Halaevalu Mata'aho rather than to himself.

Correspondents say the break with tradition may indicate King Tupou V's willingness to reshape Tonga's semi-feudal monarchy. King Tupou V has already promised more democratic reforms following pro-democracy rioting in November.

BBC News

Figo to join Saudi Arabian club

2006-12-28T17:56:00.000Z

Luis Figo is poised to join Al Ittihad for an undisclosed fee from Inter Milan, according to the Saudi Arabian club's team manager.
"It's official now," said Hamad Al Sanie. "Figo will sign on Friday or Saturday and he'll arrive in Jeddah on 5 January when he'll join the team."

The 34-year-old former Portugal winger will sign a 17-month contract.

Al Ittihad are historically one of the most successful Saudi teams and are based in the Red Sea port of Jeddah.

Al Sanie added: "We chose Figo because he's a big star and the coach asked us to look for a midfielder and, after we suggested Figo, he welcomed the idea."

Figo retired from internationals after the World Cup third-place play-off with Germany in July - in which he earned a record 127th cap for Portugal. Before signing for Inter in 2005, Figo played for Sporting Lisbon, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

BBC News

US ex-President Gerald Ford dies

2006-12-27T12:41:00.000Z

Former US President Gerald Ford has died aged 93.
Last month he became the longest-living US president when he reached 93 years and 122 days, passing the record held by Ronald Reagan.

Mr Ford was never elected president. He took office after Richard Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal in 1974 but lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976.

President George W Bush paid tribute to Mr Ford, a fellow Republican, praising his "integrity and common sense".

Gerald Ford was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and lived with Betty, 88, at Rancho Mirage, about 130 miles (210km) east of Los Angeles in southern California.
The former president suffered ill health this year and he was taken to hospital four times for tests and angioplasty. He suffered a stroke in 2000.

The BBC has published Mr Ford's obituary. Read it here.

How will hi-tech criminals attack Vista?

2006-12-27T12:06:00.000Z

Vista will be the big event in computer security in 2007, say experts and add that it will have a profound effect on both sides of the security world.

Many organised hi-tech criminals and crime gangs are already tearing the new version of Windows apart looking for ways to exploit its weaknesses, say some.
Others are expecting to see Vista attacked soon after it debuts.

While Microsoft's business customers have been able to buy Vista since 30 November, consumers are being forced to wait until late January 2007 to get their hands on the next version of the Windows operating system.

Microsoft has said that the whole development process of the operating system has been run with better security in mind. Within Vista are several technologies that could stop many people falling victim to the most common sorts of malicious attack, said Kevin Hogan, director of security operations at Symantec.

In particular, he said, the way Vista handles user accounts will limit the freedom malicious programs have to run and install themselves surreptitiously.

Increasingly, said Mr Hogan, hi-tech criminals were booby-trapping benign looking webpages with code that slips through vulnerabilities in the various versions of Windows. It should also help stop people being caught out by malicious attachments on e-mail messages.

"That'll deal with a lot of the current threats we are seeing," said Mr Hogan.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at security firm F-Secure, said the warnings that these account controls display when malicious code tries to install itself will prove useful.
"It'll become much more obvious when they get infected," he said.

For more innformation check this BBC News article.

Worship God not technology, Pope says on Christmas

2006-12-26T12:19:00.000Z

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) –
Mankind, which has reached other planets and unraveled many of nature's secrets, should not presume it can live without God, Pope Benedict said in his Christmas message on Monday.

Speaking to tens of thousands of people in a sunny square, he wished the world a Happy Christmas in 62 languages - including Arabic, Hebrew, Mongolian and Latin - but his speech highlighted his preoccupation with humanity's fate.

In an age of unbridled consumerism it was shameful many remained deaf to the "heart-rending cry" of those dying of hunger, thirst, disease, poverty, war and terrorism, he said.

"Does a 'Savior' still have any value and meaning for the men and women of the third millennium?" he asked in his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message to the faithful in St Peter's Square. "Is a 'Savior' still needed by a humanity which has reached the moon and Mars and is prepared to conquer the universe; for a humanity which knows no limits in its pursuit of nature's secrets and which has succeeded even in deciphering the marvelous codes of the human genome?"

He appealed for peace and justice in the Middle East, an end to the brutal violence in Iraq and to the fratricidal conflict in Darfur and other parts of Africa, and expressed his hope for "a democratic Lebanon".

For more of the Reuters story

"For Christ's sake, it's Christmas Eve!"

2006-12-26T12:16:00.000Z

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German taxi driver who shouted "Oh, for Christ's sake, it's Christmas Eve!" when a robber put a gun to his head scared the thief away.

The teenager opened the parked taxi's door in the western town of Bielefeld and demanded money Sunday evening, police spokesman Michael Mehler said.

The driver refused and jumped out, shouting for help. The two scuffled briefly before the thief fled.

"The taxi driver's resistance and reference to Christmas evidently unsettled the bandit," Mehler said Monday.
An 18-year-old and his 16-year-old accomplice were later arrested.
The whole story here.

Chinese students against Western cultural invasion

2006-12-26T12:13:00.000Z

BEIJING, Dec 22 (Reuters Life!) - Ten doctoral students from three of China's top universities have posted an online petition slamming local Christmas celebrations and calling on people to "resist Western cultural invasion," state media said on Friday.

The students railed against "American and European culture" expanding throughout China along with "their technological and economic domination," the China Daily said.

"Occidental culture has been more like storms sweeping through the country rather than mild showers," the paper quoted the petition -- dated with China's traditional lunar calendar -- as saying.

It was a "failure on the part of the government to maintain Chinese traditions, while encouraging the economy."

The authors criticized retailers for using the festival to boost business and local people for reveling without knowing the origin of the occasion, the paper said.

"On Christmas Eve, people must wait for seats at nearly every restaurant in Beijing and other cities in China," the authors lamented.

For more of the Reuteurs story

Christmas goes digital for many

2006-12-24T18:45:00.000Z

Christmas is a time for family but it is also a time for playing with new gadgets and toys received during the festive period.

More than $30 billion (£17bn) in consumer electronics is expected to be bought worldwide in the run up to Christmas and mobile phones have broken into the top 10 most wanted children's presents, according to analysts Deloitte.

The BBC asked six of their panel of technology addicts to reveal how they will be spending their digital Christmas.

Read more here.

My Christmas wish for you

2006-12-24T18:36:00.000Z

Dear Friends,
This is a beautiful Christmas poem. I don't know its author, but whoever wrote it so simple did a great job. I wish you a Merry Christmas.

My Christmas Wish For You

My Christmas wish for you, my friend
Is not a simple one
For I wish you hope and joy and peace
Days filled with warmth and sun

I wish you love and friendship too
Throughout the coming year
Lots of laughter and happiness
To fill your world with cheer

May you count your blessings, one by one
And when totalled by the lot
May you find all you've been given
To be more than what you sought

May your journeys be short, your burdens light
May your spirit never grow old
May all your clouds have silver linings
And your rainbows pots of gold

I wish this all and so much more
May all your dreams come true
May you have a Merry Christmas friend
And a happy New Year, too …

London fog, but spectacular views

2006-12-23T19:48:00.000Z

Thick fog covers the London Eye - one of the main tourist attractions in the British capital.

Fog has caused a lot of trouble all over London in the past few days.
British Airways domestic flights have resumed at Heathrow after being cancelled since Wednesday due to fog. The first flight to take off following the suspension left at 1322 GMT, bound for Newcastle.

Olive oil 'can cut cancer risk'

2006-12-23T19:43:00.000Z

Adding plenty of olive oil to a diet could help protect against cell damage that can lead to cancer, experts say. A study of 182 European men found those who had 25 millilitres of olive oil per day had reduced levels of a substance which indicates cell damage.

The Danish team said it may explain why many cancer rates are higher in northern Europe than the south, where olive oil is a major part of the diet.

The Copenhagen University Hospital researchers looked at 182 healthy men aged between 20 and 60 from five European countries. The scientists added either virgin, common or refined olive oil to their diets over two weeks.

At the end of study, scientists measured levels of the substance which indicates oxidative damage to cells, called 8oxodG, in the men's urine.

Oxidative damage is a process whereby the metabolic balance of a cell is disrupted by exposure to substances that result in the accumulation of free-radicals, which can then damage the cell.
The men were found to have around 13% less 8oxodG compared with their levels at the beginning of the study.

At the beginning of the study, men from northern Europe had higher levels of 8oxodG than those from southern Europe, supporting the idea that olive oil had a reductive effect.

Olive oil contains a number of compounds, called phenols, which are believed to act as powerful antioxidants.

But the Danish researchers said the men in the study used the three different oils, which had different levels of phenols, so that was unlikely to explain the protective effect.
They said that, instead, the monounsaturated fats in olive oil were probably behind the effect.

The scientists, led by Dr Henrik Poulsen, wrote in the FASEB journal: "These data provide evidence that olive oil consumption explains the difference in cancer incidence between north and southern Europe."

Dr Anthea Martin, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "The effect of diet on cancer risk is very complex because of the many different components of the food we eat.

"Although this study suggests that olive oil can reduce DNA damage that could lead to the development of cancer, more long-term research is needed to confirm these effects."

She added: "We do know that a healthy, balanced diet, including plenty of vegetables and fruit and limited amounts of red and processed meat, can help reduce the risk of cancer."

BBC story here.

Europe's 'biggest dinosaur' found

2006-12-22T20:48:00.000Z

Fossils found in Spain belong to what was probably Europe's biggest ever dinosaur, according to scientists.
Turiasaurus would have been 30 to 37 metres long, and would have weighed between 40 and 48 tonnes.

Writing in the journal Science, researchers say the beast is probably the only member so far discovered of a European group of Jurassic reptiles.

The world's biggest recorded dinosaur is Argentinosaurus, a South American reptile twice as heavy. Like the rest of the giant long-necked sauropods, Turiasaurus riodevensis was a herbivore, despite the fierce appearance of its teeth.

Fossils came to light in 2004 at Teruel in eastern Spain, and the scientists responsible, from the Fundacion Conjunto Paleontologico de Teruel-Dinopolis, have just published a formal analysis.
At 1.79m long, its humerus (upper arm bone) is one of the largest ever recorded, while one of its claws is comparable with a rugby ball or American football.
The discovery site also contains teeth from theropod dinosaurs, Stegosaurus remnants, and fragments from fish and turtles.

By comparing its features with other European dinosaurs, the scientists deduce that it belongs to a previously unknown clade, or grouping, which evolved in the Jurassic period (200 to 145 million years ago).

Teeth excavated in France, Portugal and the UK are similar, indicating that Turiasaurus , or more likely its close relatives, ranged across the continent.

BBC story: Read more here.

Sweet shop boss fired!

2006-12-22T20:41:00.000Z

The manager of a chocolate shop has been forced to leave Barrow-in-Furness after he outraged locals by branding it rough and boring in an online diary. The town has over 50,000 inhabitants and is a centre of excellence for nuclear submarines.

Steve Beall, 20, moved from his home town to run the new cafe in Thorntons in Barrow-in-Furness. However, his comments about the town on a weblog so annoyed local residents they descended on the shop and the police had to be called. He has now left his post and the head of the chocolate firm has apologised.

When vandals smashed the shop window before it even opened, Mr Beall vented his frustration on a popular file sharing website. He said the town was rough and boring, and had no idea how people could bear to live in it. When the comments were printed in a local paper, residents visited the shop and invited him to go elsewhere.

Mr Beall has now left the town, and Thorntons has apologised to its residents.
Mike Davies, chief executive, said: "On behalf of Thorntons, I would like to apologise for the disparaging comments made by one of our employees about the town of Barrow-in-Furness.
"These comments do not reflect the company's views or those of its other employees."

Councillor Terry Waiting, leader of Barrow Council's Labour group said that Barrow was a very friendly place.
"It's a town that's like a big village, everyone knows everyone else.
"There's also a great location near the sea and the Lake District. It's the best place God made."

BBC story here.

Flu 'could wipe out 62 million'

2006-12-22T20:01:00.000Z

A global flu pandemic could kill 62 million people, experts have warned.

The 1918 pandemic claimed 50 million lives, and experts predict the toll today would be higher than this, despite medical advances.

The world's poorest nations would be hardest hit, fuelled by factors such as HIV and malaria infections, the Harvard University researchers believe. Yet developing countries can least afford to prepare for a pandemic, they say.

Lethal global flu epidemics tend to occur three or four times a century. Some scientists believe a new one may be imminent and could be triggered by bird flu. So far there have been only 258 cases of the latest strain of avian flu, H5N1, recorded in humans.

But the fear is that this strain could mutate and spread quickly and easily between people, triggering a deadly pandemic. It is estimated between 50,000 and 700,000 people could die in the UK if such an event occurred.

BBC story. Read more.

Smoothies: the new coffee wars?

2006-12-21T14:57:00.000Z

In the 80s, fast-food burger joints flooded UK town centres.

By the 90s, coffee shops took their place on every street corner.

But now that the noughties are well established, the new fast food fight is on a rather healthier battlefield.

Warnings about obesity and increased awareness of the importance of eating five fruit a day have fuelled a surge in healthy eating.

The UK smoothie market is worth £100m and doubling yearly.
London's Crussh, which opened its 15th branch just off Oxford Street in October, is the UK's biggest smoothie chain. The firm, now eight years old, expects to turn over more than £5m this year.

Boost Juice Bars, which has nearly 200 outlets stretching from Australia to Kuwait, is set to enter the market, with plans to open bars in Manchester, Oxford and Nottingham by March 2007.

The firm recently signed a deal with former Millie's Cookies owner Richard O'Sullivan to bring the brand to the UK.

And although the world's largest smoothie chain, US-based Jamba Juice, has yet to enter the UK market, chains such as Love Juice and Fruit Boost are also expanding.

BBC: Read more here.

Air travel fog ordeal continues

2006-12-21T14:52:00.000Z

Fog has disrupted domestic and international flights at Heathrow and other airports.

Dense fog is continuing to cause misery for Christmas holiday travellers at Heathrow and other UK airports. Hundreds of domestic flights and some international flights are grounded.

Heathrow has been the worst hit, with 40,000 people affected, and services from Gatwick, Manchester and Cardiff have also been disrupted. Passengers said they were angry about a lack of information.

About 350 flights out of Heathrow have been cancelled on Thursday, a 40% reduction.
Napil Berry, 37, from Nottingham, said he had missed his sister's wedding in Stockholm.
Sitting outside the terminal concourse, he said: "I told my sister I'm not going to make it. She said: 'Try to come in time for Christmas.'

"I'm not angry with BA about it but I am angry and upset I missed my sister's wedding."
The BBC's Lucy Rodgers in Heathrow said that by 1200 GMT the scene in Terminal One seemed to be calming after the morning chaos.

The disruption will continue on Friday, with British Airways announcing it would be operating no domestic flights in and out of Heathrow and a reduced short-haul schedule because of the fog. About 100 flights in total have already been cancelled.

Read more here.

Mourinho makes apology to Johnson

2006-12-20T20:16:00.000Z

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has apologised for comments he made about Everton striker Andrew Johnson after Sunday's 3-2 victory at Goodison Park. Mourinho claimed Johnson had dived to win a penalty and Everton responded by saying they would make an official complaint to the Football Association.

"Everton, his manager and he deserve my apologies," said Mourinho. Everton chief executive Keith Wyness added: "Common sense has prevailed and this is an end to the matter."

A spokesman for the FA said: "We are pleased this issue has been sensibly resolved.
"It is important to remind everybody in football of the need to respect opponents and other people in the game for the good image of the sport."

Everton initially said they were taking legal advice because the remarks questioned Johnson's "professionalism and integrity".

The incident occurred when Johnson went down after challenging Chelsea keeper Hilario for the ball. Mourinho said that he had now watched the incident again on video and had a different view of it.
BBC story: Read more here.

Interesting stories on December 20th

2006-12-20T11:32:00.000Z

Two-headed reptile fossil found

Scientists have found what is thought to be the first example of a two-headed reptile in the fossil record. The abnormal animal, belonging to a group of aquatic reptiles, was unearthed in northeastern China and dates to the time of the dinosaurs.

The specimen reveals that it must have been very young when it died and became fossilised, says lead researcher Eric Buffetaut. Details of the fossil appear in the UK Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

This animal was a choristoderan, an extinct reptile that reached a length of one metre in adulthood and was characterised by a long neck - two in this case.

The animal's spinal column divided in two at the point where the neck emerges from the body. This formed two long necks that ended in two skulls.

Choristoderans seem to have been common aquatic reptiles during the Cretaceous Period (144 to 65 million years ago) in what is now northeastern China.

BBC story. Read more …

Discovery space shuttle undocks

The space shuttle Discovery has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) after an eight-day stay on the orbiting outpost. Early on Tuesday, astronauts fixed jammed solar panel on the ISS during an unscheduled fourth spacewalk.

A US astronaut on the space station has switched places with a member of the seven-person Discovery crew and will travel back to Earth on the orbiter.

Discovery detached from the space station at 2210 GMT.
"We finished all the mission objectives so we are very pleased. It's a great day for the ISS programme and the shuttle programme," said Kirk Shireman, deputy manager of the ISS programme.

The mission had three main objectives: installation of a two-tonne truss to the girder-like ISS structure, the rewiring of the power and thermal systems, and the retraction of an old solar array to allow a new one to collect solar energy.

BBC story. Read more ….

The first foundation columns have been laid for the Freedom Tower that will replace the World Trade Center in New York.
On September 11, 2001, two hijacked planes hit the two towers and they fell, killing 2,749 people.

Norway tackles toxic war grave

It was not quite the deadly legacy the Germans had in mind when they deployed a U-boat on a daring mission to Japan
In the last desperate months of World War II a German U-boat (U-864) set sail in December 1944, packed with 65 tonnes of weapons-grade mercury destined to help the Japanese win back supremacy over the US in the Pacific - and divert American attention away from Europe in the process.
Neither the cargo nor the 73 men on board made it. The U-boat was torpedoed to the bottom of the North Sea floor by a British submarine.

More than 60 years on, its toxic cargo is slowly leaking into the waters off the coast of Norway, an ecological time bomb threatening marine - and potentially human - life.

Now the Norwegian government is set to act, following recommendations that the wreck be hermetically sealed to prevent any more of the mercury from escaping.

BBC story. Read more.

Are you spending or saving at Christmas?

Are you flashing the cash or counting the pennies in the run up to Christmas? With Christmas just a few days away, the retail world is becoming increasingly polarised.While some companies are performing well others are struggling with sales down.The BBC has been asking people to send them their comments.

Two comments:

I have spent sufficient to keep the family and friends happy.When young, my family did not mention Christmas until half way through the month, and decorations went up on the eve.It now lasts too long, with people trying to outdo each other with expensive gifts, trendy toys and other things that are electrical fashion items.
Jeremy, UK

I spend less at Christmas than at any other time of the year. At the supermarket my usual groceries are sold out. Pubs are closed or full of loud people so better to stay home. I can't understand why people spend, spend, spend. It just annoys me that my workplace closes for a week - so I can't go to work and earn money even though I want to. What is the point of being on holiday from work when the weather is crap.
JR, UK

The BBC has more ...

Robber's gun was a TV remote control

2006-12-19T23:32:00.000Z

A robber who tried to hold up a Chinese takeaway with a TV remote control has been jailed for four years. William Dunnachie entered the Welcome Inn in Stirling (Scotland) and threatened to "shoot" the owner, Lai Wong.

At the High Court in Edinburgh the 38-year-old, who admitted the attempted robbery in 2005, was told he would be supervised for three years on release.

He received a further two years and three months for admitting being concerned in the supply of diazepam (a drug).
Judge Lady Dorrian also ordered Dunnachie to be supervised for three years after the end of his sentence.
BBC story

Veteran of both world wars dies

2006-12-19T23:07:00.000Z

The last British serviceman to serve in both World War I and World War II has died aged 106.
Captain Kenneth Cummins served in the Royal Navy in WWI and in the Merchant Navy in WWII.

Until his death at home in Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire on 10 December, he was one of five WWI veterans living in the UK. Dennis Goodwin, chairman of the WWI Veterans' Association, said: "Any death of a veteran of WWI means the end of a unique and special generation."

The four WWI veterans who survive him are: William Stone, 106, of Oxford; Henry Allingham, 110, from Sussex; Philip Mayne, 107, of Richmond, North Yorkshire; and Harry Patch, 108, from Somerset.

In WWII, Mr Cummins survived the torpedoing of his ship, the Viceroy of India, which was owned by P&O but used by the military.

"Ken was one of the icons," said Mr Goodwin.
"It was the likes of Ken and all the vets who survived WWI who put this country back on its feet and made Britain what it is today."

BBC text

Migration

2006-12-18T20:05:00.000Z

BBC News is featuring a series of reports on migration entitled, World on the Move, to coincide with UN World Migrants Day (December 18th).
The material is worthwhile. So what are you waiting for, guys?
Use the link below to find out more on the issues surrounding migration.

There are now more than 191 million migrants, more than ever before, according to the United Nations.
If all these people belonged to the same country it would have the fifth largest population on earth.
People leave their homes for many different reasons. They could be in search of a better job, lifestyle or education, or they could be struggling to escape poverty, famine or war.

Migrant numbers have more than doubled since the 1960s. The country that attracts the most people from abroad is the United States, with 35 million, followed by Russia and Germany on 13.3 and 7.3 million people respectively.
China sees the most people leave, followed by India and the Philippines. About half of all migrants are bound for North America and Europe.
Although migration can benefit the host country by boosting local economies, it is estimated that around 30 million migrants enter the global workforce illegally.

The number of people who fled their own countries to seek sanctuary elsewhere fell by nearly a million over the course of 2005, according to the UN.

The number of refugees now stands at over eight million, with most people being hosted by Pakistan, Iran and Germany. Afghanistan accounts for nearly a quarter of all refugees, but the figure is now dropping.

Refugees are among the most vulnerable of migrants, as are those termed "internally displaced people" or IDPs. The number of IDPs grew during 2005, partly because of violence in places like Iraq and Sudan.

The numbers of migrants, and migrant workers in particular, has reached record levels in the UK.
Over 1.5 million foreign workers were employed here in 2005, according to the Labour Force Survey.
This huge increase is mostly due to workers coming into the UK from the new EU member states in eastern Europe, especially Poland.

The Migration Research Unit at University College London has described the situation as "almost certainly the largest single wave of in-migration (with Poles the largest ever single national group of entrants) that the British Isles have ever experienced".

BBC material

Celebrating birthdays is a very old custom

2006-12-17T18:08:00.000Z

It's my wife's birthday today. Congratulations, darling wife. Happy birthday to you and many many many happy returns of this day.

That's why I've decided to post something about birthdays.

Read this interesting text.

Ancient people did not know the exact day of their birth, yet measured time by using the moon and the seasons. When calendars were developed, they made it easy for people to celebrate important events like birthdays.

Many of the symbols that we associate with birthdays had their roots hundreds of years ago.

There are a few explanations as to why we have birthday cakes. Some say it is because the Greeks used to take cakes to the temple of the goddess of the moon, Artemis. Another view is that the tradition of the birthday cake started in Germany.

Another symbol that is closely tied to the birthday cake is the custom of putting candles on the cake. The Greek people who took their cakes to Artemis placed candles on the cake because it made the cake look as if it was glowing like the moon. The Germans were known as good candle makers and started to make small candles for their cakes. Some people say that the candles were put on for religious reasons. Some Germans place a big candle in the center of the cake to symbolize the "light of life" . Others believed that the smoke from fires would take their wishes up to heaven. Today many people make silent wishes as they blow out their candles. They believe that blowing out all the candles in one breath will bring good luck.

A gathering or party is usually held so that the birthday person can have their cake and blow out the candles. The very earliest parties were held because people thought that evil spirits would visit them on their birthdays. They stuck close to their friends and family so that the evil spirits would not bother them. Later on parties were gatherings where friends and family members would give gifts or flowers to the person having the birthday. Today lots of birthday parties are for fun. If people cannot visit someone on their birthday they often send them a birthday card or call them or send them a message.The tradition of sending birthday cards was started in England about 100 years ago.

If you are interested in this subject you can read more here (teacher link site) or here (Wikipedia).

Quiz: Idioms

2006-12-17T17:06:00.000Z

Idioms use language metaphorically.
To learn English idioms, BBC English provides you with very good resources. In the meantime, try this quiz.

Fingers and thumbs

1. “John has green fingers.”
a. John’s fingers are the colour green.
b. John has little experience.
c. John is very good at gardening.

2. “She never lifts a finger.”
a. She’s tired.
b. She’s very lazy.
c. She’s ill.

3. After the money was stolen in the office, she pointed the finger at her colleague.
a. She accused her colleague of stealing the money.
b. She hurt a colleague with her finger.
c. She told her colleague he could have stolen her ring.

4. I'll have my fingers crossed for you when you sit your exam.
a. I don’t care.
b. I wish you a lot of pain.
c. I wish you luck.

5. He's really clever. He's got every answer right at his fingertips.
a. He knows the answers without having to think about them.
b. He has written the answers on his fingers.
c. He cheats.

6. You can count the friends she has on the fingers of one hand.
a. She’s got lots of friends.
b. She doesn’t have many friends.
c. She writes her friends’ names on her fingers.

7. You'd better not lay a finger on him!
a. Don't hurt him!
b. Don’t help him!
c. Don’t accuse him!

8. She's got her finger in every pie. I wish she would just concentrate on her own job instead.
a. She’s eating, not working at all.
b. She loves pies.
c. She's over-involved in every project at work.

9. He stuck out like a sore thumb at the wedding.
a. He accused the bride and bridegroom.
b. At the wedding everybody was dressed formally but he was wearing jeans.
c. He cut himself while cutting a slice of cake.

10. She's completely under his thumb.
a. She dominates him.
b. He is taller.
c. She is dominated by him.

11. He's all fingers and thumbs.
a. He’s good at cooking.
b. He’s very clumsy. Don't give him that plate to carry.
c. He is creative.

12. My idea got the thumbs up from the boss.
a. My boss was pleased.
b. My boss was irritated.
c. My boss accused me of cheating.

13. Don't sit there twiddling your thumbs!
a. Help me finish this here!
b. Don’t be afraid!
c. Don’t worry about your debts!

More BBC resources.
More BBC quizzes.

Key: Move your cursor here.>1c - 2b- 3a - 4c - 5a - 6b – 7a - 8c - 9b - 10c - 11b – 12 a - 13 a

India 'to approve GM potato'

2006-12-16T22:47:00.000Z

The commercial growing of a genetically modified potato which contains nutrients lacking in the diets of many of the poorest is expected to be approved in India within six months.

The influential head of the Indian Government's Department of Biotechnology, Dr Manju Sharma, said the potato would be given free to millions of poor children at government schools to try to reduce the problem of malnutrition in the country.

The potato contains a third more protein than normal, including essential high-quality nutrients, and has been created by adding a gene from the protein-rich amaranth plant.

But critics describe the plan as risky, naive and a propaganda tool to promote the merits of GM food in India.

The "protato", as it has become known, is in its final stages of regulatory approval which Dr Sharma said she was very confident of getting. She plans to incorporate it into the government's free midday meal programme in schools.

"There has been a serious concern that malnutrition is one of the reasons for the blindness, the vitamin A deficiency, the protein deficiency," Dr Sharma told the BBC.

"So it is really a very important global concern, particularly in the developing world," she added.

One of India's leading industrialists in biotechnology, Dr Balvinder Singh Khalsi, chief executive of Dupont, said the project had enormous potential for the country.

"We see this as a technology for the future, because the real need for India is to feed its growing population. This technology is really going to the benefit of improving the yields, better quality food, larger quantity," Dr Khalsi said.

BBC text.

Coimbra: Pedro and Ines footbridge

2006-12-16T21:59:00.000Z

Coimbra has got a new footbridge. It’s so beautiful and revolutionary that two British newspapers have published long articles about Coimbra and its new footbridge, called Pedro and Ines.

Read part of the GUARDIAN’s article. Then you can check THE INDEPENDENT.

Early morning in Coimbra, central Portugal, and the sun peeks out over the Rio Mondego before disappearing behind banks of low cloud and squally rain. This bothers Cecil Balmond, the renowned structural engineer. You have to see the bridge before the sun goes down, he says. But by the time I step on to the bridge, it is bathed in the kind of light that would make the most voluptuous baroque church in Portugal look a little dull.

The brand new Pedro and Ines footbridge over the Rio Mondego is a quiet sensation. Coimbra is a small university city reinventing itself with vigour, and if that sounds like a contradiction in terms, then the bridge exemplifies it. Its structure is revolutionary, yet rather than showy; it is effortlessly elegant. It is also the stuff of engineering sorcery.

The bridge is the fourth to cross the river at Coimbra, and it provides a walkway between two expanding new districts in a highly imaginative way. The two spans - one rising from either bank of the river - launch themselves at different points across the water, as if destined never to meet. They do, but only by performing a dance - the twist, you might call it - over the middle of the river. It's as if two separate and parallel bridges had been the order of the day, but, at the last moment, someone had ordered them to join together. This join between the two spans forms a gloriously unexpected public space at the centre of the bridge, encouraging people to stop, look, chat and generally while away the day.

When the sun comes out, the intriguing asymmetrical structure of the footbridge is etched across the Mondego. The ice-cream coloured glass panels running either side of the pedestrian deck light up, splaying kaleidoscopes into the water below, and bathing the bridge and those crossing it in soft pinks, blues, greens and yellows. When the sun retreats, the bridge is decorum itself, cool, white and almost still.

The Guardian

The Independent

Bizarre: Mouse escape on Saudi plane

2006-12-15T22:10:00.000Z

More than 100 passengers on a Saudi plane were left panic-stricken by the unexpected appearance of furry fellow flyers - dozens of mice.

The small rodents - about 80 in total, according to a local newspaper - escaped from the bag of a man travelling on the domestic flight.

An airline official said the aircraft was at 28,000 feet (8,500m) when mice began scurrying around the cabin. Some of the mice fell on passengers' heads, Al-Hayat newspaper reports.

The incident occurred on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from the capital, Riyadh, to north-eastern town of Tabuk.

The flight landed safely and the bag's owner was detained by police investigating how he managed to get the mice onto the plane. No explanation was given for the man's live cargo.

BBC story

Prince William's Sandhurst parade

2006-12-15T21:56:00.000Z

Prince William was among 220 cadets graduating from Sandhurst. Following a 44-week course, they were being commissioned as officers in the British Army.

The Queen stopped briefly in front of William as she inspected the platoons and said a few words, prompting the second-in-line to the throne to smile for a brief moment.

William's girlfriend Kate Middleton watched as the prince took part in the Sovereign's Parade. He is to join the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals like brother Harry.

BBC story

High IQ link to being vegetarian

2006-12-15T19:50:00.000Z

Intelligent children are more likely to become vegetarians later in life, a study says.

A Southampton University team found those who were vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on average at the age of 10. Researchers said it could explain why people with higher IQ were healthier as a vegetarian diet was linked to lower heart disease and obesity rates.

The study of 8,179 was reported in the British Medical Journal.

Twenty years after the IQ tests were carried out in 1970, 366 of the participants said they were vegetarian - although more than 100 reported eating either fish or chicken.

Men who were vegetarian had an IQ score of 106, compared with 101 for non-vegetarians; while female vegetarians averaged 104, compared with 99 for non-vegetarians.

There was no difference in IQ score between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarian but who reported eating fish or chicken.

Researchers said the findings were partly related to better education and higher occupational social class, but it remained statistically significant after adjusting for these factors.
Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of higher occupational social class and to have higher academic or vocational qualifications than non-vegetarians.

However, these differences were not reflected in their annual income, which was similar to that of non-vegetarians.

Lead researcher Catharine Gale said: "The finding that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarian as adults, together with the evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet on heart health, may help to explain why higher IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in adult life."

However, she added the link may be merely an example of many other lifestyle preferences that might be expected to vary with intelligence, such as choice of newspaper, but which may or may not have implications for health.

Liz O'Neill, of the Vegetarian Society, said: "We've always known that vegetarianism is an intelligent, compassionate choice benefiting animals, people and the environment.

"Now we've got the scientific evidence to prove it. Maybe that explains why many meat-reducers are keen to call themselves vegetarians when even they must know that vegetarians don't eat chicken, turkey or fish."

But Dr Frankie Phillips, of the British Dietetic Association, said: "It is like the chicken and the egg. Do people become vegetarian because they have a very high IQ or is it just that they tend to be more aware of health issues?"

BBC story

THE CHRISTMAS THE LIGHTS WENT OUT

2006-12-14T23:43:00.000Z

Would you like to read / listen to a Christmas story to practise your English?

Try this one:

THE CHRISTMAS THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
by Chris Rose

Five people, whose lives interrelate, live the build up to Christmas in different ways in different places. A sudden blackout changes their lives forever ...

You can read the story. If you don't understand any word, you double-click on it and you'll see its definition from Cambridge Online.

You can also listen to this story (Download mp3 file or listen on your own PC. You’re given instructions to download it.)

So you can see the text and listen at the same time.
Finally, you can do a comprehension activity, a vocabulary activity or do some writing.
You can also explore the British Council site. Superb!

Blogging 'set to peak next year'

2006-12-14T19:47:00.000Z

The blogging phenomenon is set to peak in 2007, according to technology predictions by analysts Gartner.

The analysts said that during the middle of next year the number of blogs will level out at about 100 million. The firm has said that 200 million people have already stopped writing their blogs.

Gartner analyst Daryl Plummer said the reason for the levelling off in blogging was due to the fact that most people who would ever start a web blog had already done so. He said those who loved blogging were committed to keeping it up, while others had become bored and moved on.

"A lot of people have been in and out of this thing," Mr Plummer said.
"Everyone thinks they have something to say, until they're put on stage and asked to say it."

Last month blog tracking firm Technorati reported that 100,000 new blogs were being created every day, and 1.3 million blog posts were written. Technorati is tracking more than 57 million blogs, of which it believes around 55% are "active" and updated at least every three months.

Gartner also predicted that:
By 2010, the average total cost of ownership of new PCs will fall by 50%;
By 2010, 60% of the worldwide cellular population will be "trackable" via an emerging "follow-me internet";
By the end of 2007, 75% of enterprises will be infected with undetected, financially motivated, targeted malware.

Read more here.

Prize offered to tag an asteroid

2006-12-14T19:39:00.000Z

Do you like astronomy?
Would you like to earn some money? Just imagine this huge rock hits our planet in 2029. How old will you be in 2029?

Read this BBC story to know more both about the asteroid and about the prize.

A $50,000 (£25,000) competition has been launched to find the best way to tag Apophis, a 400m-wide asteroid. The space rock is set to make a close pass of Earth in 2029 and scientists would like to confirm that it poses no danger to our world.

The Planetary Society will give a prize to the designers of a mission that would allow the huge asteroid's orbit to be tracked with the most precision. The competition has support from the US and European space agencies. The winning entry or entries will be submitted to space agencies to see if they want to carry the ideas through.

Apophis will come closer to Earth in 2029 than the orbits of many communications satellites - but it will not hit the planet, that is clear. The concern centres on the small chance that its orbit could be perturbed enough in the flyby to put the rock on a collision path for its return in 2036.

Further investigations with ground telescopes are expected to show beyond doubt that this will not happen and that Apophis represents zero risk.

And the Planetary Society thinks an innovative tracking mission could make doubly sure. Hence, the prize for an individual or team that can put together the best concept for tagging a huge lump of rock.

"You could use a beacon; you could put a reflector on it that you ping; you could put a spacecraft in orbit and track that. There are any number of possibilities and ones we haven't thought of, I'm sure," said Betts.

Already they are considering a number of concept missions that would assess the best way to deflect or destroy dangerous space rocks.

Read more here.

Another bizarre story

2006-12-14T19:33:00.000Z

World's tallest man saves dolphin

The world's tallest man has saved two dolphins by using his long arms to reach into their stomachs and pull out dangerous plastic shards.

Mongolian herdsman Bao Xishun was called in after the dolphins swallowed plastic used around their pool at an aquarium in Fushun, north-east China. Attempts to use instruments failed as the dolphins contracted their stomachs.

Mr Bao, 54, was confirmed as the world's tallest living man by Guinness World Records last year, at 2.36m (7ft 8.95in). Guinness World Records say Mr Bao was of normal height until 16 but then put on a spurt that doctors were unable to explain, reaching his full height in seven years.

Veterinarians turned to Mr Bao after attempts to extract the plastic shards at the aquarium in Fushun, Liaoning Province, had failed. The mammals had lost their appetite and were suffering depression, aquarium officials said.

The heads of the dolphins were held back and towels wrapped around their teeth so Mr Bao could not be bitten. He then extended his 1.06m-long arm into the mammals' stomachs.

Chen Lujun, manager of Royal Jidi Ocean World, said Mr Bao was successful and the dolphins were "in very good condition now".

Local doctor Zhu Xiaoling told the state media agency Xinhua: "Some very small plastic pieces are still left in the dolphins' stomachs.
"However the dolphins will be able to digest these and are expected to recover soon."

Read the whole BBC text here.

Wi-fi worry

2006-12-13T19:16:00.000Z

Some schools are removing wi-fi networks after complaints from parents that their children suffer headaches.

In what sounds like a repetition of mobile phone radiation panic, is there evidence for harm?

We've always worried about what the technology around us might do to our bodies:
Sitting too close to the TV.
Standing in front of the microwave.
Spending too long on the mobile.
Living under a pylon, or next to a phone mast.

Now, lots of wireless networks are being created in towns and cities. But some are concerned that we don't know enough about the health effects of electromagnetic radiation - the radio waves that allow the computer network to transmit (along with longwave, FM and TV and phone frequencies). For others, headaches and skin rashes - that they feel are due to the radio waves - are prompting a big switch off.

The worry for parents is that children, who have thinner skulls and developing systems, are exposed to more gadgets and gizmos than previous generations. What might these be doing to their bodies?

Health expert advice is to limit mobile phone use among young people as a precaution. The government advises users to keep calls short.

Some reactions:

I think it's a load of scaremongering with uncertainties and coincidences. Denmark has completed the largest survey of mobile phones and cancer rates over 20 years with tens of thousands of people. And the findings - no significant measurable difference.

Wi-fi uses much less powerful signals than mobile phones. Do the maths people.

Scott Andrews, Colwyn Bay, UK

I used to get intense headaches at work all the time. I attributed it to mobile phones at first, and had I heard of this scare I would have also suggested wi-fi. It turned out it was due to drinking any diet/light drink with sweetener!

Sam Hatoum, London

If this was scaremongering and coincidences, then why did all the major mobile phone distributors bring out a radiation protector to slot into the ear piece? Obviously there is some sort of danger, but no one can prove just how much.
Damien McCourt, Belfast

Ten or 12 years ago people claimed to be suffering similar symptoms. The culprit then was the ozone emissions from laser printers.

Nearly 30 years ago the major Bank I worked for was prepared to provide lead aprons(!) for their male employees concerned at being exposed to these new computers.

There appears to be a tipping point and when "new" technology becomes commonplace such health concerns seem to evaporate.

Anne Robins, Guildford, UK

Read more here.

The Arctic may be free of all summer ice in 35 years!

2006-12-13T19:11:00.000Z

The Arctic midnight sun over Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada.

New computer modelling shows that the Arctic may be free of all summer ice by as early as 2040, according to a team of US scientists who presented their findings to the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

Think about it! That'll be in your lifetime!
What will our planet be like by that time without that ice there where it should be for ever?

Weird story: Turkish Airlines workers eat a camel!

2006-12-13T19:06:00.000Z

A job well done is worth celebrating, but Turkish Airlines say staff went too far when they sacrificed a camel. To mark the last delivery of 100 aircraft, maintenance workers saved some money to buy the beast - and then consume it … together. The sacrifice took place at Istanbul international airport. 700kg of camel meat was distributed among the workers.

"They didn't ask permission," a spokeswoman for the airline told the BBC, adding that the boss of the offending staff had been suspended. He will remain off work while the incident is investigated.

Camel is eaten in Turkey, while the sacrifice of animals - usually sheep - is performed during the Festival of Sacrifice.

"But it wasn't anything to do with that," said Belgin Alisan of Turkish Airlines. "They went too far. We are really quite shocked."

Read the story here.

NEWS FROM ENGLAND

2006-12-12T23:04:00.000Z

The 10th anniversary of Diana's death

A celebrity concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, has been announced. Princes William and Harry are organising the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium on 1 July, when she would have turned 46.

Sir Elton John, Duran Duran, Joss Stone, Bryan Ferry and hip-hop star Pharrell Williams will perform. Tickets go on sale at 0900 GMT on Wednesday.

A memorial service will also be held in London at a venue to be confirmed. Announcing the concert, Prince William said: "We both wanted to put our stamp on it. We want it to represent exactly what our mother would have wanted.

"So therefore the church service alone isn't enough. We wanted to have this big concert full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness, which I know she would have wanted.
"And on her birthday as well, it's got to be the best birthday present she ever had."

Read more here.

Kylie Minogue is returning to the UK

Pop star Kylie Minogue is returning to the UK stage to play a one-off London concert on New Year's Eve. The Australian singer, who recently took time off to receive treatment for breast cancer, will play the 31 December show at Wembley Arena.

"I've been to some great New Year's parties over the years and I can't wait to host what will be the biggest party of all," Minogue said. The concert will start at 2000 GMT and run until midnight.

The newly-announced show comes on the heels of Minogue's Showgirl comeback tour in Australia last month, which received widespread critical acclaim. It will be her first UK show since her cancer diagnosis in May 2005.
Read more here.

Using primates in research

There is a "strong scientific and moral case" for using primates in some research, a report has concluded. It said in certain circumstances, using non-human primates remained the only way of answering important scientific and medical questions.

However, the report made a number of recommendations, including the creation of dedicated primate research centres.

Scientists welcomed the findings, however an animal rights organisation called it a "whitewash".
About 3,300 primates are used in British laboratories each year.

Many researchers say primates' genetic and physiological similarities to humans make them a prime candidate for testing the safety and efficacy of drugs (about 75% of primates are used for this) or for more fundamental biological research.

Read more here.

English black pupils discriminated against

Black pupils in England are three times more likely to be excluded from school because of "systematic racial discrimination", according to a report.

The Department for Education report says the bias is "largely unwitting". It has rejected any suggestions that schools are institutionally racist.

Latest exam results show black pupils continue to lag behind their classmates but some have been narrowing the gap.

The report was ordered by the government last year - there is as yet no publishing date for it.
Read more here.

Murder police find two more dead

The horrific news of the brutal murders of several women by a serial killer (?) in Ipswich has struck people not only in England but also all over the world. And more bodies have been found…

Two more bodies have been found by police investigating the murders of three prostitutes. A woodland area around the village of Levington, near Ipswich (Suffolk, England) has been sealed off by officers.

Police said it is likely the two bodies are those of two missing women - Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls. The area is close to where another body was found on Sunday. Two other bodies were also found near Ipswich. Ms Clennell, 24, and 29-year-old Ms Nicholls, have not been heard from since Sunday.
Read more here.

British teenagers' poor verbal skills

Recent research suggests that Britain's teenagers risk becoming a nation people held back by poor verbal skills. The top 20 words used, including yeah, no, but and like, account for around a third of all words, the study says.

Lancaster University's Professor Tony McEnery who conducted the research said vocabulary size was defined early on. His study of blogs, questionnaires and speech found teenagers used half the words of average 25 to 34-year-olds.

Read more here.

Weird story: Russian squirrel pack 'kills dog'

2006-12-11T22:51:00.000Z

Squirrels have bitten to death a stray dog which was barking at them in a Russian park, local media report.

Passers-by were too late to stop the attack by the black squirrels in a village in the far east, which reportedly lasted about a minute. The attack was witnessed by three local people.

They are said to have scattered at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh.

A pine cone shortage may have led the squirrels to seek other food sources, although scientists are sceptical.

A "big" stray dog was nosing about the trees and barking at squirrels hiding in branches overhead when a number of them suddenly descended and attacked, reports say.

"They literally gutted the dog," said a local journalist. "When they saw the men, they scattered in different directions, taking pieces of their kill away with them."

Mikhail Tiyunov, a scientist in the region, said it was the first he had ever heard of such an attack. While squirrels without sources of protein might attack birds' nests, he said, the idea of them chewing a dog to death was "absurd".

"If it really happened, things must be pretty bad in our forests," he added.

Read the whole BBC story here.

Pope: Christmas Polluted by Consumerism

2006-12-11T19:59:00.000Z

Vatican City, Dec. 11 - Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday that Christmas festivities have been polluted by consumerism and suggested that assembling the Nativity scene in the home is an effective way of teaching the faith to children.

Nativity scenes are a common sight in Italian homes around Christmas time, and in an annual tradition children came to St. Peter's Square bearing Nativity figures of baby Jesus for the pontiff to bless.

"In today's consumer society, this time (of the year) is unfortunately subjected to a sort of commercial 'pollution' that is in danger of altering its true spirit, which is characterized by meditation, sobriety and by a joy that is not exterior but intimate," the pope said in his traditional Sunday blessing.

"Assembling the Nativity scene in the home can turn out to be a simple but effective way of presenting the faith to pass it on to one's children," Benedict added.

"The Nativity scene helps us contemplate the mystery of the love of God, which is revealed to us in the poverty and simplicity of the grotto in Bethlehem."

Source: Here

Discrimination against women of all ages 'increases poverty'

2006-12-11T19:45:00.000Z

Unicef surveyed family decision-making in 30 countries around the world. According to the State of the World's Children 2007 report:

1. Equality between men and women is essential to lowering poverty and improving health, especially of children, in developing countries.

2. Inequality at home between men and women leads to poorer health for the children and greater poverty for the family.

3. Where women are excluded from family decisions, children are more likely to be under-nourished.

4. There would be 13m fewer malnourished children in South Asia if women had an equal say in the family.

5. A greater lack of opportunities for girls and women in education and employment contributes to disempowerment and poverty.

6. Where men control the household, less money is spent on health care and food for the family, resulting in poorer health for the children.

7. In many households across the developing world, women are excluded from health-related decisions.

8. Children in these families are more likely to be undernourished as the family spends less on food.

9. Women also work longer hours than men across the developing world, spending much of their time, even when in paid employment, on household chores.

10. In many families where women work, daughters are taken out of school to perform domestic chores and take care of other children.

11. Increasing employment and income-earning opportunities for women would increase women's household power.

12. Women's involvement in government tends to result in policies that are focused on children and families.

13. Women are under-represented in legislatures around the world due to lower levels of education, social attitudes and their greater work burden.

"There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women," said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

"Discrimination against women of all ages deprives the world's children - all of them, not just the half who are girls - of the chance to reach their potential."

Read the BBC story here.

Who doesn't want to be famous?

2006-12-11T19:06:00.000Z

Talent helps.
Being in the right place at the right time can be a good option.
There are many things you can do to be put in the public eye or to gain exposure.

But you’d better read this BBC story.

According to the BBC, publicist Max Clifford has created a 10-point guide to becoming famous.
He has advised would-be stars to appear on reality TV shows, date celebrities or Royal Family members, or steal the limelight from a high-profile relative.

People could also fail abysmally on TV talent contests or make the most of being attractive. Being in the right place at the right time was also a good option, Mr Clifford said.

"There's no set route or set of rules to achieving fame. Nowadays it's possible for people to become famous literally overnight," he advised.
"Talent doesn't even really come into being famous any more - it helps, obviously, but most of it is just about being seen and with the right people, and then really knowing how to capitalise on it."

Paris Hilton, Peaches Geldof and Bianca Gascoigne are among those said to have gained exposure by coming from a famous family. Coleen McLoughlin and Kevin Federline are cited as people who have become famous by dating a celebrity. And when it came to being pictured in the right place at the right time, the examples included Liz Hurley and Kelly Brook.

Mr Clifford, 63, said there were "absolutely no limits" about what people would do nowadays "if they think it will achieve their dreams of fame".

The top five ways to be famous:

1. Appear on a reality series
2. Enter a talent contest
3. Be abysmal on a talent show
4. Gain fame by association
5. Date a celebrity

Greece bans mobiles in schools

2006-12-08T22:05:00.000Z

Greece's education ministry has banned children from using mobile phones while at school. The ruling follows the rape of a 16-year-old girl during a school sit-in which was reportedly videoed by fellow pupils on their mobiles.

Senior school students who repeatedly ignore the new ruling face the prospect of expulsion.
Almost every Greek school pupil over the age of 15 possesses a mobile phone, according to a recent study. They are mainly used for listening to music, sending text messages and playing games but the gang rape of a 16-year-old Bulgarian girl on the island of Evia has convinced the education ministry that children will have to do without their precious status symbols.

The rape was reportedly videoed by some of the girls' female classmates using their mobile phones. This detail, highlighting callous disregard for the victim's plight, horrified Greece.

There has also been a rise in "happy-slapping" incidents where violent assaults by bullies are captured on video and circulated.

Some Greek television stations have broadcast sensational footage obtained in this way and in so doing have inadvertently accelerated the introduction of restrictions. Teachers and psychologists have concluded that the video taping of bad behaviour encourages further disorder as well as competition amongst pupils to create increasingly shocking images.

The education ministry says that children will no longer be able to bring their phones into schools even if they are switched off.

Teachers are expected to lead by example and they have been told to switch off their phones during school hours otherwise they too face the prospect of disciplinary action.

In other European nations parents provide their children with mobile phones because they are worried about sexual predators. However, Greece remains a relatively safe country in that respect and while in some families mobile phones are regarded as an essential lifeline to home, in tens of thousands of others, they are little more than an expensive fashion accessory.

Read the BBC story here.

You can read another story in a Greek newspaper about the same incident here. "It is a shocking moment for our society," said the Greek President Karolos Papoulias.

Truancy

2006-12-08T21:58:00.000Z

Pupils skip school. That’s called truancy.

Combating truancy and stopping children skipping school is a major headache for educators throughout the world. But parents in one part of Spain now get a tell-tale text if their child fails to turn up in class.

See this BBC video here.

In Hull, an English town, children who are out of school without a valid reason are being targeted in a truancy crackdown. Education officers and police will question suspected truants. Any found to be out of class without a good reason will be returned.
Read the whole story here.

Snipes arrested in tax fraud case

2006-12-08T21:53:00.000Z

Actor Wesley Snipes has been arrested in Orlando after surrendering himself to authorities on tax fraud charges.

The 44-year-old flew into an Orlando airport and gave himself up, a spokesman for his new film said.

An arrest warrant was issued in October for the Hollywood star over reports he had dodged millions of dollars in taxes in 1996 and 1997.

He says he is a scapegoat and has been unfairly targeted. If convicted he faces up to 16 years in prison.

Mr Snipes was filming Gallow Walker in Namibia when the arrest warrant was issued. He was not forced to leave the country as the African nation does not have an extradition treaty with the US.

Ian Thompson, a spokesman for Sheer Films, which is producing Gallow Walker, told the Associated Press that Mr Snipes planned to return to Namibia after the court appearance to finish work on the film.

Read more here.

School expels pupil over cannabis

2006-12-07T19:36:00.000Z

News from Wales

A pupil has been expelled after being caught with cannabis at a Ceredigion secondary school, it has emerged.

In a separate incident at Cardigan Secondary School a "small number" of students were suspended for three days for smoking cigarettes in the grounds. The children have since returned to classes, the school and Ceredigion Council said in a statement.

The council and the school declined to say when the incidents occurred or give any more details about the pupils. In a joint statement, the council and the school said: "A pupil was permanently excluded a while ago from Cardigan Secondary School for being in possession of cannabis, but that pupil has now left the school.

"In a recent incident, following repeated warnings a small number of students were excluded for three days for smoking on school grounds. However, they have all now returned to school."

The school has 700 pupils.

In an unrelated incident it was forced to close for a few days last month after a dozen staff and about 150 pupils fell ill with a sickness bug.

Read the BBC story here.

Plastics 'poisoning world's seas'

2006-12-07T19:23:00.000Z

Plastic bags, plastic toys, plastic money, plastic rubbish, ….
The BBC updates your knowledge for free … Read about a recent study which highlights the fact that plastic is poisoning the oceans.

By Maggie Ayre Producer, Costing The Earth

Microscopic particles of plastic could be poisoning the oceans, according to a British team of researchers.

They report that small plastic pellets called "mermaids' tears", which are the result of industry and domestic waste, have spread across the world's seas.

The scientists had previously found the debris on UK beaches and in European waters; now they have replicated the finding on four continents.
Scientists are worried that these fragments can get into the food chain. Plastic rubbish, from drinks bottles and fishing nets to the ubiquitous carrier bag, ends up in the world's oceans. Sturdy and durable plastic does not bio-degrade, it only breaks down physically, and so persists in the environment for possibly hundreds of years.

Among clumps of seaweed washed up on the shore it is common to find mermaids' tears, small plastic pellets resembling fish eggs.

Some are the raw materials of the plastics industry spilled in transit from processing plants. Others are granules of domestic waste that have fragmented over the years. Either way, mermaids' tears remain everywhere and are almost impossible to clean up.

Read more here.

Six hurt as tornado hits London

2006-12-07T19:07:00.000Z

Six people were injured and up to 150 houses were damaged when a tornado swept through several London streets leaving a trail of destruction.

Rooftops were ripped off and cars were badly damaged as the twister hit the Kensal Rise area of north-west London. One man suffered a serious head injury and five have been treated for minor injuries and shock.

Fire services have sealed six roads in a zone covering a quarter of a square mile and searched 100 properties. Fire crews were called at about 1100 GMT on Thursday to Chamberlayne Road and surrounding streets, amid reports of collapsed scaffolding and damage to buildings.

Witnesses said there was heavy rain and sleet, then debris flying through the air.
Resident Colin Brewer said: "It was really, really incredible. All of a sudden I saw a swirl starting to form and then, it was amazing, but it then touched land.
"I then saw clumps of all sorts of things flying into air. It went from exciting to terrifying."
He reported seeing trees ripped up from the roots, front doors missing, windows smashed and people being hit on the head by flying objects.

The UK experiences an estimated 50 tornadoes on land each year, putting it top of the European twister league. The BBC Weather Centre said the tornado lasted less than one minute.
"To see a tornado is not that unusual - but the magnitude of the damage due to the one in north-west London is," said BBC meteorologist Susan Powell.
She said the tornado formed due to a lot of energy in the air across the UK, producing widespread heavy thunderstorms with gusty winds.
Read more of the BBC story here.

Biometric science arrives at Heathrow

2006-12-06T23:13:00.000Z

Passengers at Heathrow airport are being invited to take part in a trial of high-tech biometric scanning equipment, which aims to make the travelling process easier by getting people through identity checks faster than ever before.

When people are off to catch a flight, they usually check they've got everything. Passport? Ticket? Bumper Sudoku book? All there. But in future you might also need your fingertips to fly.

Not only vital for tackling the in-flight meal, fingertips - along with irises and facial features - are all being used in biometric measurements that check identity, a trial system of which has just gone live at Heathrow airport.

Initially limited to volunteers amongst passengers flying to Dubai and Hong Kong, the trial will run until the end of January with the potential for expansion should it be deemed a success.

Swedish goats

2006-12-05T14:27:00.000Z

Since 1966, in a Swedish town north of Stockholm, a giant straw goat has been erected every year to mark the festive season. The goats are usually burned down, some within hours of being erected. The BBC has published some of the stories.

Compare the 2005 and the 2006 texts.

2006

Goat guarded from festive vandals

Arsonists who enjoy burning down a festive Swedish straw goat may have met their match this year.

In the 40 years since the tradition started, the giant goat of Gavle has often gone up in flames within days. But this year the 13-metre (43ft) high goat has a coat of flame-resistant chemicals, and the authorities are determined it will see in the New Year.

"No-one is going to get our goat this year," says a local spokeswoman with confidence. Those who remain concerned can reassure themselves of the goat's wellbeing by watching on the "goatcam".

Just 10 of the goats, which are built in the town's central square, have survived beyond Christmas since 1966. Some have been burnt down within hours of being erected during the first week of December.

The culprits are seldom caught. However, a 51-year-old American tourist spent 18 days in jail after being convicted of setting it alight in December 2001.

It is not the first time authorities have put their faith in a flame-proof coating - a substance tried before washed off in the rain. This one is waterproof, says Gavle spokeswoman Anna Oestman, and while its hooves could still be singed, a full scale torching would now be "impossible".

Goats have a special place in Swedish tradition, and it was a goat which in earlier centuries delivered festive gifts before Santa Claus took over that role.

Read more here.

2005
Weird ritual of the burning goat

A giant straw goat erected every year in a Swedish town to mark the festive season has been burned down - again. Police in the town of Gavle said the 13-metre (43ft) high billy goat has been set on fire so often it has almost become a Christmas ritual.

It was the 22nd time it has gone up in smoke since the town, north of Stockholm, began the tradition in 1966.

Two men were seen running from the blaze, one of whom was disguised as Father Christmas, said police. Police spokeswoman Margareta Olander said officers received a call late Saturday evening to report the goat was on fire. "In just a couple of minutes only a sooty wooden skeleton remained," police spokeswoman Margareta Olander told Associated Press.

Several measures have been tried to protect the goat with varying degrees of success, including fire-proofing, security guards and a web camera. Just 10 of the goats, which are built in the town's central square, have survived beyond Christmas since 1966. Most have been burned, sometimes within hours of being built during the first week of December. The culprits are seldom caught. However, a 51-year-old American tourist spent 18 days in jail after being convicted of setting it alight in December 2001.

What do British teenagers think about ...?

2006-12-04T21:34:00.000Z

At last …. According to the BBC we can find out what British teenagers think about their parents, sex, money and the pressures of modern life. The answers have come to light in a new survey carried out by the BBC and just published (Dec 4th) on the BBC Devon website.

Enjoy it.

Love and humour are parents' top qualities according to today's teenagers, but their money was almost as highly rated.
In a survey carried out on the BBC Devon website, half of teenagers agreed the best things about their parents were the way they show their love for them and their sense of humour. However, financial matters were appreciated almost as much - 44% claimed the money their parents gave them was one of the best things about them.

The Talking Teenagers survey results show that the main reason for arguments between parents and teenagers was the teens' behaviour. Two thirds of the teenagers claimed this was the cause of most arguments. According to the teenagers the worse thing about today's parents was their mood. Parents seemed well aware of this, as they predicted teenagers would claim this was their worst quality.

Fashion, or possibly lack of it, was also a concern for teenagers - almost a third of those surveyed claimed their parents dress sense was one of the worse things about them.

Sex

Teens still find talking about sex with their parents difficult - less than a quarter felt able to talk to their parents about it. Well over half said they preferred talking to their friends about sex than their parents. Parents, however, seem less aware of this - almost half felt their teens could talk to them about sex.
Nearly one in ten of those who completed the survey felt unable to talk about sex with either their parents or their friends.
Unsurprisingly more than a third of teens also claimed that boyfriends/girlfriends were one of their biggest worries.

Under Pressure
Depression was a subject half of our teens felt more comfortable talking to their friends about. Almost a quarter of teens claimed their parents worried that their children might become depressed. It appears, however, that parents were even more concerned than their teens realised - 39% expressed concerns over teenage depression.
Even at such a young age around one third of teens felt that death was one of their biggest worries.

Money, Money, Money
One of the best things about parents according to nearly half of the teenagers, was the money they gave them. Only 30% of parents though felt teenagers would say money.
A fifth claimed that the money their parents gave them was one of the worst things about them!
Today's consumer society has caused a headache for many teens. Almost 40% claimed money was one of their biggest worries. Teen spending was also a big worry for parents.

Society

Teenagers today feel undervalued by society, as only 11% agreed that society values them. Over half of teenagers, 56%, also felt that they get a bad press.
Just over a fifth of teenagers said that their parents could make them happier by giving them more freedom and to stop treating them like a child.
For parents, the main thing which would make them happier would be for their teens to talk and listen to them more, but equally for them to do more housework!

Read the BBC page here.

They got an idea … for the elderly

2006-12-04T21:28:00.000Z

Do you remember the famous song “When I’m sixty-four” by Paul McCartney and John Lennon?

“When I get older losing my hair

many years from now

will you still be sending me a valentine

birthday greeting, bottle of wine

If I'd been out till quarter to three

would you lock the door

Will you still need me

Will you still feed me

When I'm sixty-four”

If the German city of Nuremberg fulfils its latest dream, the song could/can be:

Will you take me to the playground
When I’m sixty-four?

Read the BBC story.

Germany plans adults' playground
By Tristana Moore BBC News, Berlin

In Germany plans have been suggested to build a new playground - not for children, but for elderly people. The authorities in the city of Nuremberg are hoping to get enough funding for a playground tailored to suit the needs of the elderly.

They would incorporate activities to keep fit and stimulate the mind. If it proves a success, the idea could be adopted across the country. It will have giant chess boards, areas for card-playing and, for the more adventurous, it will have a running track and even a badminton court.

But there will be no swings or slides - the aim is to help elderly people keep fit and stop them getting bored.

Germany has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe - with an ever growing number of pensioners, experts have often warned that a demographic crisis is looming in the not too distant future.

"This country in two decades in the future will be a country of old people, a country of less innovative potential in the economy, a people living from the social systems and a country which is not compared to what Germany was in the past," says Professor Klaus Bade, a researcher at Osnabrueck University.

The deputy mayor of Nuremberg, Horst Foerther, said he got the idea of a playground for the elderly after travelling to Hong Kong. He said he saw many pensioners practising Tai Chi outside in parks and realised that elderly people in Germany could benefit from more social activities.

Read the whole story here.

Christmas almost upon us

2006-12-03T15:37:00.000Z

Worried about your Christmas shopping? Have you made plans or do you intend to go shopping on 23rd or 24th?
This The London Paper article may give you some fresh ideas.

With Christmas almost upon us, you may at some point soon find yourself armed with only a wire shopping basket, ducking, diving and grabbing for the last bottle of own-brand shower gel-in-a-gift-basket.

But before you collect the weaponry and credit cards, there is another way to avoid the melee that is last-minute Christmas shopping. Shop in the country.

Yes, there are shops in the country, it’s not all green fields and fat cows. In fact, I’ve always rather thought of country dwellers as prolific shoppers – it’s a social event as much as anything. Well, they don’t get out much.

Scientist predicts Britain will triumph over global warming

2006-12-03T15:23:00.000Z

The British newspaper THE TIMES has published an article with a bleak scenario of climate devastation by 2100. Over two thirds of the population may have died by then. However, the British Isles will become the centre of the civilized world again .

The days of empire may be gone but global warming will make Britain the centre of the civilised world once again, according to James Lovelock, the creator of the Gaia theory, which views the world as a self-sustaining organic system.

In a bleak prophecy he says that global warming will become so intense within a century that much of the world will become uninhabitable. The British Isles, however, is perfectly placed to become the most desirable location in the world in which to live and one of the few areas able to feed itself. It will be able to survive the devastating consequences of global heating, as he now terms it.

Professor Lovelock was one of the first scientists to give warning of the dangers of global warming, which he believes is here for 200,000 years. It will wreak so much havoc that the Earth wil be able to support only 500 million people, just one in six of today’s population.

Adaptation, Professor Lovelock said yesterday, is the only choice left as the world warms up and there is a rapid northwards shift of its population. Equatorial regions will become so hot that they can no longer sustain agriculture and will turn into deserts. Much of Europe will dry out so extensively that millions of people will be forced to make a new life closer to the Arctic.

Read more.

The car economy and the morality of driving

2006-12-02T22:39:00.000Z

In the UK, people drive millions of cars every day. Road congestion has become an issue.
The British motorways are free. So some people think road charging is the unavoidable answer to cut traffic congestion. A study commissioned by Chancellor Gordon Brown into future transport options for the UK supports road charges. Drivers must pay to use the roads.
But should drivers have to pay to use the roads? Is road pricing the best way to tackle congestion? Will it encourage people to use other forms of transport? What are the alternatives?

The DAILY TELEGRAPH has published an interesting text on this issue.

Supporters of road pricing are ambiguous, perhaps deliberately so, about what they want it to achieve. On the one hand, charges are presented as a tax on polluters; on the other, as an anti-congestion device. But these two ambitions are incompatible. The first aims to make driving less attractive, the second more so. This confusion runs through the Government's charging scheme, unveiled yesterday. And, to be fair, ministers are accurately reflecting the inconsistency of the rest of us. According to every opinion poll, most of us think that there are too many cars; yet we keep buying them. We want something done about congestion, but resent the idea of paying any more levies.

The Daily Telegraph suffers from no such doubts. Cars, with all their faults, are a necessity for many people. Those who live in rural areas cannot rely on public transport. Nor can parents who need to get their children to school (just try manoeuvring a couple of children and perhaps a pushchair too, on to a bus). Women understandably prefer driving to hanging around on station platforms after dark. Our roads are vital economic arteries: the prosperity of a modern nation depends on the velocity of exchange. To be anti-car is therefore, in varying degrees, to be anti-countryside, anti-children, anti-women and anti-business.

Road pricing should be used as a way to improve and extend our highways; it should not be simply another way to raise revenue for Gordon Brown. There may also be a case for some congestion charging in cities. But we must first move away from the idea that driving is either immoral or ineffective. "If you build more roads, you get more cars using them," say critics. Indeed. If you build more hospitals, you get more patients using them: hardly an argument against doing so.

Read the whole text here.

A weekend fishing - joke

2006-12-01T18:23:00.000Z

I was looking for a weird story that could have got to do with a long weekend when I found this one about a bright Canadian young salesperson.
It may sound a bit sexist, but ... do enjoy it!

A young guy from Alberta moves to Vancouver and goes to a big "everything under one roof" department store looking for a job.

The Manager says, "Do you have any sales experience?"
The kid says "Yeah. I was a salesman back in Alberta ."
Well, the boss liked the kid and gave him the job. "You start tomorrow. I'll come down after we close and see how you did. His first day on the job was rough, but he got through it.

After the store was locked up, the boss came down. "How many customers bought something from you today?
The kid says "one".
The boss says "Just one? Our sales people average 20 to 30 customers a day. How much was the sale for?"
The kid says "$101,237.65".
The boss says "$101,237.65? What the heck did you sell?"

The kid says, "First, I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fishhook. Then I sold him a larger fishhook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast, so I told him he was going to need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him a twin engine Chris Craft. Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4x4 Expedition."

The boss said "A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a BOAT and a TRUCK?" The kid said "No, the guy came in here to buy Tampons for his wife, and I said, "Dude, your weekend's shot. You should go fishing."

For more weird stories go here.

HIV epidemic 'is getting worse'

2006-12-01T18:12:00.000Z

Sub-Saharan Africa is still bearing the brunt of the HIV/Aids epidemic, a UNAids report has revealed.

Almost three-quarters of deaths from Aids in 2006 occurred there and two-thirds of those living with HIV are in that area.

UNAids says there are an estimated 39.5 million people now living with HIV. The number living with the virus has increased everywhere, with the most striking increases in East Asia and Central Asia/Eastern Europe. Some countries, such as Uganda, are seeing a resurgence in new HIV infection rates which were previously stable or declining.

The report, which is based on disease surveillance around the world, says there were an estimated 4.3 million new HIV infections this year, with 2.8 million of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Forty per cent of new infections were in people aged 15 to 24-years-old. In 2006, 2.9 million died of Aids-related illnesses.

The report says: "The future course of the world's HIV epidemics hinges in many respects on the behaviours young people adopt and maintain, and the factors that affect those choices."

In Eastern Europe/Central Asia there was a 70% increase in the number of new infections seen in 2006 compared with 2004 - 270,000 compared with 160,000.

In South-East Asia, the number of new infections rose by 15% from 2004 to 2006.
The increase is fuelled by high-risk behaviour such as injecting drug use, unprotected paid-for sex and unprotected sex between men.

Across the world, women are more likely to be affected by HIV than ever before, the report reveals. In sub-Saharan Africa, there are around 14 women living with HIV for every 10 men.

UNAids also says the HIV epidemics in Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland are continuing to grow.

Read the whole BBC story here.

Tsunami buoy laid in Indian ocean

2006-12-01T17:58:00.000Z

Do you remember the apocalyptic pictures of the 2004 tsunami in Asia?

Some more news from the BBC.

The first of a planned network of tsunami early warning buoys is being laid in the Indian Ocean.

The buoy is being placed between Thailand and Sri Lanka, two of the countries worst-hit by the 2004 tsunami which killed more than 200,000 people.

The buoy, provided by the US, is able to detect sudden increases in pressure deep under the sea and give coastal communities early warning of a tsunami.

The US already operates a similar system in the Pacific Ocean. The cost of the US-designed device is being shared by the US and Thailand.

A Thai Navy ship carrying it sailed from the holiday island of Phuket, which was badly hit by the Asian tsunami. It will be anchored about 1,000 km (620 miles) off the west coast of Thailand, near the Nicobar islands.

It is hoped that eventually a network of 24 buoys will extend to Indonesia and Australia, along the deep and unstable fault-line that caused the 2004 earthquake.

GM potato trials given go-ahead

2006-12-01T17:54:00.000Z

A plan to grow genetically modified potatoes on two trial sites in England has been approved by the government.

Defra granted permission for BASF Plant Science to grow the vegetables at field sites in Cambridgeshire and Derbyshire.

The crops have been modified to include a gene from a wild species of potato in a bid to make them resistant to blight, a disease costing growers £70m a year.
But the Soil Association said it was "a stupid decision" and warned other crops risked contamination by GM.

BASF aims to develop potatoes resistant to Phytophthora infestans , a fungal organism that produces late blight. The plant breeder says it has found a trait in a wild potato from a remote valley in the Central American Andes that causes resistance to the fungal organism.

The biotechnology firm applied to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to hold trials at the headquarters of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) in Cambridge and on a farm at Draycott in Derbyshire.

The GM potato crops are to be planted next spring, and trials will last several years. BASF said the investigations would take up a maximum of one hectare within a plot of two hectares at each site per year.

BASF corporate communications manager Chris Wilson said: "Nothing from these trials will be eaten. The potatoes grown will be tested under carefully controlled conditions and then destroyed.
"The possibility of a food crop from it is maybe 10 years down the line."

Go here for the whole BBC story.

Fields of experimental rice

2006-12-01T17:52:00.000Z

Fields of experimental rice varieties at the International Rice Research Institute (Irri) in the Philippines. Scientists from Irri and other agricultural research institutes are to announce plans to develop crops suited to the environmental conditions of the future. (Image: Irri)

Girl, four, locked in school bus

2006-11-30T20:49:00.000Z

Read this BBC story and complete the gaps with these verb forms:

1. are taken 2. had allowed 3. had apologised

4. have been rigorously reassessed 5. stuck 6. taken 7. was locked

8. was only discovered 9. was only found 10. was overlooked

11. was opened 12. was picked up

A four-year-old girl spent more than six hours _________ in a school minibus after she ________ in it for the day, it has emerged.
The pupil _________ in the morning and ________ to St Joseph's Cathedral Infants School in Swansea (Wales) but ________ as everyone else got off. The unnamed girl ________ at the end of the school day.

The school said it ________ to her parents and taken steps to ensure it could not happen again. “As a caring school and community we were deeply upset by this incident as parents expect the very best from our school,” it said in a statement.
“A situation like this has never previously occurred and we will ensure that it will never reoccur again.
“All our processes and procedures _________ to ensure the safety of all our pupils.”

The girl _________ when the bus _________ to take pupils home.
“Staff were upset by what happened and the school has apologised to the child's family,” said Mr Kavanagh, Chairman of the school governors.
“The child's parents are satisfied with the additional measures taken to ensure an incident like this cannot happen again.”
He said they _________ the girl to continue to use the bus service.

“An incident of this nature is extremely rare,” he added. “Thousands of young people in Swansea ________ to and from school on school buses and minibuses every day and no one at the council can recollect something like this happening there.”

Key: Move your cursor mouse here >> stuck--was locked--was picked up--taken--was overlooked--was only found--had apologised--have been rigorously reassessed--was only discovered--was opened--had allowed--are taken

US man saved from alligator jaws

2006-11-30T19:35:00.000Z

Read this BBC story.

Complete it with these words/verb forms:

1. are broken 2. believed 3. broken

4. dragged 5. had admitted 6. is believed

7. responded 8. saved 9. waded

10.was later caught 11. was later described

12. was overshadowed

A naked man ________ from the jaws of a 12-foot (3.6-metre) alligator by Florida police officers after reports of a man screaming in a lake in the early hours.
Four members of the Polk County Sheriff department ________ through waist-deep mud in the dark to reach Adrian Apgar, 45, and pull him free from the alligator. Mr Apgar _______ as critically ill in hospital.
Police said it was unclear why he was in the water in the early hours, but he _______ taking crack cocaine.
They _______to calls from the public who had heard a man screaming for help at central Florida's Lake Parker at around 0400 (0900 GMT).
“I remember him saying: 'I'm over here, get here quick, he's still got me, he's going to kill me, my arms ________',” one of the deputies, Michael Parker, later told a news conference.
The four officials _______ Mr Apgar 40 metres out of the water, up a steep bank to the ambulance.
He ________ to have severe injuries to his left arm, a ________ right arm and leg injuries.
Another deputy, Billy Osborne, said that any fear of the alligator ________ by need to rescue the man.
“'It was a human being, he was dying. He needed help,” Mr Osborne said. “I knew my partners were behind me. I wasn't too afraid another alligator was going to get me.” The alligator _______ to have carried out the attack ________, wildlife officials said.

Key: Move your cursor mouse here >> was saved -waded- was later described- had admitted- responded- are broken- dragged- is believed- broken- was overshadowed- believed- was later caught

Pupils head to the farm for class

2006-11-29T23:14:00.000Z

How much has school taught you about these things?
- how food is grown and produced
- how it reaches you, the consumer
- good nutrition
- tackling obesity

Read this BBC text

Pupils in England will learn more about how food is grown and produced and how it reaches the consumer under a new government scheme starting next year.

The scheme will see pupils from primary and secondary schools visiting local farms, tending school gardens and learning how to prepare food. It will also provide schools with educational materials.
The Year of Food and Farming in education will run in the academic year from September 2007 to July 2008.
Pupils will learn what "good nutrition" means and how it can contribute to a healthier lifestyle. They will also find out what the countryside can offer in terms of leisure, sports and employment.

At a conference - Food And Farming, Reconnecting A New Generation - the Environment Secretary, David Miliband, welcomed the scheme.
"As consumers we have a great deal of power when it comes to buying food," he said.

"As well as influencing our health, the choices we make really do make a difference to our countryside, the environment, and to tackling the biggest challenge we all face: climate change.
"Consumers need to make informed choices, and where better to start than in educating the next generation."

Public health minister Caroline Flint said: "Improving diet and increasing exercise are key to tackling obesity in young people.
"This is a great opportunity for young people to reconnect not just with the food they eat but also to get active and take advantage of the countryside that's out there waiting for them to explore."

The Year of Food and Farming was first put forward by the charity Farming and Countryside Education (Face). It is supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Education and Skills, the Department of Health, the Royal Agricultural Society for England and other organisations in the food and farming industries.

Rich nations accused of dumping e-waste on Africa

2006-11-28T22:11:00.000Z

The British newspaper The Guardian has just published an interesting text on e-waste. The rich countries are sending this waste to some of the poorest nations. At least 100,000 computers a month are entering the Nigerian port of Lagos. Good quality, second hand pieces of equipment? Local experts estimate that between a quarter to 75% of these items are defunct - in other words e-waste, in other words, long distance dumping from developed country consumers and companies to an African rubbish tip or landfill.

Unbelievable, isn’t it? How do you feel?

Where is that old computer you dumped last year?

The Guardian wrote:
“Growing consumerism and improvements in technology are leading to an increase in the amount of dangerous electronic waste being dumped on the world's poorest nations, the head of the UN Environment Programme said today.

Addressing a conference of delegates from 120 countries in Kenya, Achim Steiner said that alongside growth in trade between countries had come "the globalised phenomenon of consumerism and what one might call 'built in obsolescence'."

Hi-tech products like mobile phones and computers were "driving the purchasing and discarding of products in a way unknown a generation ago," he said.

Mr Steiner said he had just learned that at least 100,000 computers a month were entering the Nigerian port of Lagos.

"If these were good quality, second hand pieces of equipment, this would perhaps be a positive trade of importance for development.
"But local experts estimate that between a quarter to 75% of these items including old TVs, CPUs and phones are defunct - in other words e-waste, in other words long distance dumping from developed country consumers and companies to an African rubbish tip or landfill."

Some 20 to 50 million metric tonnes of e-waste are generated worldwide every year.

In the EU the volume of e-waste is expected to increase by 3-5% a year, while developing countries are expected to triple their output of e-waste by 2010.

Dear CLIP Caramulo Students (3)

2006-11-27T21:19:00.000Z

Would you like to visit a few weblogs in English?
I’ve selected a few weblogs that are interesting and may be helpful. You may get some new ideas to expand your weblog.

1. Breakfast's space school blog
Some British schoolchildren from Wellsway School in Bristol have visited the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida (WOW!) and mission control in Houston, Texas (WOW!), and describe their experiences, in their own words, on this blog.

2. Sandaig Primary School

Sandaig is in Barlanark in the city of Glasgow, Scotland.
This is their weblog and a very interesting one written by kids.

Read what they wrote about a non-uniform day. I’m sure you can correct some of their typographical mistakes. Try.

3. Welcome to The Downs CEP School, Walmer, Kent, England
The special ICT teams have made some amazing animations, puzzles, movies and much more... all using ICT. Wow!

Dear CLIP Caramulo Students (2)

2006-11-27T21:13:00.000Z

Now take some time off ….. to laugh!

1. A history joke
Father: Why aren't you doing very well in history?
Son: Because the teacher keeps asking about things that happened before I was born!

2.
Son: I can't go to school today.
Father: Why not?
Son: I don't feel well.
Father: Where don't you feel well?
Son: At school!

3. An ideal homework excuse
Teacher: Where's your homework?
Pupil: I lost it fighting a kid who said you weren't the best teacher in the school.

4. A math joke
Teacher: How much is half of 8?
Pupil: Up and down or across?
Teacher: What do you mean, up and down or across?
Pupil: Well, up and down makes two 3 or across the middle makes two 0!

5. A history joke
Teacher: Who succeeded the first king of Portugal?
Pupil: The second one!

6. A math joke
Teacher: Are you good at math?
Pupil: Yes and no.
Teacher: What do you mean?
Pupil: Yes, I'm no good at math!

7.
Teacher: Why is the Mississippi such an unusual river?
Pupil: Because it has four eyes [iiii] and can't see!

8. Bad timing for an excuse
Teacher: Why were you late?
Pupil: Sorry, teacher, I overslept.
Teacher: It's three in the afternoon!

Dear CLIP Caramulo Students (1)

2006-11-27T21:05:00.000Z

Your weblog CLIP is growing into a great experience, isn’t it?

You deserve our attention. That’s why I’ve decided to send you a few gifts.

You see, it’s Christmas next month! I’m sure you will enjoy visiting these webpages.

And, as a result, your English will improve.

Do you think you can turn (learning) English into a hobby? Believe me, that’s possible.

Have you thought of creating new sections in your weblog? You could turn yours into the best weblog in Portuguese schools! I’m sure your teachers would love that too, wouldn’t they?

Try this British Council webpage. It’s wonderful.

stories > fairy tales

Then try one of the stories, Little Red Riding Hood, for example.

Don't forget to turn the sound on!

Don’t stop. Try the other stories. Tell your English teacher about them.

JOSE MOURINHO has accused refs of favouring Man United

2006-11-26T11:09:00.000Z

Two great football teams. Two many great players. Two brilliant coaches. A great football match. The English newspaper The Sun has highlighted Jose Mourinho's comments on referees. This is the typical build-up to a great match! To understand the story, you need some information not only about English football but also about recent refereeing problems there.

Read the story.

Chelsea’s boss let rip in the build-up to Sunday's Old Trafford blockbuster, where Howard Webb will be in charge.

Mourinho said: “We don’t want refs to treat us like they treated United when Tottenham’s Pedro Mendes had a shot which was two metres over the line and nobody saw it.
"We don’t want to be given penalties like United had in the first minute against Portsmouth to score as soon as the game has started.
“We don’t want any of that.
“We just want something that has always been abundant in the English game — fair play and dignity.”

The comments are sure to crank up the pressure on referee Webb, who was handed the game following recent controversies surrounding usual first-choice Graham Poll.

Mourinho added: “I know that people here don’t want us to win but in football the team that does enough to deserve the victory should win.
“You can’t be biased against one particular team because the team has won on many occasions in the past.
“Or because the owner of the club is who he is, or because the manager is who he is, or because the players are who they are.
“We want to win when we deserve to win and lose when we deserve to lose.”
Mourinho felt things went too far at Spurs as John Terry was sent off.

Nelly Furtado

2006-11-25T18:57:00.000Z

Neil Smith, BBC News Entertainment reporter, talked to chart-topping pop singer Nelly Furtado about her music, career and her hopes for the future.

'Reinvigorated' Nelly cuts Loose
By Neil Smith Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Looking out the window of Nelly Furtado's hotel suite in central London, the skies look overcast and gloomy. From where the diminutive Canadian pop star is sitting, though, the view must look pretty good.

Her third album Loose is her most successful to date and has spawned two hit singles - Maneater, her first UK number one, and Promiscuous, her first number one in the US.

A five-continent tour is planned for early 2007, and earlier this month she was named best pop/rock artist at the World Music Awards.

One imagines that this acclaim and attention must feel all the sweeter given the tepid response her second album, Folklore, received in 2003.

But if Nelly is feeling vindicated or triumphant, she certainly does not show it.

Read the whole text here.

Rolling Stones 'beat tour record'

2006-11-25T18:42:00.000Z

According to the BBC, Sir Mick Jagger is making loadsa money at the age of 63. Only great people can be that successful! How much money do you expect to earn one day?

Read the BBC story here.

The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang tour is the top-grossing tour in history, Billboard magazine has reported.
Since August 2005, the band have grossed $437m (£226m), playing 110 shows in front of 3.5 million fans.
The Stones' success comes despite the tour being dogged by delays and cancellations due to throat problems for lead singer Sir Mick Jagger, 63.
The tour was also postponed when guitarist Keith Richards fell from a tree while on holiday in Fiji.
Earlier this month, the band postponed five concerts and cancelled what was to be the final date of the tour in Honolulu, Hawaii, after Sir Mick was advised to take four days off to help him recover from laryingitis.
Irish rock group U2 previously held the record for the top-grossing tour, according to Billboard.
Their recent Vertigo tour grossed $377m (£195m).

Danish ad makes road safety sexy

2006-11-25T18:26:00.000Z

We know speeding is responsible for a lot of road accidents. Have you thought of any new measures to make drivers more aware of the dangers of speeding? Well, take your time.In the meantime, read about this interesting campaign in Denmark.

Danish road safety officials have come up with a novel way of warning motorists about the dangers of speeding - by using topless blonde women. They have produced a spoof news report where the blondes carry road signs showing the Danish speed limit: 50km/h. The video - posted on the web - is aimed at grabbing the attention of young male drivers, but feminists say they hate it.

Speeding has been blamed for 25% of road deaths in Denmark. Julia Pauli of the Danish road safety council told the BBC that the reaction to the video had been mostly positive.

"If you want to reach the young people, you have to communicate on their conditions... So, topless women are working," she said.

She said the advertising campaign had been tested and in the target group it was really positive - more than 50% said they were thinking more about the dangers of speeding when driving.

Asked if the council would consider using a man exposing his bottom to appeal to speeding women drivers, Ms Pauli said: "Maybe. We'll see."

BBC story

Wheat's lost gene helps nutrition

2006-11-25T15:35:00.000Z

Fill in the gaps.
Complete the "_____ gaps" using all these verb forms:

can be created

consumed

has been changed

has been identified

has largely been silenced

have discovered

is found

Complete the "------- gaps" using all these words:

functioning

indicating

providing

standing

writing

A very special gene ______ in wheat. It has been called GPC-B1, GPC ------- for Grain Protein Content. It ______ in both wild and domesticated varieties of wheat, but in subtly different forms, -------- that it ______ by the long history of domestication. It ______ during the evolution of domestic varieties.

Scientists ______ that turning it back on could raise levels of protein, iron and zinc.
------- in the journal Science, they suggest that new varieties with a fully ------- gene ______ through cross-breeding with wild wheat.

"Wheat is one of the world's major crops, ------- approximately one-fifth of all calories ______ by humans," said project leader Professor Jorge Dubcovsky from the University of California at Davis.

"Therefore, even small increases in wheat's nutritional value may help decrease deficiencies in protein and key micronutrients."

Read the whole BBC story here.

Key: Move your cursor mouse here >: has been identified; is found; has been changed; has largely been silenced; have discovered; can be created; consumed; standing; indicating; writing; functioning: providing

Chinese students answer questions

2006-11-24T22:17:00.000Z

Through the BBC, pupils at a Chinese school (the Beijing Academy of Educational Science Pilot Middle School) and an English school (Our Lady's Convent High School in London) are sharing the school day via a laptop link-up. The BBC has asked people to put questions to the students in China. Although the Chinese authorities have erased some of the questions on topics such as Tibet, Taiwan and freedom of expression, it is still worthwhile visiting the BBC site.

A few questions and answers:

Question from Matt Claremont-Davies, Exeter, UK
Is it important to modern students to understand the English language?

Wu Man: Of course! This is because English is the most popular language in the world and people use the language everywhere. I think Chinese is too difficult for foreigners - it is easier for us to learn English. I also speak a bit of Japanese and Korean.

Question from Anthony Hedrick, California, USA
Hello, I would like to know what a typical day of school is like, also what is the general feeling towards Americans in China. If I could visit your country I would like to see the Great Wall.

Liu Rai (17): I start school at 7am and each class lasts 45 minutes. Then we have a ten minute break before the next class. We have lunch at 12. It takes ages for us to have lunch because there are so many people in my class. When the bell rings at 12.45 we go back to class. Then we have self study and then formal classes after that. Because my home town is far away, I live at home which is just so-so. I see my family at the weekends, so it's not too bad. I don't know much about America as I don't have any American friends but I do have an English friend. I would like to go to India as I like their beautiful clothes. I would prefer to go to England rather than America as I like British English.

Question from Michael D. Griffin, Neil Murray, Tunbridge Wells, UK
Last year, when I was in Beijing in August, I noticed that there were very, very few children anywhere. I was told that this is because they were all in summer school, because the education system is so competitive. is this true?

Sun Hai Qing (16): It is true. I go to summer school but I don't mind as I learn about a lot of things I like. I like the education system though I agree it is fiercely competitive

Question from Ms. F, US
I would like to know if the students feel able to balance schoolwork with leisure activities. Many Chinese seem to think that all they should be doing is working.
Liu Feng (17): I think that having fun is just a small part of life. As a Chinese student, it is very important for us to study hard and pass the university examination: that has to come first. The exam is called the gaokao and on June 6th next year. The results decide whether we go to university or not. I have already drawn up a study plan for the exam.

Question from Zavier Horwell, Teddington, UK
What is it like to be living in such a big, overpopulated country? Also how do you fell about obesity and why do you do so much sport?

Sun Hai Qing: I am proud to live in China. There is 5000 years of history in China and no other country in the world has that. Obesity mostly affects younger children. Because of the one-child policy, parents spoil their child, but girls my age are all trying to lose weight to be pretty. I don't do much sport but I like to play basketball and run - it keeps me fit.

Sun Peng (18): I am very proud of living in this country. Although the large population needs more resources, we're united together to develop our country into a modern and strong country.
With the development of living standards, there are more and more children who are too fat. I think a balanced diet is important and doing exercise regularly is necessary. Children should not eat too much fast food such as potato chips, hamburgers and ice cream. They are rich in fat.
I like doing exercise. I like football very much. I play football everyday. I think sports make me strong and healthy.

Now it's your turn.

1. Write ONE question you would like to ask the Chinese students.

2. Remember something that struck you: ONE similarity or ONE difference, between you and the Chinese students.

Newsstories from Scotland

2006-11-23T18:38:00.000Z

Pink limo for improving truants

A council has defended a decision to reward pupils at an Aberdeenshire school with a trip in a pink stretch limousine for improving attendance.
A project had been launched to reform a group of truants at Banff Academy.
Aberdeenshire Council said the pink stretch limousine trip was organised to mark the project's success.
A spokesman said: "The one-off event was organised at no cost to the school and recognised a significant improvement among the group."
Defending itself against reported parent concerns about such a reward, Aberdeenshire Council told BBC Scotland: "Banff Academy values the hard work of all of its pupils. "This event was merely to recognise a clear change in habits among this particular group."

Read the whole story here.

Smoking age rise 'within months'

The law will be changed within months to raise the legal age for buying cigarettes, according to the Scottish health minister.
Andy Kerr said legislation on raising the age from 16 to 18 would be put in place by February or March.
However, he added that the change may not be implemented until after the Holyrood elections in May.
He also said a tough approach would be needed to deal with vendors who sold tobacco products to under-age people.
An expert group on smoking prevention made the recommendation on Wednesday.

Read more here.

Dedicated environment court plans

The Scottish Executive is to carry out a public consultation on plans to create specialist environmental courts.
Environment Minister Ross Finnie said the aim would be to improve the enforcement of environmental law.
Fines could be imposed without a case going to court - a proposal welcomed by environmentalists.
However, the Greens said ministers' last major environment consultation ignored the views of 86% of people on the third party right of appeal issue.
The consultation will focus on issues such as pollution, waste and wildlife crime.
It will examine how training for enforcement authorities could be improved and whether public participation could be increased.

Read more here.

Climbers die after rescue effort

Two climbers who were found after spending a night in "dreadful" conditions in the Cairngorms have died.
The men, aged 18 and 23, were a student from Aberdeen University and a recent graduate of the university.
They were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after being found by rescue teams on Monday morning.
It is suspected the pair, who have not been named by police, were caught out by extreme weather returning from Coire an t-Sneachda on Sunday.
Succumbed to weather
The climbers were found on the hillside about a mile from the Cairngorm Ski area car park, rescuers said.

Read more here.

Hospital staff in smoking protest

Staff at Dundee's Ninewells Hospital have staged a walkout in protest of new rules on smoking.
Workers have claimed the decision by health chiefs to ban smoking within hospital grounds meant a long walk for a cigarette break.
However, NHS Tayside said it was doing its duty as a health authority, adding that it expected most people to comply with the move.
The short protest was not thought to have disrupted hospital services.
NHS Tayside said the new policy, which has now come into force, meant there would be no smoking by staff, visitors, contractors or out-patients within its buildings or grounds.
The health authority said in a statement: "We think that the majority of people will co-operate with the policy and understand that as a health promoting organisation, NHS Tayside aims to maintain a safe, healthy working environment and protect the health of patients, staff and visitors."

Read the whole story here.

Man 'knocked out' brother-in-law

A man was left unconscious after being punched by his brother-in-law, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard.
Terrance Walton fell to the ground after being hit once, banged his head and was knocked out.
Grant Johnston, 30, was placed on probation for a year and given 200 hours community service after admitting assault to Mr Walton's severe injury.
The incident came after Johnston, from Edinburgh, argued with a friend of Mr Walton's in a pub in the city.
The attack took place in Lorne Street, Leith, on 11 March.
The court heard how Mr Walton followed Johnston outside after the scaffolder left the pub.

Read the story here.

Magellan's epic voyage retold

2006-11-22T21:20:00.000Z

What do you know about Ferdinand Magellan?
1. Ferdinand Magellan was born in
a) Portugal
b) Spain
c) France
2. He was
a) a doctor
b) an explorer
c) a pirate
3. He was the first European to cross
a) the Atlantic Ocean
b) the Indian Ocean
c) the Pacific Ocean
4. Magellan’s historic circumnavigation started in
a) 1518
b) 1519
c) 1520
5. Magellan
a) finished his voyage
b) was killed in India
c) was killed in the Philippines

Find the answers here.

Now read part a BBC text about Magellan and his circumnavigation voyage.

Five hundred years ago a stricken ship, the Victoria, limped into the port of Seville. Its crew of 18 were all that was left of the 265 men that started out three years earlier. They were half-dead from starvation and disease, having just completed a voyage that would change the course of history and profoundly shape the way we live today.

Victoria was part of a fleet of five ships commanded by Ferdinand Magellan. His objective was to get to the unimaginable riches of the Spice Islands through the New World, making Spain the richest country in the world. And of course Magellan would have the fame and share the wealth.
Magellan never planned to, wanted to, or indeed did, sail around the world.

When he set off on this voyage, the plan was to get to the Spice Islands and then return the same way back. Yet, still today in many countries, it is Magellan who gets the credit for being the first person to circumnavigate. But the reality is that it was another great man, Juan Sebastian Elcano, who has the honour of being the first circumnavigator.

The Portuguese controlled the known route eastwards to the Spice Islands so Magellan had to pioneer a new route westwards. No-one had ever sailed this way before. The fleet of five ships set off across the Atlantic. It was a hair-raising passage. After months of searching the east coast of South America, Magellan was faced with the fact that he could not find a passage west. He was forced to endure a brutal winter which included a starvation diet, freezing conditions, mutiny and murder.

You can read more about the Nao Victoria, a perfect replica of the original Victoria, which completed a re-creation of the journey this year.

Key: Click here with your cursor mouse>>1a; 2b; 3c; 4b; 5c

Laugh! More science jokes

2006-11-21T21:55:00.000Z

How many gorillas does it take to change a light bulb?

Just one, but it takes a lot of light bulbs.

How many students does it take to change a light bulb?

None. They are smart enough to use fluorescent bulbs that almost never need changing.

3.

The foolish gardener planted a light bulb and thought he would get a power plant.

4.

Wind power is very popular because it has a lot of fans.

5.

Relativity:Two hairs in my cup of milk is too much. Two hairs on my head is too less.

6.
Two hydrogens are walking along a street.
The first one says, "Hey! I think I lost an electron!"
The second one replies, "Are you sure?"
The first one then says, "Yeah, I'm POSITIVE."

7.
H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold water.

A physicist, an engineer and a mathematician were all in a hotel sleeping when a fire broke out in their respective rooms.
The physicist woke up, saw the fire, ran over to his desk, and began working out all sorts of fluid dynamics equations. After a couple minutes, he threw down his pencil, got a graduated cylinder out of his suitcase, and measured out a precise amount of water. He threw it on the fire, extinguishing it, with not a drop wasted, and went back to sleep.
The engineer woke up, saw the fire, ran into the bathroom, turned on all the taps, flooding out the entire apartment, which put out the fire, and went back to sleep.
The mathematician woke up, saw the fire, ran over to his desk, began working through theorems and hypotheses, and after a few minutes, put down his pencil triumphantly and exclaimed, "I have proven that I can put the fire out!" He then went back to sleep.

States sign nuclear energy pact

2006-11-21T20:54:00.000Z

An international consortium has signed a formal agreement to build an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. The multi-billion-euro project known as Iter - or "the way" in Latin - will aim to produce energy from nuclear reactions like those that fuel the Sun. If successful, it could provide energy that is both clean and limitless.

The project, which will be based in France, follows years of talks between South Korea, Russia, China, the EU, the US, India and Japan. If all goes well, officials will build a demonstration power plant before rolling out the technology to the world. Iter says electricity could be available on the grid within 30 years.

"Fusion could become the dominant source of electricity on Earth in a century or so - we have to work to try to get it," Jerome Pamela of Iter told the BBC.

In a fusion reaction, energy is released when light atomic nuclei - the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium - are fused together to form heavier atomic nuclei.

To use controlled fusion reactions on Earth as an energy source, it is necessary to heat a gas to temperatures exceeding 100 million Celsius - many times hotter than the centre of the Sun.

Read the whole BBC story here. Then answer these questions.

1. Where did the signature take place?
2. What was Mr Jose Manuel Durao Barroso doing there?
3. What will begin in the spring?
4. What will happen in 2009?
5. How do a fusion reaction and a typical chemical reaction compare?

Dutch government backs burqa ban

2006-11-21T19:43:00.000Z

Social interaction is easier if faces are not covered. You see the other person, you see his / her emotions. Face-to-face conversation sounds much better than on the phone, for example.

However, banning a tradition (like wearing burkas) has led some to say that basic human rights are at risk.

Read the story about a controversial decision in the Netherlands, a country that has been synonymous with FREEDOM.

Complete the text with these passive voice forms.

are promoted - can be disturbed - has been backed - is expected - is known - are thought - would also be covered - would be banned

A proposal to ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa in public places ______ by the Dutch cabinet by the country's immigration minister.

The burqa, a full body covering that also obscures the face, ______ by law in the street, and in trains, schools, buses and the law courts. Public order, citizens and safety ______ by burqas, the cabinet said. The decision comes days ahead of elections which the ruling centre-right coalition ______ to win.

Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk, who ______ for her tough policies, said it was important that all people in the Netherlands were able to see and identify each other clearly. That way integration and tolerance ______.

Last year a majority of MPs in the Dutch parliament said they were in favour of a ban. An estimated 6% of 16 million people living in the Netherlands are Muslims.

But there ______ to be fewer than 100 women who choose to wear the burqa, a traditional Islamic form of dress.

The latest move came after an expert committee judged that it would not contravene Dutch law. Other forms of face coverings, such as crash helmets with visors that obscure the face, _____ by a legal ban.

Read the whole BBC story here.

Key: To see the key, move your cursor mouse from here >> 1. has been backed 2. would be banned 3. can be disturbed 4. is expected 5. is known 6. are promoted 7. are thought 8. would also be covered

Think about this issue. What’s your position? Are you for or against the ban?

Annan warns of biotech dangers

2006-11-20T17:14:00.000Z

A few days ago Mr Kofi Annan was in Switzerland where he spoke about the benefits and the dangers of biotechnology and compared it to the potential impact of nuclear power.

Complete the text with these words:

biological - biotechnology - bringing - concerted - endeavours - expanding - highlighted - poor - progress - right - threshold - wrong

United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan has warned the world is on the ______ of a new biotechnology era, similar to the advent of nuclear power.

Speaking in Switzerland, Mr Annan has called for a ______ international drive to both harness and control ______, which he says offers huge promise in terms of medical advances, environmental protection and food security for rich and ______.

But he warns it will also bring huge dangers if it falls into the wrong hands, with the threat of ______ weapons or "accidents" growing as scientific knowledge and skills become more widely available.

Mr Annan has ______ the development of new vaccines opened up by biotechnology to deal with long-standing and emerging viruses, and the prospect of new treatments for diabetes and other diseases.
"The bright side of biotechnology reflects the best of human ______ in the service of the deepest human needs," he said.
"In the _______ hands and with the appropriate safety precautions, these are sound scientific ______ that increase our knowledge of viruses," Mr Annan said. "But if they fall into the ______ hands, they could be catastrophic."

Mr Annan has called for global initiatives.
One would use biotechnology and life sciences "to build better lives for people around the world" by ______ the availability of new technologies, encouraging transparency and increasing cooperation.
The second involves ______ together myriad discussions on safeguards against biological weapons and other risks by scientists and attempts to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention.

Read this ABC Newsonline story.

Key: Move your cursor mouse here > threshold concerted biotechnology poor biological highlighted progress right endeavours wrong expanding bringing

Why are GM foods so controversial?

2006-11-20T16:44:00.000Z

You have been reading about GM foods. This BBC page helps you revise and widen your views and arguments. Read it and make notes.

GM crops are created by inserting genes from different plants or even animals into a crop to provide it with special attributes, such as resistance to pesticides. The issue has provoked bitter controversy.

Supporters say that GM crops will increase yields. But opponents argue that they could have unpredictable health risks. Both sides of the argument regularly produce evidence disputing the same point – for example, whether GM crops damage or benefit the environment.

What are the arguments for and against GM crops?

For:
Biotechnology companies and some scientists say that these crops are produced in a more efficient and environmentally-friendly way. They argue that GM crops:

Are more cost-effective: GM crops have lower costs of production because herbicide-resistant and insect-resistant plants produce higher yields, according to Monsanto, a major GM producer.
Are safe for human consumption: There is no evidence to suggest that GM foods are unsafe, the British Medical Association said in a 2003 statement. But it has called for more research to provide convincing evidence of safety and benefit.
Can benefit human health: Crops can be enriched with nutrients to address human health issues, according to the Royal Society, the UK’s science academy.
Could help the developing world: GM crops could help the developing world by increasing yields of native crops, potentially addressing poverty and hunger.
Cut down on pesticide and herbicide use: Pesticide use has decreased in GM crop-growing areas, according to a 2002 study by the US-based National Center for Food and Agricultural policy.
Help preserve natural habitats: Monsanto says that natural ecosystems would be protected from demands for agricultural land as GM crops allow efficient use of existing farm land.

Against:

Green groups, organic farmers and other campaigners point to a range of environmental and health hazards. They argue that GM crops:

Could increase herbicide and pesticide use: Pesticide and herbicide tolerance could mean that farmers spray their crops more liberally – so increasing the risk of pesticide residue in food.
Could damage non-GM farmers: Cross-contamination of non-GM fields could affect farmers with GM-free status and destroy their trade, argues Friends of the Earth.
Have unpredictable health risks: GM crops could be harmful to human health, according to a report by an activist group, Scientists for Global Responsibility. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) study showed that antibiotic-resistant genes can cross from our food to our stomach, possibly making antibiotics ineffective.
Won't help feed the developed world: The cause of hunger isn’t scarcity of food but the distribution of grain says Oxfam.
Mainly benefits big biotechnology companies: Companies control patents on seeds so farmers lose control over seed production.
Could affect biodiversity: Using herbicide on resistant crops could lead to fields being cleared of weeds, removing food sources for wildlife, according to Genewatch.

Many people are undecided about GM crops and say that they cannot make up their minds until more tests have been conducted on, for example, the effects of GM crops on human health. Others argue that the debate should be widened beyond GM to look at how we regulate and produce our food and how we tackle health problems through diet.

What do you think?

Extinct pig spotted again … at a museum in Scotland!

2006-11-19T15:17:00.000Z

I found this story this morning and it's very interesting.

Complete the story with the ten verb forms. Check the key later.

1. are delighted 2. attacked 3. decided 4. has been

5. has been created 6. has been seen 7. researched

8. was covered 9. was handed 10. was kept

An extinct pig which was indigenous to Shetland (Scotland) _____ for the first time in more than 100 years. A model of the pig - which was the size of a large dog and had tusks -______ after work by researchers and a taxidermist.

The pig, which ______ lambs, _____ domestically until the 1800s. It ______ with long stiff bristles over a fleece of coarse wool.

In order to reconstruct it, Dr Ian Tait, curator of collections at Shetland Museum, ______ published sources to find various descriptions.

The job of bringing the pig back to life _____ to taxidermist David Hollingworth.
They _____ to use an immature wild boar, adding tusks and a ridge of four inch long black hairs down the animal's back.

Dr Tait said: “Making this reconstruction relied on months of research, finding out how large the animal was and what colour and shape it was. The result _____ well worth all the hard work.”
“We are confident that the reconstruction is an excellent interpretation of the pig breed that lived in Shetland for many centuries. We _____ that visitors to the museum will now be able to see for themselves an animal that had such a large part in Shetland's farming history.”

The model will go on display at the new Shetland Museum and Archives.

Learn: Taxidermists may practise professionally for museums or as amateurs. Taxidermy is the art of mounting or reproducing animals for display or study. This is a practice generally done with vertebrates.

Read the BBC text here.
For the latest news on the development of the New Museum and Archives please visit the link here.

Key: Move your cursor mouse here from x to y: x 6 – 5 – 2 – 10 – 8 – 7- 9 – 3 - 4- 1 y

Sony's PlayStation 3 launch in downtown San Francisco

2006-11-19T00:01:00.000Z

A few days ago one of my posts was about the launch of PS3 in Japan.Remember PlayStation 3 hits the Japanese market ?
Today you can read about Sony's PlayStation 3 launch in downtown San Francisco. It was a spectacular event.

But first look at the photo. If you had enough money to buy the Sony console, would you queue for two days? Vote here.

The street had to be blocked off for the evening.
The band Angels and Airwaves played on a specially constructed stage, there were spot lights, video screens and a giant LED clock counted down the time until the first sale at midnight.

At 8pm there was a dramatic delivery of the new consoles with the arrival of 200 systems in a 40-foot truck. Sony executives did not disclose the exact number of systems on sale nor could they confirm how many of the $499 20GB and the $599 60GB system were available, though a representative insisted no one would be disappointed despite the two variants being doled out on a first-come first-served basis.

At midnight the first sale was made to 21-year old Chris Toribio amid a sea of media cameras. He had waited in line since early Wednesday morning when he and his four friends set up camp on the pavement near the store.By mid-afternoon there were 50 people in this unofficial queue.

By Thursday afternoon the official queue consisted of roughly 700 people who had all been guaranteed a console. They waited in deck chairs or on sleeping bags. Some snoozed, others listened to music. Many were playing on their Nintendo DS handheld consoles while others opted for a low-tech game of cards.

Would you like to have a look at the BBC story?

Lydia, from Somerset, England, took up drinking at the age of just 14

2006-11-18T22:14:00.000Z

Read this BBC story about an English girl who got hooked on alcohol.

Complete the text with these words:

1. did 2. disrupting 3. drank 4. drinking 5. going

6. hooked 7. realized 8. started 9. took 10. used to

Lydia is only 16 now, but until recently she ____ at least two litres of cider on a Friday and Saturday night - and sometimes on a Sunday too.
Lydia, from Somerset, England, _____ up drinking at the age of just 14. She _____ get older boys to buy her cider.
"I was absolutely wasted," she said.
Finally, she ______ she needed to seek professional help.
"It was ______ my family, it was getting in the way of friendships, and also there were health issues - not that I knew exactly what they were. I just hope that I haven't damaged anything yet."
Lydia said her parents _____ "everything they possibly could have done" to try to tackle her problem.
"But it is not easy to stop your daughter, or son from _____ out. It is easy to say I'm just going to such-and-such's house, and then go somewhere completely different."
Lydia admits that peer pressure was the main reason she got _____ on alcohol.
"Everybody I was with was older than me, and they were all drinking. So I _____ drinking too. What are you supposed to do?
"I haven't stopped _____. I drink now in moderation, and I don't get wasted at every opportunity."

Key: Move your cursor mouse from x to y : x 3-9-10-7- 2- 1- 5 - 6- 8 - 4 y

Related sites
Alcohol Concern
They work to reduce the incidence and costs of alcohol-related harm.
They provide information and encourage debate on the wide range of issues affected by alcohol, including public health, housing, children and families, crime and licensing. They support specialist and non-specialist service providers helping to tackle alcohol problems at a local level. They also work to influence national alcohol policy.

Most people drink. Some drink more regularly than others. But how often is too often? And how much is too much?

Junk food ad crackdown announced

2006-11-18T21:33:00.000Z

On November 17th, Ofcom published details of restrictions intended to limit children’s exposure to television advertising of food and drink products high in fat, salt and sugar. These measures will come into effect before the end of January 2007.

(Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the United Kingdom communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.)

The measures will apply to:
-All pre-school children's programmes
-All programmes on mainstream channels aimed at children
-All cable and satellite children's channels
-Programmes aimed at young people, such as music shows
-General entertainment programmes which would appeal to a "higher than average" number of under-16s.

Some of the measures:
-Junk food ads during TV programmes targeted at under-16s will be banned. ( junk foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar)
-There will be a total ban on ads during children's programmes and on children's channels, as well as adult programmes watched by a large number of children.
- The use of celebrities and characters, such as cartoon heroes, free gifts and health or nutrition claims will be banned.

Views:
Ed Richards, Ofcom chief executive, said: "We will introduce significant but proportionate measures to protect children under 16. We will look to advertisers and broadcasters to follow both the spirit as well as the letter of the rules we are putting in place."

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, Head of Science and Ethics at the British Medical Association, said: "Ofcom's ban does not go far enough. Some of the most popular programmes amongst the under-16s are soaps which will not be covered by this ban. We must use all the weapons in our armoury to prevent the next generation of British children being the most obese and unhealthy in history.”

Paul Lincoln, chief executive of the National Heart Forum, said: "This represents a missed opportunity by Ofcom."

Melanie Leech, director of the Food and Drink Federation said: “Ofcom's regulations were over the top.”

David Lynn, of children's channel Nickleodeon, said: "There's no doubt that the restrictions announced today very tough and that they are going to impact on the quality of kids' programming in the UK. They amount for a total ban on advertising for dedicated children's channels."

A spokesman for the government said: "We welcome Ofcom's report and their proposals to tighten the restrictions on the advertising of unhealthy foods during programmes that children watch."

For the whole BBC text, click here.

Your reaction:

What do you think? Are these measures good? Adequate?
What would you do in your country? Are such measures mecessary?

'Web-rage' man gets prison term

2006-11-18T09:41:00.000Z

In England, a man was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of assaulting another man with a pickaxe handle. They had been exchanging insults in an internet chatroom.

Read the text below and complete it with these verb forms:
1. assaulted 2. be underestimated 3. has been jailed 4. highlights

5. tracked 6. was armed 7. was beaten

A man _______ for more than two years after carrying out the UK's first "web-rage" attack on an internet user. He admitted unlawful wounding last month.
Paul Gibbons, 47, _________ John Jones, 43, at his Essex home, after the pair exchanged insults in an internet chatroom.
Gibbons, of Bermondsey, south-east London, ________ down father-of-three Mr Jones to Clacton, from personal details he put online.
He ________ with a pickaxe handle and was with a man carrying a machete.
Mr Jones _______ and had his neck cut after going to the door of his home with a knife.
"The circumstances are unusual," said Judge Richard Hawkins after passing sentence.
"This case ________ the dangers of internet chatrooms, particularly with regards to giving personal details that will allow other users to discover home addresses," said Jean-Marc Bazzoni of Essex Police.
Mr Bazzoni said Mr Jones' "terrifying ordeal" was a consequence of "upsetting somebody he had never even met".
"The dangers of giving personal information out in a chatroom environment must never _______."

To read the whole BBC text click here.

KEY Move your cursor mouse over the space between x and Y: x 3 - 1 - 5 - 6 - 7- 4 - 2 y

Average European is overweight.

2006-11-16T20:01:00.000Z

Only 38% of EU citizens consider themselves to be overweight.
However, the latest figures show that the average citizen in 20 EU countries is overweight, according to a European Commission poll of about 1,000 people in each of the 25 EU member states.
The Maltese and the Greeks are the heavyweights of Europe. The Maltese recorded the highest average BMI (body mass index) at 26.6. The Italians recorded the lowest, at 24.3.
The average Briton - like the average European - is slightly over the ideal weight.
A BMI of between 18.5 and 25 is considered healthy, between 25 and 30 overweight and above 30 obese.

Obesity is a growing problem in the rich countries. It is linked to a range of health problems, including heart disease.
Obesity is measured by calculating body mass index (BMI).
Click here to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI)

What causes obesity?
Most blamed a sedentary life with very little physical exercise.
Less than one third said they engaged in regular "intensive" physical activity.
A large majority - 85% - said public authorities should play a stronger role in fighting obesity.

Read the whole BBC story here.

SLIMMEST COUNTRIES
Italy - 24.3
France - 24.5
Austria - 24.8
Poland - 24.8
Netherlands - 24.9
Slovakia - 25.0
Belgium - 25.1
Latvia - 25.1
Estonia - 25.2
Czech Rep - 25.2

EUROPE'S HEAVYWEIGHTS
Malta - 26.6
Greece - 25.9
Finland - 25.8
Luxembourg - 25.7
Hungary - 25.6
Cyprus - 25.6
Lithuania - 25.5
Slovenia - 25.5
Denmark - 25.5
UK - 25.4

Do some research about Portugal. Start here.

007 is back

2006-11-15T19:02:00.000Z

James Bond is back.

Even from the first few seconds of Casino Royale it's clear how things have changed. For a start it begins in black and white. There's Bond in the shadows, ready for the kill. It's moody film noir stuff, and it instantly establishes Daniel Craig as a tough cookie.

Daniel Craig in Casino Royale becomes the sixth actor to play James Bond.

These are the men who have portrayed the legendary British secret agent:

Sean Connery
George Lazenby
Roger Moore
Timothy Dalton
Pierce Brosnan
Daniel Craig

Take Sean Connery, for example.
Films:Dr. No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Famous lines:
Honey Ryder: "Are you looking for shells too?"
James Bond: "No, I'm just looking." (Dr. No)

James Bond: "You expect me to talk?"
Auric Goldfinger: "No, Mr Bond. I expect you to die." (Goldfinger)

Tiger Tanaka: "In Japan, men come first, women come second."
James Bond: "I might just retire to here."(You Only Live Twice)

Click here to read about them.

Can you say the names of three movies with Sean Connery starring as James Bond?

Write three questions you would like to ask Sean Connery about his role.

Study hopeful for world's forests

2006-11-14T21:51:00.000Z

Good news
The state of the world's forests may not be as bad as previously feared.
An international team of researchers say its Forest Identity study suggests the world could be approaching a "turning point" from deforestation. The study measures timber volumes, biomass and captured carbon - not just land areas covered by trees.
"The trend is better than previously thought," said Pekka Kauppi, one of the study’s co-authors. "We see prospects for an end to deforestation; we do not make a forecast but it is possible."

FOREST FACTS

-Forests cover 30% of the world's total land area
-Deforestation rate: 13m hectares per year
-Only one-fifth of the Earth's original forests remain undisturbed.
-Iceland has three native tree species, Brazil has 7,780.
-In North America, more than half of the coastal temperate rainforests, once extending from California to Alaska, have been destroyed.
-One-third of the planet's virgin temperate rainforest is in the Tongass National Forest on the southeastern coast of Alaska.
-The world's trees store 283 gigatonnes of carbon, 50% more than there is in the atmosphere (Source: FAO)
Read the BBC text now.

Did you read carefully?

Mention three Forest Facts.

What can be done to preserve our forests?

Do you play air guitar?

2006-11-14T21:11:00.000Z

Do you want to improve your air guitarist skills?

Australian scientists have just given you a hand. They have created a T-shirt that allows you to play real music! - without resorting to a real guitar.

How?
The T-shirt has motion sensors built into its elbows that pick up movements and relay them wirelessly to a computer which interprets them as guitar riffs.

"It's an easy-to-use, virtual instrument that allows real-time music-making - even by players without significant musical or computing skills," said the research team leader, Richard Helmer.
"It allows you to jump around and the sound generated is just like an original mp3."

Researchers specialising in computing, music and textile manufacture have been working together to make this T-shirt.

Similar sensors could be used in the future to reproduce a person in a virtual world so they could get feedback on their actions and improve their sporting techniques.

You can customise the software to make an air tambourine and a percussion instrument called an air guiro.

Read the whole BBC text here.

Are you satisfied?

2006-11-14T19:53:00.000Z

Are you satisfied with your phone and internet service providers?

A survey has revealed very interesting things about British consumers’ satisfaction with phone and internet providers or suppliers. The survey was conducted by uSwitch Customer Satisfaction. They have just published their report.

- more than 11,000 customers were surveyed;
- most internet and phone providers fail to match rising customer numbers with improved services and technology;
- there has been a 9% drop in broadband satisfaction levels;
- customer trust in their internet suppliers is currently at an "all time low";
- customer satisfaction levels were also shown to have dropped 4% among home phone users compared to an earlier survey conducted six months ago;
- low-cost broadband deals have seen subscriber numbers rise by almost 650,000 since March;
- the providers aren't investing enough money in their technology, to ensure that they are looking after customer needs in an acceptable manner;
- Broadband provider Virgin.net came top, with 85% of its customers expressing satisfaction;
- Telewest came second with 83% and Tiscali third with 80%;
- Tiscali came top of the home phone providers with a customer satisfaction rating of 81%;
You can read the BBC text here.

What about your satisfaction here in Portugal?
Do you think these surveys are useful and worthwhile?
What do you do when you aren’t satisfied?
a. I smash my computer

b. I call the service provider and complain

c. I send the provider a gift.