Englishes

2007-05-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

Internet Safety Tips

Tips for Children

1. Never give out personal identifying information - name, home address, school name or

telephone number - in a chat room or on a bulletin board.
2. Never include personal information or interests in your Instant Messaging profile, and do not

post your photo.
3. Keep passwords private - even from best friends!
4. Don't respond to mean or harassing e-mails. Log off and tell your parents.
5. Be on alert when someone offers you something for nothing, such as gifts or money.
6. Never agree to meet with someone face-to-face without telling your parent or guardian.

Then, if your parent or guardian agrees to the meeting, make sure to meet in a public place

with your parent or guardian.
7. Remember that people online may not be who they seem.
8. Remind your parents to keep your computer protected with the latest security patches, anti-

virus software and a firewall to prevent hackers.
9. Delete unknown e-mail attachments, as they may contain viruses.

10.Virus scan all files downloaded from the web to your computer.

Tips to Avoid Online Credit Card Fraud

1. Make sure a website is secure and reputable before providing credit card information online.
2. Don't trust a site just because it claims to be secure.
3. If buying something online, make sure it is from a reputable source.
4. Reconcile credit card statements promptly to avoid unauthorized charges.
5. Beware of providing credit card information when requested through unsolicited e-mails.

Tips to Avoid Identity Theft

1. Research businesses or websites, to ensure they are legitimate.
2. Try to get a physical address, rather than a P.O. box or maildrop.
3. Never discard credit card or bank statements in usable form.
4. Pay attention to missed bills: they could indicate that your account has been taken over.
5. Be cautious of scams requiring you to give your personal information.
6. Never give out your credit card number over the phone, unless you made the call.
7. Monitor your monthly credit card statements for any fraudulent activity.
8. Report unauthorized transactions to your bank or credit card company as soon as possible.
9. Review a copy of your credit report at least once a year.

2007-05-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

How True Love or Tragedy is Only a Click Away...

The Story of Kerry Kujawa

Author Raymond Chan was a classmate of Kerry Kujawa's for several years in Sugar Land, Texas. Kerry's tragic story serves as a poignant example of the dangers of online relationships with offline consequences.

An Unexpected Phone Call

Late last April I got a phone call one afternoon from a good high school friend of mine who attended Texas A&M University. Not expecting the call, I good-naturedly asked how things were going.
It was not a social call. There was no good news, and things were not going well.
Earlier that day police had identified the body of Kerry Kujawa, a fellow A&M student and an old classmate that we had gone to school with for years. Kerry's body had been found, badly decomposed and unidentifiable, in a field on a remote ranch in the Texas hill country. The story around Kerry's tragic death would come out over the next day, and its nature shocked all of us who had known him.
Kerry had been having an online relationship with whom he thought to be a young woman under the screen name 'kelly_mc', meeting and communicating through an online chat room. Her real name was "Kelly McCauley", and seemed to be a nice pre-law student who was trapped in a destructive relationship, and Kerry was one of those people who wouldn't let her stay in such an emasculating position. They seemed to grow closer and closer over the months, and eventually Kerry started to ask Kelly to meet face to face, so that he could help her. He apparently grew insistent on helping her, and on April 7th, 2000, Kerry left campus to meet her in San Antonio.
A week or so later Kerry's family and friends received an email from Kerry saying that he was ok and would be staying with Kelly for a little longer. Online, Kelly had been telling others in the close-knit chat room that she and Kerry were engaged and would be getting married soon.
In the end, this fairy tale fantasy would prove to have been a terrible tragedy. A couple weeks later Kerry's friends started to worry about his continued absence from school and filed a missing-persons report. Just the day before, police had discovered Kerry's body, but had not yet been able to identify it. The news came as a crushing blow to Kerry's family, friends, and all those who had known him.

Who was 'kelly_mc'?

Kerry's online love interest, 'Kelly', was not who he or anybody else thought she was. By interviewing the operators and frequent participators of the chat room, police obtained the phone numbers and addresses that the person had given out to contact her at. Authorities were also helped by carefully examining the computers Kerry had used to send and receive emails from 'kelly_mc'. 'She' was actually 31 year-old, 6' 2" Kenny Wayne Lockwood, a former McDonald's assistant manager who lived with his parents in an upscale neighborhood in San Antonio. He had no felony convictions and was described by one neighbor as being the "last [person one would assume] for being involved [in the murder]." Other neighbors described him as "quiet, a real computer geek."
It would later come out that Lockwood had used the persona of 'Kelly' to talk with other young men in addition to Kerry, luring them with an appealing story and pictures of an attractive young woman to further the ploy. To conceal his identity, Lockwood met Kerry under the pretense of being Kelly's brother, then shot and killed him and disposed of his body. To delay the discovery of the murder, Lockwood sent the email purporting to be Kerry and continued to assume the persona of 'Kelly' in the chat room and furthering the story of the two supposedly in love.

Remembering Kerry

To those of us who had known and grown up with Kerry, the news of his death came as a terrible shock. The story of his murder, however, came as an even greater surprise. Kerry was a smart, highly intelligent, and computer-savvy individual. He was not the stereotypical 'computer geek' who spent his entire social life in front of a monitor and kept indoors or a 'jock' who would have been ignorant and not understanding of computers and the inherent risks. Instead, he was a sociable individual, an avid track athlete, and a notable engineering student.
Having talked with him on an almost daily basis throughout high school, I can say that Kerry was not a soft hearted, idealistic, or romantic individual. Furthermore, he was one of the brightest minds at my high school, ranked high in the class and one who took a challenging schedule of AP courses and extra-curricular activities. I would never have guessed that Kerry would be one to be tricked into such a deep and deceptive ploy by someone else; if anything, I can recall some of the joking pranks that he had played on others. All of us who previously had read or heard stories of failed online relationships in the media and dismissed them now had to rethink our beliefs. We had to re-examine our online lives and our hollow belief that we were somehow invulnerable to the situations that these stories presented.
Kerry's death forced all of us in the community and schools to rethink our notions of the Internet and the online world. It is too easy to think of the Internet as a collection of web pages and dot.coms, a resource of information and services that exist in a space parallel but separate from the "real world." However, the Internet is as much a community of people as it is a collection of pages and files, and those people very much exist in the same world that we do. And the problem is they can be terribly dangerous.

As the idiom goes, on the Internet nobody knows you're a dog!

2007-03-27T02:25:00.000-07:00

When Spring blossoms all around... our heart suddenly seems to sing beautiful lines! It's time once again for spring-time festivities to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.
Celebrate Easter with your loved ones and... Happy Easter to you all!!

Visit the following websites for information on Easter customs and traditions:

* http://www.indobase.com/holidays/easter/easter-traditions-around-the-world/easter-in-uk.html

* http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/easter.html

2007-02-19T13:33:00.000-08:00

Carnival in England

The Nottinhg Hill Carnival is an annual event which takes place in Notting Hill, London, in August, over three days ( a weekend and a bank holiday ). It is led by the members of the Caribbean population, many of whom have lived in the area since the 1950s. The carnival attracts millions of people each year and is among the largest street festivals in Europe.

Carnival kicks off on Sunday with Children's Day, with a shorter Carnival route for children and young people. The main parade takes place on Monday.

Six disciplines go to make up the carnival as we know it today. Mas' ( masquerade), Steelband, Calypso ( political, social and satirical commentary, set to music ), Soca ( the traditional music of Carnival, a fusion of Soul and Calypso ), Static Sound Systems, and Samba all play their part in this carnival.

The Notting Hill Carnival is now generally viewed as a dynamic celebration of London's multicultural diversity, though dominated by the Caribbean culture in the best traditions of Rio.

Interesting Internet links:

2007-02-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras in the USA

Mardi Gras, which in French translates to Fat Tuesday, is officially the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. It can occur anytime between February 3rd and March 9th, depending on when Easter is held that particular year. In 2007 Mardi Gras Day is on February 20th.
New Orleans Mardi Gras, in the US state of Louisiana, is particularly well-known, often called " the greatest free show on earth". The celebrations draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city, in addition to the celebrating locals for the parties and parades. Most tourists can be found within the French Quarter, especially in a street called Bourbon Street.
Mardi Gras came to New Orleans with the earliest French settlers. New Orleans developed new traditions, including Carnival organizations called Krewes, and the famous Rex Parade, in addition to Mardi Gras Indians and king cake parties.
Officially, the Mardi Gras season begins on the 12th day after Christmas. Most parades, balls and other festivities occur on weeknights and weekends in the 2-week period before Mardi Gras Day. Though each parade is different, there are certain common ingredients:

1) there is a king of each Krewe, picked from among the Krewe membership;

2) gaily colored floats, ridden by masked and costumed Krewe members, who throw various items,
including beads ( necklaces ), metal coins called doubloons and other fun items;

3) marching bands from local high schools and universities, and often other invited guest bands.

Check out the following websites for more detailed information on this topic:

2007-02-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

The USA: a melting pot or a salad bowl?

America has traditionally been referred to as a melting pot, welcoming people from many different countries, races, and religions, all hoping to find freedom, new opportunities, and a better way of life. The melting pot methapor is used to refer to "model" immigrant groups of the past. Past generations of immigrants in America, some people argue, became successful by working to shed their historical identities and adopt the ways of their new country. The process of shedding one's native culture and becoming absorbed into the ways of the "host" society is known as cultural assimilation.
Today, however, the trend is toward multiculturalism, not assimilation. The

old melting pot metaphor is giving way to new methaphors such as salad bowl and mosaic, mixtures of various ingredients that keep their individual characteristics. Immigrant populations within the United States are not being blended together in one pot, as it was thought, but rather they are transforming the American society into a truly multicultural mosaic, by valuing and preserving the distinct qualities of their own cultures.

For more in-depth information on this issue log on to :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/melt0222.htm

2007-02-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of the Portuguese smart home ( Casa do Futuro Inclusiva ) on display in The Museum of Communications in Lisbon.

Visit the webpage http://www.fpc.pt/FPCWeb/museu/displayconteudo.do2?numero=18848 to collect more information on our intelligent house!

2007-01-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

Did you know?

The term Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy from the Massachussets Institute of Technology ( MIT)
Manfred Clynes and co-author Nathan Kline first coined the word "cyborg" in 1960. The term was used to describe a human being augmented with technological implants.
Jarkko Oikarinen invented Internet Relay Chat ( IRC ) in 1988.
Vinton Cerf is the father of the net since he invented the term "Internet".

Constant developments in technology have been responsible for the appearance of many new words that are now entering our everyday vocabulary.

Any idea what these words mean?

No clue? Click on them to find out!

Visit http://www.wordspy.com/index/Technology-General.asp to learn other words associated with technology.

2007-01-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

2007-01-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

What do the cartoons above have in common?
Choose your favourite cartoon and give reasons for your choice!

If you're a cartoon fan, don't forget the IX 2007 PortoCartoon World Festival, which will be about globalization this year. Log on to http://cartoonvirtualmuseum.org for more information!

2007-01-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

In 2006, the World Wide Web became a tool for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter.
That's why TIME magazine selected everyone of us as Person of the Year 2006.
This new web, experts call Web 2.0, is allowing ordinary people to make themselves heard on a global scale, thus fostering a new digital democracy.
In http://www.time.com/time/magazine/europe/0,9263,901061225,00.html you can read the article Power to the People and meet 15 unknown citizens who, for some reason, were important in 2006.

2006-12-19T05:16:00.000-08:00

Al Gore,the former American vice-president, is on the Time Magazine list of
People Who Mattered 2006.
Go to this website http://www.time.com/personoftheyear/2006/people to find out why he is there and who else appears on that list!

Who would you select as Person of the Year 2006? Justify your choice.

2006-12-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

New Year's Celebrations

"Auld Lang Syne" - The song most English speakers sing on New Year's Eve

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne.

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit,
Sin auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.

And there's a hand my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o thine,
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.

"Auld Lang Syne" is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in 1796 after he heard it sung by an old man from the Ayrshire area of Scotland, Burns's homeland.
"Auld Lang Syne" literally translates as "old long since" and means "times gone by." The song asks whether old friends and times will be forgotten and promises to remember people of the past with fondness, "For auld lang syne, we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet."

But it was bandleader Guy Lombardo, and not Robert Burns, who popularized the song and turned it into a New Year's tradition. Lombardo first heard "Auld Lang Syne" in his hometown of London, Ontario, where it was sung by Scottish immigrants.

Lombardo played the song at midnight at a New Year's eve party at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City in 1929, and a tradition was born.

Hogmanay (Scotland)
The birthplace of "Auld Lang Syne" is also the home of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY), the rousing Scottish New Year's celebration (the origins of the name are obscure). Visit the Hagmanay website here.

Do you feel like listening to this famous song and finding out more about the history, traditions and customs of New Year's Day?

Then visit the following websites: http://wilstar.com/xmas/auldlangsyne.htm and http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm

2006-12-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

Names for Santa Claus Around the World

Country

Belgium / France: Pere Noel

Brazil: Papai Noel

Chile: Viejo Pascuero (“Old Man Christmas”)

China: Dun Che Lao Ren (“Christmas Old Man”)

The Netherlands: Kerstman

Germany: Weihnachtsmann (“Christmas Man”)

Hungary: Mikulas (St. Nicholas)

Italy: Babbo Natale

Japan: Hoteiosho (a god or priest who bears gifts)

Norway: Julenissen (“Christmas gnome”)

Poland: Swiety Mikolaj (St. Nicholas)

Sweden: Jultomten (“Christmas brownie”)

The United Kingdom: Father Christmas

What do people call him in Finland? Hawaii? or Russia?

Check this internet address http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0877748.html to find out!

See also Saying “Merry Christmas” or “Season's Greetings” Around the World and Saying “Happy New Year!” Around the World.

2006-11-30T04:44:00.000-08:00

How English Can Make You Tense

Everyday I study my English,
Which is not as simple as it seems.
My head is continuously spinning;
Now verbs are turning in my dreams.

I was learning the Past Continuous,
Which unfortunately didn't last;
For, as I was happily going along,
Up jumped the Simple Past.

I had hoped to learn more quickly;
The Past Perfect I'd wanted to clear,
And it would've been much easier
If the Conditional hadn't appeared.

The Present Perfect I haven't perfected,
Though believe me how I've tried.
The Continuous I've been attempting;
I'm surprised I haven't cried.

The Future won't be simpler,
Of that I am quite sure.
It's going to be confusing
On the evidence of before.

As yet I haven't considered
The Future in the Past.
I was going to make an effort,
But it left me quite aghast.

But the thing that keeps me going,
As I struggle with each tense,
Is that maybe in the future
It just might make some sense.

Source: Alan R. Beresford

2006-11-30T04:40:00.000-08:00

2006-11-28T07:05:00.000-08:00

What are Genetically Modified foods ( GM foods )?

The term GM foods or GMOs ( Genetically Modified Organisms )can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species. The resulting organism is said to be "genetically modified", genetically engineered" or "transgenic".

Are GM foods harmful or helpful?

It all depends on which side you're on.

The biotech industry claims that GE ( Genetically Engineered ) food crops will save the environment and solve the hunger crisis. But a growing number of scientists, doctors and consumers consider them a threat to the planet, and organizations like Christian Aid and the Institute for Food and Development Policy say GE food crops are actually likely to increase world hunger.

Here are a few myths and realities of GE foods to help you decide who's right and who's wrong!

MYTH #1:

Genetic engineering is merely an extension of traditional breeding.

REALITY: Genetic engineering is a new technology that has been developed to overcome the limitations of traditional breeding. Traditional breeders have never been capable of crossing fish genes with strawberries. But genetically engineered "fishberries" are already in the field. With genetic engineering, these types of new organisms can be created and released into the environment.

MYTH #2:

Genetic engineering can make foods better, more nutritious, longer-lasting and better-tasting.

REALITY: The reason for the 70 million acres of GE crops grown in the USA today has nothing to do with nutrition, flavour or any other consumer benefit. There is little benefit aside from the financial gains reaped by the firms producing GE crops.

MYTH #3:

GE crops eliminate pesticides and are necessary for environmentally sustainable farming.

REALITY: Farmers who grow GE crops actually use more herbicide, not less. For example, Monsanto created Roundup-Ready (RR) soy, corn and cotton specifically so that farmers would continue to buy Roundup, the company's best-selling chemical weed killer, which is sold with RR seeds. Instead of reducing pesticide use, one study of more than 8,000 university-based field trials suggested that farmers who plant RR soy use two to five times more herbicide than non-GE farmers who use integrated weed-control methods. GE crops may actually be the greatest threat to sustainable agriculture on the planet. Many organic farmers rely on a natural bacterial spray to control certain crop pests. The advent of genetically engineered, insect-resistant crops is likely to lead to insects that are immune to this natural pesticide. When this biological pesticide is rendered ineffective, other farmers will turn to increasingly toxic chemicals to deal with the "superbugs" created by GE crops. Meanwhile, organic farmers will be out of options.

MYTH #4:

There is no scientific evidence that GE foods harm people or the environment

REALITY: There is no long-term study showing that GE foods or crops are safe. Doctors around the world have warned that GE foods may cause unexpected health consequences that may take years to develop. Laboratory and field evidence shows that GE crops can harm beneficial insects, damage soils and transfer GE genes in the environment, thereby contaminating neighboring crops and potentially creating uncontrollable weeds.

MYTH #5:

GE foods are necessary to feed the developing world's growing population.

REALITY: In 1998, African scientists at a United Nations conference strongly objected to Monsanto's promotional GE campaign that used photos of starving African children under the headline "Let the Harvest Begin." The scientists, who represented many of the nations affected by poverty and hunger, said gene technologies would undermine the nations' capacities to feed themselves by destroying established diversity, local knowledge and sustainable agricultural systems. Genetic engineering could actually lead to an increase in hunger and starvation. Biotech companies like Monsanto force growers to sign a technology use agreement when growing their patented GE crops which stipulates, among other things, that the farmer can not save the seeds produced from their GE harvest. Half the world's farmers rely on saved seed to produce food that 1.4 billion people rely on for daily nutrition.

2006-11-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

English: the official U.S.language ?

There is an intense debate over whether or not legislation should be passed making English the official language of the U.S. Below are a number of arguments that have been presented for and against the issue at hand.

PRO ARGUMENTS:
Making English the official U.S. language would unite Americans.
Such a bill would apply only to the Federal government (federal documents, etc…)
Immigrants would be more encouraged to become involved in the U.S. democratic process.
There would be fewer racial conflicts.
Government operations would be more streamlined.

CON ARGUMENTS:
Making English the official U.S. language overlooks the importance of an individuals native language and culture.
It would cause a health hazard where minorities would have difficulty accessing health care.
Language restrictions would make it difficult for law enforcement officials to question people speaking different languages.
Having multiple languages is a great resource for America in diplomatic efforts.
94% of Americans already speak English, there is no legislation necessary.

2006-11-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

The Democratic Donkey and the Republican Elephant

Ever wondered what the story was behind these two famous party animals?

The now-famous Democratic donkey was first associated with Democrat Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign. His opponents called him a jackass (a donkey), and Jackson decided to use the image of the strong-willed animal on his campaign posters. Later, cartoonist Thomas Nast used the Democratic donkey in newspaper cartoons and made the symbol famous.

Nast invented another famous symbol—the Republican elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant, was labeled “The Republican Vote.” That's all it took for the elephant to become associated with the Republican Party.
Democrats today say the donkey is smart and brave, while Republicans say the elephant is strong and dignified.

2006-11-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

Latest News On The USA

Mid term elections for the House of Representatives: on Tuesday 7th November 2006.
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is the first female to become a speaker for the House.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2113187n

2006-11-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

Language Curiosities

Euouae, a medieval music term, is the longest word in English that contains only vowels. It’s also the word with the most consecutive vowels.

Screeched, which means to make a harsh sound, is the longest one-syllable word in English.

Unprosperousness, meaning not wealthy or profitable, is the longest word in English in which each letter is used at least two times.

At 45 letters, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, which refers to a lung disease, is often considered the longest word in English.

Feedback is the shortest word in English that has the letters a, b, c, d, e, and f.

No words in English rhyme with : month, orange, silver or purple.

“Q” is the only letter that does not occur in any of the U.S. state names.

Maine is the only U.S. state whose name is just one syllable.

Bookkeeper is the only English word that has three consecutive double letters.

The sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” is a pangram, which is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet.

Fact Monster/Information Please® Database, © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006-11-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

Most Widely Spoken Languages in the World

Language / Approx. number of speakers

1. Chinese (Mandarin) - 1,075,000,000
2. English - 514,000,000
3. Hindustani * - 496,000,000
4. Spanish - 425,000,000
5. Russian - 275,000,000
6. Arabic - 256,000,000
7. Bengali - 215,000,000
8. Portuguese - 194,000,000
9. Malay-Indonesian - 176,000,000
10. French - 129,000,000

Source: Ethnologue, 13th Edition, and other sources.

* Encompasses multiple dialects, including Hindi and Urdu.

2006-11-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

The Top 10 worst polluted places in the world are:

1. Chernobyl, Ukraine
2. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
3. Haina, Dominican Republic
4. Kabwe, Zambia
5. La Oroya, Peru
6. Linfen, China
7. Maiuu Suu, Kyrgyzstan
8. Norilsk, Russia
9. Ranipet, India
10. Rudnaya Pristan/Dalnegorsk, Russia

Top 10 Worst Polluted Sites Serve as Examples of Widespread Problems. Russia leads the list of eight nations, with three of the 10 worst polluted sites. Other sites were chosen because they are examples of problems found in many places around the world. For example, Haina, Dominican Republic has severe lead contamination—a problem that is common in many poor countries. Linfen, China is just one of several Chinese cities choking on industrial air pollution. And Ranipet, India is a nasty example of serious groundwater pollution by heavy metals.

http://environment.about.com

2006-11-02T05:05:00.000-08:00

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

2006-10-31T08:20:00.000-08:00

If you could tell US President George W. Bush something face-to-face what would that be?
Be creative!!

2006-10-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Who is the most intelligent President in the whole wide world?

You, guessed it! The one and only US President George W. Bush !

Here are some of his famous quotes:

"The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country."
"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'."
"I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
"The future will be better tomorrow."
"We're going to have the best educated American people in the world."
"I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."
"Public speaking is very easy."
"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls."
"We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."
"For NASA, space is still a high priority."
"Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children."
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system."

http://www.friday-fun.com

2006-10-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

2006-10-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Environmental Issues

Warming Winds, Rising Tides: Tuvalu

The 11,000 Tuvaluans live on nine coral atolls totaling 10 square miles scattered over 500,000 square miles of ocean south of the equator and west of the International Dateline. Tuvalu is the smallest of all nations, except for the Vatican. Tuvalu has no industry, burns little petroleum, and creates less carbon pollution than a small town in America. This tiny place nevertheless is on the front line of climate change. The increasing intensity of tropical weather, the increase in ocean temperatures, and rising sea level -- all documented results of a warming atmosphere -- are making trouble for Tuvalu.
Tuvaluans face the possibility of being among the first climate refugees, although they never use that term. Former assistant Environmental minister and now assistant secretary for Foreign Affairs Paani Laupepa said he felt threatened. "Our whole culture will have to be transplanted."
Sea level rise is the greatest problem. Tuvalu's highest elevation is 4.6 meters -- 15 feet -- but most of it is no more than a meter above the sea. Several times each year the regular lunar cycle of tides, riding on the ever higher mean sea level, brings the Pacific sloshing over onto roads and into neighborhoods. In the center of the larger islands the sea floods out of old barrow pits and even squirts up out of the coral bedrock. Puddles bubble up that eventually cover part of the airport on the main island of Funafuti and inundate homes that are not along the ocean.
This February, the tides were driven against the shore by unusual westerly winds, and there was increasing erosion. The main asphalt road is only about 10 km long, yet it runs right along the lagoon in many places and was covered in water and coral rocks thrown up by the tide. Hundreds of wood frame and corrugated metal roofed homes and several churches, built right on the lagoon, were drenched by the wind waves riding on the higher tides.
The islands are not going to go under immediately. Yet the effects accumulate, year by year. "Even if we are not completely flooded, " said Laupepa, "in 50 to 70 years we face increasingly strong storms and cyclones, changing weather patterns, damage to our coral reefs from higher ocean temperatures, and flooding of all our gardens." Not growing enough food and decreasing fish catch if reefs are damaged would mean "importing more food, more foreign exchange, and more health and diet problems, " he said.

http://www.peopleandplanet.net

2006-10-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

The World of English

Visit the website below.
Write a short informative text on an English speaking country of your choice and publish it.

http://www.factmonster.com/atlas/index.html

2006-10-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

Identify the city shown in the picture and write a few comments on it.