Flipper tags may damage penguins

updated news

      Scientists in France have suggested that biologists who tag penguins to help track their movements could be causing them harm. The method could also affect data collected from penguins for research on climate change.

      For decades scientists have been following penguins by putting bands around their flippers. This allows individual birds to be identified at a distance. But there have been concerns that flipper bands might harm the birds by slowing them down as they swim.

      The latest study, reported in the journal Nature, confirms it. Scientists from Strasbourg University followed a colony of king penguins for ten years. Birds fitted with bands died younger, started breeding later in the year, took longer to forage for food, and overall raised about 40% fewer chicks.

  The researchers suggest that using flipper bands would now be unethical in most situations. Scientists in the field will now have to find other tagging methods, but in the meantime there are also concerns that some data gathered on penguins down the years, in this ecologically crucial part of the planet, may now be worthless.

Richard Black

 

Vocabs:

Bands =  here, tags which are attached to the penguins to identify them

flippers = penguin’s wings, which are used for swimming instead of flying

concerns  = worried feelings

harm = hurt or injure

colony =  here, a large group of penguins which live together in one place

breeding = reproducing

forage = search their surroundings

chicks =  very young penguins

unethical = not following widely held moral beliefs

worthless = of no real use or value

Movies Released in 2011

Be prepared to practice your english with the new movies that are going to be released this year.
Have Fun !!!

       The Three Musketeers ride again in this three-dimensional revamp from Impact Pictures and writer/producer Paul W.S. Anderson (Alien vs. Predator, Resident Evil). Percy Jackson & the Olympians' Logan Lerman toplines as D'Artagnan, the brash young man who bands up with the famed trio (Luke Evans, Matthew Macfadyen, and Ray Stevenson) to fight the corrupt the dreaded Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz).

   Logan Lerman  
    Orlando Bloom

                                             Christoph Waltz

                                               Ray Stevenson

                                               Luke Evans

Rio is a 3-D animation feature from the makers of the Ice Age fimls. Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there's another - and that she's a she - he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it's far from love at first sight between the domesticated and flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life's many wonders. RIO brings together a menagerie of vivid characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, energizing Latin and contemporary music, and family-       

                                      friendly song and dance

     Anne Hathaway

    Neil Patrick Harris

   Rodrigo Santoro

   Carlos Ponce

   Jake T. Austin

When unknown forces suddenly and mercilessly attack the City of Angels out of nowhere, it's up to a local Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and a new platoon of unseasoned soldiers to meet the threat. As the invasion hits the streets of LA, these Marines become our first and last line of defense in an intense battle against an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before.

   Michelle Rodriguez

   Aaron Eckhart

  Bridget Moynahan

  Lucas Till

  Michael Peña

Oscar winner Nicolas Cage (National Treasure, Ghost Rider) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hellboy II) star in this supernatural action adventure about a heroic Crusader and his fellow soldier who must transport a woman accused of being a witch to a remote monastery. The arduous journey across perilous terrain tests their strength and courage as they discover the girl’s secret and find themselves battling a terrifyingly powerful force that will determine the fate of the world.

                                                                    Nicolas Cage

                                                                    Ron Perlman

                                                                    Stephen Graham

                                                                    Ulrich Thomsen

Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of superhero: Thor. This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Natalie Portman

Chris Hemsworth

Samuel L. Jackson

Anthony Hopkins

Kat Dennings

Audiences everywhere are in for a Smurfy good time as the Smurfs make their first 3D trip to the big screen. When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours – in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

Sofía Vergara

Neil Patrick Harris

Jayma Mays

Anton Yelchin

Alan Cumming 

Qual a diferença entre "other", "others" e "another" ?

O primeiro caso é a palavra "other", cujo significado é "outro", "outra", "outros", "outras". Na maioria das vezes, essa palavra estará acompanhada com a palavra "the". Veja alguns exemplos:

• That boy over there is Mike; the other is Carl. (Aquele garoto lá é o Mike; o outro é o Carl.)
• The other car cost much less. (O outro carro custava muito menos.)
• He raised one arm and then the other. (Ele levantou um braço e depois o outro.)
• The other people are doing the same thing. (As outras pessoas estão fazendo a mesma coisa.)
• Add the flour and the other ingredients. (Adicione a farinha e os outros ingredientes.)

Mas nem sempre será assim. Ou seja, "other" poderá ainda estar sozinho na sentença ou acompanhado de palavras como "some", "any", "my", "your", "his", etc., ou ainda um número:

• I'll wear my other shoes - these are dirty. (Vou usar o meu outro sapato - esse está sujo.)
• None of your other friends agreed. (Nenhum dos seus outros amigos concordou.)
• Mrs. Silva has three other children. (A senhora Silva tem outros três filhos.)
• Unfortunately, no other details were given. (Infelizmente, nenhum outro detalhe foi dado.)
• I suggested going to the movies, but they had other plans. (Sugeri irmos ao cinema, mas elas tinham outros planos.)
• Do you have any other questions? (Vocês têm outras dúvidas?)

A palavra "others" ("outros" ou "outras") é usada para evitar a repetição de palavras em uma sentença (conversa). O uso da palavra "the" na frente é opcional:

• Some girls like reading books. Others prefer magazines. (Algumas garotas gostam de ler livros. Outras preferem revistas.)
• One boy fell off his chair and the others laughed. (Um garoto caiu da cadeira e os outros riram.)
• These books are mine. The others are yours. (Esses livros são meus. Os outros são seus.)

Aqui vale dizer que podemos usar a expressão "the others" com o mesmo sentido de "the other people" (as outras pessoas) ou "the other things" (as outras coisas):

• If you tell Caroline, I'll tell the others. (Se você contar para a Caroline, eu conto pras outras.)
• Márcia and Paula are coming, but the other aren't. (Márcia e Paula estão vindo, mas os outros não.)

Por fim temos a palavra "another", que significa "um outro" ou "uma outra". Se você observar nada mais é do que "an other" escrito junto. Aliás, as duas são escritas juntas - another - desde o século 16; portanto, faz muito tempo. Usamos "another" quando fazemos referência a algo que já foi mencionado na sentença (conversa):

• My iPad is broken. I need to buy another. (Meu iPad está quebrado. Eu preciso comprar -um- outro.)
• Would you like another drink? (Você quer -um- outro drinque?)
• I'll cancel that check and send you another. (Vou cancelar esse cheque e te enviar -um- outro.)

Você só perceberá a diferença entre palavras assim quando deixar de prestar atenção apenas a elas e começar a observar como elas são usadas em uma sentença ou junto com outras palavras.

Ou seja, ao invés de focar toda a atenção apenas em "other", "others" e "another", comece a prestar atenção no conjunto, nas palavras usadas antes de cada uma, aprenda uma sentença completa se for o caso... Enfim, só assim você se acostumará com o uso de cada uma ao longo do seu aprendizado de inglês.

New Year's resolution

A New Year resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a personal goal, project, or the reforming of a habit. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous. A New Years Resolution is generally a goal someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year. Some examples include resolutions to donate to the poor more often, to become more assertive, or to become more environmentally responsible. A key element to a New Years Resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year, and new beginnings.

There are religious parallels to this secular tradition. During Judaism's New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), one is to reflect upon one's wrongdoings over the year and both seek and offer forgiveness. People may act similarly during the Christian fasting period of Lent, though the motive behind this holiday is more of sacrifice than of responsibility. The concept, regardless of creed, is to reflect upon self-improvement annually.

Popular goals include resolutions to:

• Improve health: lose weight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, quit smoking
• Improve finances: get out of debt, save money
• Improve career: get a better job
• Improve education: improve grades, get a better education, learn something new (such as a foreign language or music)
• Improve self: become more organized, reduce stress, be less grumpy, manage time, be more independent, perhaps watch less television
• Take a trip
• Volunteer to help others

Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. A separate study in 2007 by Richard Wisemen from the University of Bristol showed that 78% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, and those who succeed have 5 traits in common. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measurable goals are being set; such as, a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.