AN ARGENTINE INVENTOR

Car Mechanic Dreams Up a Tool to Ease Births Diego Giudice for The New York Times With Jorge Odón’s device, a plastic bag inflated around a baby’s head is used to pull it out of the birth canal. By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. Published: November 13, 2013 264 Comments Facebook Twitter Google+ Save E-mail Share Print Reprints The idea came to Jorge Odón as he slept. Somehow, he said, his unconscious made the leap from a YouTube video he had just seen on extracting a lost cork from a wine bottle to the realization that the same parlor trick could save a baby stuck in the birth canal. Enlarge This Image Diego Giudice for The New York Times Mr. Odón’s got the idea from a method to retrieve a cork from a wine bottle. Readers’ Comments Readers shared their thoughts on this article. Read All Comments (264) » Mr. Odón, 59, an Argentine car mechanic, built his first prototype in his kitchen, using a glass jar for a womb, his daughter’s doll for the trapped baby, and a fabric bag and sleeve sewn by his wife as his lifesaving device. Unlikely as it seems, the idea that took shape on his counter has won the enthusiastic endorsement of the World Health Organization and major donors, and an American medical technology company has just licensed it for production. With the Odón Device, an attendant slips a plastic bag inside a lubricated plastic sleeve around the head, inflates it to grip the head and pulls the bag until the baby emerges. Doctors say it has enormous potential to save babies in poor countries, and perhaps to reduce cesarean section births in rich ones. “This is very exciting,” said Dr. Mario Merialdi, the W.H.O.’s chief coordinator for improving maternal and perinatal health and an early champion of the Odón Device. “This critical moment of life is one in which there’s been very little advancement for years.” About 10 percent of the 137 million births worldwide each year have potentially serious complications, Dr. Merialdi said. About 5.6 million babies are stillborn or die quickly, and about 260,000 women die in childbirth. Obstructed labor, which can occur when a baby’s head is too large or an exhausted mother’s contractions stop, is a major factor. In wealthy countries, fetal distress results in a rush to the operating room. In poor, rural clinics, Dr. Merialdi said, “if the baby doesn’t come out, the woman is on her own.” The current options in those cases are forceps — large, rounded pliers — or suction cups attached to the baby’s scalp. In untrained hands, either can cause hemorrhages, crush the baby’s head or twist its spine. Although more testing is planned on the Odón Device, doctors said it appeared to be safe for midwives with minimal training to use. Along the way, it has won research grants from the United States Agency for International Development and from Grand Challenges Canada. “We’ve given out $32 million for 61 different innovations, and this one is the farthest along,” said Dr. Peter A. Singer, the chief executive of Grand Challenges Canada. The device will be manufactured by Becton, Dickinson and Company, or BD, of Franklin Lakes, N.J., which is better known for making syringes. “My first reaction, as soon as I saw it, was positive,” said Gary M. Cohen, the company’s executive vice president for global health. It was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Dr. Merialdi asked him to consider taking it on. “Many inventions get to the prototype stage, but that’s maybe 15 percent of what needs to be done,” Mr. Cohen said. “There’s finalizing the design for manufacture, quality control, the regulatory work and clinical studies. Absent that, they don’t see the light of day.” So far, the device has been safety-tested only on 30 Argentine women, all of whom were in hospitals, had given birth before and were in normal labor. “I was glad they asked me, because it was for a good cause,” said Luciana Valle, a kindergarten teacher who was 31 two years ago when her son, Matteo, was one of the first babies extracted with the device. Because Matteo weighed almost nine pounds, “it really helped,” she said in a telephone interview. “His head came out on my second push.” The W.H.O. will now oversee tests on 100 more women in normal labor in China, India and South Africa, and then on 170 women in obstructed labor. In a telephone interview from Argentina, Mr. Odón described the origins of his idea. He tinkers at his garage, but his previous inventions were car parts. Seven years ago, he said, employees were imitating a video showing that a cork pushed into an empty bottle can be retrieved by inserting a plastic grocery bag, blowing until it surrounds the cork, and drawing it out. That night, he won a dinner bet on it. At 4 a.m., he woke his wife and told her the idea that had just come to him. (His own children were born without problems, he said, but he has an aunt who suffered nerve damage from birth.) His wife, he recalled, “said I was crazy and went back to sleep.” The next morning, a somewhat skeptical friend introduced him to an obstetrician. “You can imagine these two guys in suits in a waiting room full of pregnant ladies,” he said. The doctor was encouraging, so he kept working. Polyethylene replaced the bag his wife had sewn, and the jar was replaced by a plastic uterus. With the help of a cousin, Mr. Odón met the chief of obstetrics at a major hospital in Buenos Aires. The chief had a friend at the W.H.O., who knew Dr. Merialdi, who, at a 2008 medical conference in Argentina, granted Mr. Odón 10 minutes during a coffee break. The meeting instead lasted two hours. At the end, Dr. Merialdi declared the idea “fantastic” and arranged for testing at the Des Moines University simulation lab, which has mannequins more true-to-life than a doll and a jar. Since then, Mr. Odón has continued to refine the device, patenting each change so he will eventually earn royalties on it. “My daughter said, ‘And now I can have my doll back,’ ” he said. It is too early to know what BD will charge, Mr. Cohen said, but each device should cost less than $50 to make. While the company expects to profit on all sales, it will charge poor countries less. Dr. Merialdi said he endorsed a modest profit motive because he had seen other lifesaving ideas languish for lack of it. He cited magnesium sulfate injections, which can prevent fatal eclampsia, and corticosteroids, which speed lung development in premature infants. “But first, this problem needed someone like Jorge,” he said. “An obstetrician would have tried to improve the forceps or the vacuum extractor, but obstructed labor needed a mechanic. And 10 years ago, this would not have been possible. Without YouTube, he never would have seen the video.”

COMMUNITY SERVICE AS A FORM OF PUNISHMENT

September 1, 2010 Is community service really a punishment? Should it be ordered more? The questions in the title of this post, which I asked my 1L students yesterday, are worth some collective reflection in light of this notable new Slate column headlined "Riches to Rags: What's with all the celebrities serving community service? Do they really help anyone?". Here are excerpts: The modern concept of community service as a punishment began in Great Britain in the late 1960s and has become increasingly popular with judges who find they can be more flexible and humane in punishing offenders unlikely to commit another crime. Those guilty of offenses like shoplifting, writing bad checks, possessing small amounts of illegal drugs, or hurling cell phones, are required to work a certain number of hours for the good of the community, usually in a local nonprofit or government facility. (The judges' rule of thumb: Six hours of work equals one day in jail.)... Whether the work itself is useful or not, this kind of sentencing is certainly helpful to the criminal justice system in a time of budget deficits and overcrowded prisons. (We have more people locked up than any other nation and lead the world in incarceration rates at 751 people in prison or jail for every 100,000 in the population. California may have to release prisoners.) Community service is practical as well as humane. It saves court time because few of these cases go to trial. The charges are generally dismissed once community service is done and the fine paid. The state saves the high cost of a prisoner's daily care. Is community service helpful to the community by making offenders less likely to commit crimes in the future? Sentencing experts point to the good outcomes for young offenders, where time in jail would very likely have made them more dangerous. We'd like to believe older offenders can be transformed by serving their communities, but the few studies on the subject are inconclusive. There's not much evidence that such sentencing significantly reduces recidivism.... Recent examples of celeb community service sentencing bring up the tension that runs throughout our justice system. Is it fair? Not really: The moneyed and better-educated defendant almost invariably does better. A Houston study found whites there were more likely to be assigned community service sentences than blacks. People with money can hire a skilled lawyer likely to convince a judge that community service is appropriate. In fact, it's often the defense attorney who proposes the form of service. In the case of a sports star, a team and an agent have a huge investment in keeping the offender playing, not to mention maintaining or rehabilitating his or her reputation. When basketball player DeShawn Stevenson fulfills his community service at a camp for elite high-school ball players (along with two years' probation and a $1,100 fine) after being sentenced for statutory rape, it looks like something he would have probably wanted to do anyway. Same goes for other entertainers. After his airport parking violation led to drug and gun charges, rapper Snoop Dogg spent half of his 800 hours of community service with his Snoop Youth Football League team (complete with a Snooper Bowl). In some cases, the suggested service looks less like punishment than career enrichment. The lawyer for actor Charlie Sheen, who was charged with assaulting his wife with a switch blade, initially suggested that the actor spend a month serving the community as a theater intern with Theatre Aspen. Sheen ended up going to drug rehabilitation (as did his wife), instead of prison. Offenders can go too far with their ideas about the right kind of service. A California lawyer guilty of conspiracy sought community-service credit for teaching a law school course to be called "Regulation of Free Market Capitalism: Are We Failing?" The judge rejected the idea, saying it was not what he had envisioned.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES SUMMARY

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES SUMMARY VIDEO CLASS NOVEMBER 1ST 18.30 HS READ THE SUMMARY AT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416212/synopsis

STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT

The Menace Within What happened in the basement of the psych building 40 years ago shocked the world. How do the guards, prisoners and researchers in the Stanford Prison Experiment feel about it now? Stanford Prison Experiment View photo album >> By Romesh Ratnesar It began with an ad in the classifieds. Male college students needed for psychological study of prison life. $15 per day for 1-2 weeks. More than 70 people volunteered to take part in the study, to be conducted in a fake prison housed inside Jordan Hall, on Stanford's Main Quad. The leader of the study was 38-year-old psychology professor Philip Zimbardo. He and his fellow researchers selected 24 applicants and randomly assigned each to be a prisoner or a guard. Zimbardo encouraged the guards to think of themselves as actual guards in a real prison. He made clear that prisoners could not be physically harmed, but said the guards should try to create an atmosphere in which the prisoners felt "powerless." The study began on Sunday, August 17, 1971. But no one knew what, exactly, they were getting into. Forty years later, the Stanford Prison Experiment remains among the most notable—and notorious—research projects ever carried out at the University. For six days, half the study's participants endured cruel and dehumanizing abuse at the hands of their peers. At various times, they were taunted, stripped naked, deprived of sleep and forced to use plastic buckets as toilets. Some of them rebelled violently; others became hysterical or withdrew into despair. As the situation descended into chaos, the researchers stood by and watched—until one of their colleagues finally spoke out. The public's fascination with the SPE and its implications—the notion, as Zimbardo says, "that these ordinary college students could do such terrible things when caught in that situation"—brought Zimbardo international renown. It also provoked criticism from other researchers, who questioned the ethics of subjecting student volunteers to such extreme emotional trauma. The study had been approved by Stanford's Human Subjects Research Committee, and Zimbardo says that "neither they nor we could have imagined" that the guards would treat the prisoners so inhumanely. In 1973, an investigation by the American Psychological Association concluded that the prison study had satisfied the profession's existing ethical standards. But in subsequent years, those guidelines were revised to prohibit human-subject simulations modeled on the SPE. "No behavioral research that puts people in that kind of setting can ever be done again in America," Zimbardo says. The Stanford Prison Experiment became the subject of numerous books and documentaries, a feature film and the name of at least one punk band. In the last decade, after the revelations of abuses committed by U.S. military and intelligence personnel at prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan, the SPE provided lessons in how good people placed in adverse conditions can act barbarically. The experiment is still a source of controversy and contention—even among those who took part in it. Here, in their own words, some of the key players in the drama reflect on their roles and how those six days in August changed their lives. THE SUPERINTENDENT Phil Zimbardo Zimbardo joined Stanford's psychology department in 1968 and taught there until his retirement in 2007. The study was focused originally on how individuals adapt to being in a relatively powerless situation. I was interested in prisoners and was not really interested in the guards. It was really meant to be a single, dramatic demonstration of the power of the situation on human behavior. We expected that we would write some articles about it and move on. Courtesy Phil Zimbardo Zimbardo.After the end of the first day, I said, "There's nothing here. Nothing's happening." The guards had this antiauthority mentality. They felt awkward in their uniforms. They didn't get into the guard mentality until the prisoners started to revolt. Throughout the experiment, there was this conspiracy of denial—everyone involved was in effect denying that this was an experiment and agreeing that this is a prison run by psychologists. There was zero time for reflection. We had to feed the prisoners three meals a day, deal with the prisoner breakdowns, deal with their parents, run a parole board. By the third day I was sleeping in my office. I had become the superintendent of the Stanford county jail. That was who I was: I'm not the researcher at all. Even my posture changes—when I walk through the prison yard, I'm walking with my hands behind my back, which I never in my life do, the way generals walk when they're inspecting troops. We had arranged for everyone involved—the prisoners, guards and staff—to be interviewed on Friday by other faculty members and graduate students who had not been involved in the study. Christina Maslach, who had just finished her PhD, came down the night before. She's standing outside the guard quarters and watches the guards line up the prisoners for the 10 o'clock toilet run. The prisoners come out, and the guards put bags over their heads, chain their feet together and make them put their hands on each other's shoulders, like a chain gang. They're yelling and cursing at them. Christina starts tearing up. She said, "I can't look at this." I ran after her and we had this argument outside Jordan Hall. She said, "It's terrible what you're doing to these boys. How can you see what I saw and not care about the suffering?" But I didn't see what she saw. And I suddenly began to feel ashamed. This is when I realized I had been transformed by the prison study to become the prison administrator. At that point I said, "You're right. We've got to end the study." [As the study was underway], there was an escape attempt at San Quentin prison and [former Black Panther] George Jackson was shot and killed. Three weeks after that, there's the Attica prison riot [in New York]. Suddenly, prisons are hot. Two government investigative committees start hearings and I'm flown out to Washington to present to a congressional subcommittee on the nature of prisons. I went from knowing nothing firsthand about prisons to being an expert. But I worked hard to learn more. I visited a number of correctional facilities all over the country. I organized a program for Stanford students to teach a course at a prison. For years I had an active correspondence with at least 20 different prisoners. It wasn't a formal experiment. My colleagues probably never thought much of it. But as a result of the prison study, I really became more aware of the central role of power in our lives. I became more aware of the power I have as a teacher. I started consciously doing things to minimize the negative use of power in the classroom. I encouraged students to challenge me. I think I became more self-reflective. I'm more generous and more open because of that experience. I think it made me a better person. THE WHISTLEBLOWER Courtesy Christina Maslach-Zimbardo Maslach.Christina Maslach Maslach, PhD '71, became a professor at UC-Berkeley. She and Zimbardo married in 1972. They live in San Francisco. I had just finished my doctorate and was about to leave Stanford to start my new job. Phil and I had started dating. The prison study was never anything I was considering playing a part in. During the first few days of the experiment, I did hear from Phil, but not in great detail. What I was getting, though, was a sense that it was becoming a real prison—people were not just fooling around but actually getting caught up in the situation. But it still wasn't evident to me what that might mean. At first Phil didn't seem different. I didn't see any change in him until I actually went down to the basement and saw the prison. I met one guard who seemed nice and sweet and charming, and then I saw him in the yard later and I thought, "Oh my God, what happened here?" I saw the prisoners being marched to go down to the men's room. I was getting sick to my stomach, physically ill. I said, "I can't watch this." But no one else was having the same problem. Phil came after me and said, "What's the matter with you?" That's when I had this feeling like, "I don't know you. How can you not see this?" It felt like we were standing on two different cliffs across a chasm. If we had not been dating before then, if he were just another faculty member and this happened, I might have said, "I'm sorry, I'm out of here" and just left. But because this was someone I was growing to like a lot, I thought that I had to figure this out. So I kept at it. I fought back, and ended up having a huge argument with him. I don't think we've ever had an argument quite like that since then. I feared that if the study went on, he would become someone I no longer cared for, no longer loved, no longer respected. It's an interesting question: Suppose he kept going, what would I have done? I honestly don't know. The clearest influence the study had on me was that it raised some really serious questions about how people cope with extremely emotional, difficult situations, especially when it's part of their job—when they have to manage people or take care of them or rehabilitate them. So I started interviewing people. I started with some prison guards in a real prison, and talked to them about their jobs and how they understood what they were doing. At first I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I was just trying to listen. I interviewed people who worked in hospitals, in the ER. After a while I realized there was a rhythm and pattern emerging, and when I described it to someone they said, "I don't know what it's called in other professions, but in our occupation we call it 'burnout.'" And so I spent a good chunk of my professional life developing and defining what burnout is—what are the things that cause it and how can we intervene and help people cope with it more effectively. All of that work on burnout had some origins in the experience I had in the prison experiment. People will sometimes come up to me—at conferences, or maybe they're students who have taken psychology classes—and they'll say, "Oh my God, you're such a hero! What is it like to be a hero?" And it's always a little surprising to me because it sure didn't feel heroic at the time. The prison study has given me a new understanding of what "heroism" means. It's not some egocentric, I'm-going-to-rush-into-that-burning-building thing—it's about seeing something that needs to be addressed and saying, I need to help and do something to make it better. THE GUARDS Dave Eshelman The son of a Stanford engineering professor, Eshelman was a student at Chapman University at the time of the experiment. He was the prison's most abusive guard, patterning himself after the sadistic prison warden (portrayed by Strother Martin) in the movie Cool Hand Luke. Today he owns a mortgage business in Saratoga. Photo: Toni Gauthier Eshelman.I was just looking for some summer work. I had a choice of doing this or working at a pizza parlor. I thought this would be an interesting and different way of finding summer employment. The only person I knew going in was John Mark. He was another guard and wasn't even on my shift. That was critical. If there were prisoners in there who knew me before they encountered me, then I never would have been able to pull off anything I did. The act that I put on—they would have seen through it immediately. What came over me was not an accident. It was planned. I set out with a definite plan in mind, to try to force the action, force something to happen, so that the researchers would have something to work with. After all, what could they possibly learn from guys sitting around like it was a country club? So I consciously created this persona. I was in all kinds of drama productions in high school and college. It was something I was very familiar with: to take on another personality before you step out on the stage. I was kind of running my own experiment in there, by saying, "How far can I push these things and how much abuse will these people take before they say, 'knock it off?'" But the other guards didn't stop me. They seemed to join in. They were taking my lead. Not a single guard said, "I don't think we should do this." The fact that I ramped up the intimidation and the mental abuse without any real sense as to whether I was hurting anybody? I definitely regret that. But in the long run, no one suffered any lasting damage. When the Abu Ghraib scandal broke, my first reaction was, this is so familiar to me. I knew exactly what was going on. I could picture myself in the middle of that and watching it spin out of control. When you have little or no supervision as to what you're doing, and no one steps in and says, "Hey, you can't do this"—things just keep escalating. You think, how can we top what we did yesterday? How do we do something even more outrageous? I felt a deep sense of familiarity with that whole situation. Sometimes when people know about the experiment and then meet me, it's like, My God, this guy's a psycho! But everyone who knows me would just laugh at that. John Mark Mark was about to begin his junior year at Stanford. He graduated in 1973 with a degree in anthropology. He lives in the Bay Area and has worked for the last 18 years as a medical coder for Kaiser Permanente. Photo: Toni Gauthier Mark.I had spent my sophomore year at Stanford in France and returned to campus that spring. It was one of the most pivotal times in my life. Over Thanksgiving of the year before, I went with a friend to Amsterdam. You have to remember this is 1970, it was basically the '60s. We went to one of those clubs where you could buy drugs. We bought hash and actually brought some back with us, and I was caught at the French border. For a few hours I was told by French border guards that I was going to prison. In the end they let me go, but I definitely had been scared out of my wits. When I saw this thing about a prison experiment, I thought I had some life experiences to bring to it. I felt this was going to be an important experiment. I told them all about what I'd been through and why it was important to me to be a prisoner. It was very disappointing to be assigned to be a guard, but I did the best I could. During the day shift, when I worked, no one did anything that was beyond what you'd expect in a situation like that. But Zimbardo went out of his way to create tension. Things like forced sleep deprivation—he was really pushing the envelope. I just didn't like the whole idea of constantly disturbing people and asking them to recite their prisoner numbers in a count. I certainly didn't like when they put a guy in solitary confinement. At that time of my life, I was getting high, all day every day. I got high before I went to the experiment; I got high on my breaks and lunch. I got high afterwards. I brought joints with me, and every day I wanted to give them to the prisoners. I looked at their faces and saw how they were getting dispirited and I felt sorry for them. I didn't think it was ever meant to go the full two weeks. I think Zimbardo wanted to create a dramatic crescendo, and then end it as quickly as possible. I felt that throughout the experiment, he knew what he wanted and then tried to shape the experiment—by how it was constructed, and how it played out—to fit the conclusion that he had already worked out. He wanted to be able to say that college students, people from middle-class backgrounds—people will turn on each other just because they're given a role and given power. Based on my experience, and what I saw and what I felt, I think that was a real stretch. I don't think the actual events match up with the bold headline. I never did, and I haven't changed my opinion.

IRAN S NUKE CAPABILITIES

INTERPRETING 1ST YEAR MATERIA ASPECTOS DE LA REALIDAD SOCIAL CONTEMPORANEA THE PHANTOM MENACE ARTICLEW FRON NEWSWEEK http://mag.newsweek.com/2013/10/04/the-phantom-menace.html

A POLITICAL HEADACHE FROM THE ECONOMIST

Do you know how to say arrtimia in English ? Our president is suffering from this condition . Find out how to say this in English This and many other words will appear in THE ECONOMIST ARTICLE Cristina Fernández's health A political headache Oct 7th 2013, 8:32 by H.C. | BUENOS AIRES .. NEWS from Argentina can resemble a David Lynch film: the more you learn, the less you fathom. In the past year alone the government signed a pact with Iran to investigate a bombing in 1994 of a Jewish centre which the Iranians were suspected of executing, invited tax evaders to buy financial instruments with preferential rates of return, and puffed up growth rates so much it may have to shell out billions of dollars in GDP-linked securities. Last weekend’s goings-on are no less bizarre. On October 5th the president, Cristina Fernández was rushed to hospital on account of an irregular heartbeat. On arrival the 60-year-old complained of a severe headache. Neurological tests revealed that Ms Fernández was suffering from a subdural hematoma, an accumulation of blood between the tissues surrounding the brain. Such internal bleeding can be caused by trauma. Following her diagnosis, the president’s press secretary casually explained that on August 12th, the day after Ms Fernández's Front for Victory (FPV) party was drubbed in nationwide legislative primaries, she fell and hit her head. The president was briefly hospitalised but tests concluded that she was fine. The public were never informed. That head bump is now blamed for triggering the hematoma. Doctors have ordered Ms Fernández to rest for one month. The vice-president, Amado Boudou, immediately called back from an official visit to Brasil but he has yet formally to assume presidential duties. Convalescence would put Ms Fernández out of action until after the midterm elections on October 27th. The results of the August primaries as well as recent polls have been boding ill for the FPV, which may be in for its worst-ever showing. It is far from assured that Ms Fernández's health shock will win her any sympathy votes. After the sudden death of her husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, in October 2010 her popularity shot up from a meagre 36% to 55% in a month, according to Poliarquia, a pollster. The widow, dressed in black ever since, rode the sympathy wave to win re-election with an unprecedented 54% of the vote a year later. This time may be different, however. For a start, Mr Boudou is not the ideal standard-bearer. Last year he faced allegations of illegal enrichment and influence-peddling. Prosecutors ultimately failed to provide convincing evidence of wrongdoing, but Argentines may be reminded of the imbroglio now that Mr Boudou will once again come into the spotlight. More important, perhaps, the hematoma is Ms Fernández’s second big health scare in less than a year. Last December she underwent surgery to remove a suspected tumour. This ultimately proved to be healthy tissue but the president was still unable to work for 20 days. All this risks making her appear fragile—and lead Argentines to ask searching questions about her physical ability to govern, just as they have been about her political capacity to do so.

SAME SEX MARRIAGES

If interested in the topic, see how AMERICA is faring on this controversial issue The article is from our long old friend NEWSWEEK http://mag.newsweek.com/2013/09/27/what-s-next-for-the-gay-rights-movement.html

gliphosate

BATTLING AGAINST MONSANTO DEFENDING OUR RIGHT TO LIVE Last Thursday, environmental activists and residents of this municipality ran a big event, inviting artists, scientists, and human rights organisations to a stop on route 88, where Monsanto, a global agricultural corporation specialising in genetically modified (GM) crops, is building Latin America’s biggest seed plant. The ‘Spring Without Monsanto’ protest in Malvinas Argentinas (photo: Paola Castillo, via Tierra Negra) The event brought over 2,000 people together, with participants from the provinces of Córdoba and Buenos Aires, as well as visitors from other countries, such as Colombia and Brazil. As the festival organisers were afraid of possible obstacles by the provincial government and Monsanto itself, they set up an encampment at the company’s entrance on Wednesday night to ensure the event would take place as planned. Since then, the encampment has remained in place, expanding into a “selective roadblock.” Celina Molina, from the organisation ‘Malvinas Assembly Fights for Life’ told The Indy: “Our objective was to make the fight against Monsanto visible, to demand enforcement of the [environmental] law, scientific studies, and a public audience.” The rapid expansion of Argentina’s agricultural sector – particularly the soy industry – has created tensions along the agricultural frontier, with disputes over territory, particularly in northern Argentina, resulting in violence and repression of peasant farmers and indigenous communities. The controversial decision to build Monsanto’s plant in Malvinas Argentinas came just a few days after an unprecedented trial on the excessive use of agrochemicals that took place in August 2012 in Ituzaingó Anexo, also in the province of Córdoba. After a decade of legal struggles, a group of mothers convinced that excessive use of chemicals on nearby soy fields was behind high levels of disease and deformations in the town, received vindication in a court ruling that condemned two agricultural workers to a three-year suspended sentence for contamination. However, in the same month as the historic verdict was delivered, the national government also approved the use of new GM seeds, including new soybean and corn varieties, the latter of which will be “conditioned” in the plant in Malvinas Argentinas, due to be inaugurated in 2014. Monsanto denies any risks of contamination, claiming that it promotes “sustainable agriculture”. However, social media campaigns like Millones contra Monsanto (Millions against Monsanto) and Fuera Monsanto (Go away Monsanto) have emerged in Argentina, gathering thousands of volunteers who organise regular marches, conferences, and seminars, spreading information on agrochemicals around the country. The anti-Monsanto movement has received a lot of support from other environmental movements, like anti-fracking, anti-mining, and others. Molina lives in Malvinas Argentinas and is very concerned about the current situation: “We are not given these basic rights and no one can guarantee there will be no impact on our health”. She and other protesters are demanding that a referendum is held to give local residents the chance to make their own decision on the new plant. She says she doesn’t like to use the word “roadblock” to describe the current protest, opting instead for “selective manifestation” as the idea is to limit further progress on construction works without harming the workers. “We let workers pass as we understand they need this job to feed their families”, continues Molina and adds: “This measure is very strong, but we’ve already done everything we could by informing the local population about the risks and filing the lawsuits against Monsanto.” So far, protesters say neither the government or Monsanto have offered dialogue. “We knew it would be hard,” Molina confesses. “We were not used to this struggle, and we basically didn’t know anything about Monsanto.” The assembly says they ran a survey among local residents some time ago and determined that over 60% were against Monsanto’s presence in the vicinity. “Unfortunately, only 5% take to the streets,” Molina adds. Those that are there say the ‘selective roadblock’ doesn’t have an end date, with volunteers planning to “keep up the fight” until their demands are met. All updates and information about the protest and further events can be found on two Facebook pages, here and here. This post was written by:marc - who has written 629 posts on The Argentina Independent. Contact the author Facebook comments

INTERPRETING : SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY

Sectors of the Economy Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary, and Quinary By Matt Rosenberg, About.com Guide . A nation’s economy can be divided into various sectors to define the proportion of the population engaged in the activity sector. This categorization is seen as a continuum of distance from the natural environment. The continuum starts with the primary sector, which concerns itself with the utilization of raw materials from the earth such as agriculture and mining. From there, the distance from the raw materials of the earth increases. Primary Sector The primary sector of the economy extracts or harvests products from the earth. The primary sector includes the production of raw material and basic foods. Activities associated with the primary sector include agriculture (both subsistence and commercial), mining, forestry, farming, grazing, hunting and gathering, fishing, and quarrying. The packaging and processing of the raw material associated with this sector is also considered to be part of this sector. In developed and developing countries, a decreasing proportion of workers are involved in the primary sector. About 3% of the U.S. labor force is engaged in primary sector activity today, while more than two-thirds of the labor force were primary sector workers in the mid-nineteenth century. Secondary Sector The secondary sector of the economy manufactures finished goods. All of manufacturing, processing, and construction lies within the secondary sector. Activities associated with the secondary sector include metal working and smelting, automobile production, textile production, chemical and engineering industries, aerospace manufacturing, energy utilities, engineering, breweries and bottlers, construction, and shipbuilding. Tertiary Sector The tertiary sector of the economy is the service industry. This sector provides services to the general population and to businesses. Activities associated with this sector include retail and wholesale sales, transportation and distribution, entertainment (movies, television, radio, music, theater, etc.), restaurants, clerical services, media, tourism, insurance, banking, healthcare, and law. In most developed and developing countries, a growing proportion of workers are devoted to the tertiary sector. In the U.S., more than 80% of the labor force are tertiary workers. Quaternary Sector The quaternary sector of the economy consists of intellectual activities. Activities associated with this sector include government, culture, libraries, scientific research, education, and information technology. Quinary Sector Some consider there to be a branch of the quaternary sector called the quinary sector, which includes the highest levels of decision making in a society or economy. This sector would include the top executives or officials in such fields as government, science, universities, nonprofit, healthcare, culture, and the media. An Australian source relates that the quinary sector in Australia refers to domestic activities such as those performed by stay-at-home parents or homemakers. These activities are typically not measured by monetary amounts but it is important to recognize these activities in contribution to the economy.

BULLYING IN SCHOOLS

Bullying in Schools < 

By Ron Banks Educational Resource Information Center (U.S. Department of Education) Updated on Jul 15, 2013

Bullying in schools is a worldwide problem that can have negative consequences for the general school climate and for the right of students to learn in a safe environment without fear.
Bullying can also have negative lifelong consequences—both for students who bully and for their victims. Although much of the formal research on bullying has taken place in the Scandinavian countries, Great Britain, and Japan, the problems associated with bullying have been noted and discussed wherever formal schooling environments exist.
Bullying is comprised of direct behaviors such as teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and stealing that are initiated by one or more students against a victim. In addition to direct attacks, bullying may also be more indirect by causing a student to be socially isolated through intentional exclusion. While boys typically engage in direct bullying methods, girls who bully are more apt to utilize these more subtle indirect strategies, such as spreading rumors and enforcing social isolation (Ahmad & Smith, 1994; Smith & Sharp, 1994). Whether the bullying is direct or indirect, the key component of bullying is that the physical or psychological intimidation occurs repeatedly over time to create an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993). Extent of the Problem Various reports and studies have established that approximately 15% of students are either bullied regularly or are initiators of bullying behavior (Olweus, 1993).
Direct bullying seems to increase through the elementary years, peak in the middle school/junior high school years, and decline during the high school years. However, while direct physical assault seems to decrease with age, verbal abuse appears to remain constant. School size, racial composition, and school setting (rural, suburban, or urban) do not seem to be distinguishing factors in predicting the occurrence of bullying. Finally, boys engage in bullying behavior and are victims of bullies more frequently than girls (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Nolin, Davies, & Chandler, 1995; Olweus, 1993; Whitney & Smith, 1993). Chracteristics of Bullies and VictimsStudents who engage in bullying behaviors seem to have a need to feel powerful and in control. They appear to derive satisfaction from inflicting injury and suffering on others, seem to have little empathy for their victims, and often defend their actions by saying that their victims provoked them in some way. Studies indicate that bullies often come from homes where physical punishment is used, where the children are taught to strike back physically as a way to handle problems, and where parental involvement and warmth are frequently lacking. Students who regularly display bullying behaviors are generally defiant or oppositional toward adults, antisocial, and apt to break school rules. In contrast to prevailing myths, bullies appear to have little anxiety and to possess strong self-esteem. There is little evidence to support the contention that they victimize others because they feel bad about themselves (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993).Students who are victims of bullying are typically anxious, insecure, cautious, and suffer from low self-esteem, rarely defending themselves or retaliating when confronted by students who bully them. They may lack social skills and friends, and they are often socially isolated. Victims tend to be close to their parents and may have parents who can be described as overprotective. The major defining physical characteristic of victims is that they tend to be physically weaker than their peers--other physical characteristics such as weight, dress, or wearing eyeglasses do not appear to be significant factors that can be correlated with victimization (Batsche & Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993).

Consequences of Bullying

As established by studies in Scandinavian countries, a strong correlation appears to exist between bullying other students during the school years and experiencing legal or criminal troubles as adults. In one study, 60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction by age 24 (Olweus, 1993). Chronic bullies seem to maintain their behaviors into adulthood, negatively influencing their ability to develop and maintain positive relationships (Oliver, Hoover, & Hazler, 1994).Victims often fear school and consider school to be an unsafe and unhappy place. As many as 7% of America's eighth-graders stay home at least once a month because of bullies. The act of being bullied tends to increase some students' isolation because their peers do not want to lose status by associating with them or because they do not want to increase the risks of being bullied themselves. Being bullied leads to depression and low self-esteem, problems that can carry into adulthood (Olweus, 1993; Batsche & Knoff, 1994). Perceptions of BullyingOliver, Hoover, and Hazler (1994) surveyed students in the Midwest and found that a clear majority felt that victims were at least partially responsible for bringing the bullying on themselves. Students surveyed tended to agree that bullying toughened a weak person, and some felt that bullying "taught" victims appropriate behavior. Charach, Pepler, and Ziegler (1995) found that students considered victims to be "weak," "nerds," and "afraid to fight back." However, 43% of the students in this study said that they try to help the victim, 33% said that they should help but do not, and only 24% said that bullying was none of their business.Parents are often unaware of the bullying problem and talk about it with their children only to a limited extent (Olweus, 1993). Student surveys reveal that a low percentage of students seem to believe that adults will help. Students feel that adult intervention is infrequent and ineffective, and that telling adults will only bring more harassment from bullies. Students report that teachers seldom or never talk to their classes about bullying (Charach, Pepler, & Ziegler, 1995). School personnel may view bullying as a harmless right of passage that is best ignored unless verbal and psychological intimidation crosses the line into physical assault or theft. Intervention ProgramsBullying is a problem that occurs in the social environment as a whole. The bullies' aggression occurs in social contexts in which teachers and parents are generally unaware of the extent of the problem and other children are either reluctant to get involved or simply do not know how to help (Charach, Pepler, & Ziegler, 1995). Given this situation, effective interventions must involve the entire school community rather than focus on the perpetrators and victims alone. Smith and Sharp (1994) emphasize the need to develop whole-school bullying policies, implement curricular measures, improve the schoolground environment, and empower students through conflict resolution, peer counseling, and assertiveness training. Olweus (1993) details an approach that involves interventions at the school, class, and individual levels. It includes the following components:An initial questionnaire can be distributed to students and adults. The questionnaire helps both adults and students become aware of the extent of the problem, helps to justify intervention efforts, and serves as a benchmark to measure the impact of improvements in school climate once other intervention components are in place. A parental awareness campaign can be conducted during parent-teacher conference days, through parent newsletters, and at PTA meetings. The goal is to increase parental awareness of the problem, point out the importance of parental involvement for program success, and encourage parental support of program goals. Questionnaire results are publicized. Teachers can work with students at the class level to develop class rules against bullying. Many programs engage students in a series of formal role-playing exercises and related assignments that can teach those students directly involved in bullying alternative methods of interaction. These programs can also show other students how they can assist victims and how everyone can work together to create a school climate where bullying is not tolerated (Sjostrom & Stein, 1996). Other components of anti-bullying programs include individualized interventions with the bullies and victims, the implementation of cooperative learning activities to reduce social isolation, and increasing adult supervision at key times (e.g., recess or lunch).
Schools that have implemented Olweus's program have reported a 50% reduction in bullying.ConclusionBullying is a serious problem that can dramatically affect the ability of students to progress academically and socially. A comprehensive intervention plan that involves all students, parents, and school staff is required to ensure that all students can learn in a safe and fear-free environment.ReferencesAhmad, Y., & Smith, P. K. (1994). Bullying in schools and the issue of sex differences. In John Archer (Ed.), MALE VIOLENCE. London: Routledge.Batsche, G. M., & Knoff, H. M. (1994). Bullies and their victims: Understanding a pervasive problem in the schools. School PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW, 23 (2), 165-174. EJ 490 574. Charach, A., Pepler, D., & Ziegler, S. (1995). Bullying at school--a Canadian perspective: A survey of problems and suggestions for intervention. EDUCATION CANADA, 35 (1), 12-18. EJ 502 058. Nolin, M. J., Davies, E., & Chandler, K. (1995). STUDENT VICTIMIZATION AT SCHOOL. National Center for Education Statistics--Statistics in Brief (NCES 95-204). ED 388 439. Oliver, R., Hoover, J. H., & Hazler, R. (1994). The perceived roles of bullying in small-town Midwestern schools. JOURNAL OF COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT, 72 (4), 416-419. EJ 489 169. Olweus, D. (1993). BULLYING AT SCHOOL: WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE CAN DO. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell. ED 384 437. Sjostrom, Lisa, & Stein, Nan. (1996). BULLY PROOF: A TEACHER'S GUIDE ON TEASING AND BULLYING FOR USE WITH FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS. Boston, MA: Wellesley College Center for Research on Women and the NEA Professional Library. PS 024 450. Smith, P. K., & Sharp, S. (1994). SCHOOL BULLYING: INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES. London : Routledge. ED 387 223. Whitney, I., & Smith, P. K. (1993). A survey of the nature and extent of bullying in junior/middle and secondary schools. EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, 35 (1), 3-25. EJ 460 708. « prev page 1 2 3 4 next page »

Grl W Clark:"US will take out Iraq, Libya, Syria... Iran"

Video Interview with General Wesley Clark “We’re going to take out seven countries in 5 years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran” General Wesley Clark. Retired 4-star U.S. Army general, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO during the 1999 War on Yugoslavia. Please, copy and paste this link below in your internet navigator to see the complete article: http://www.globalresearch.ca/we-re-going-to-take-out-7-countries-in-5-years-iraq-syria-lebanon-libya-somalia-sudan-iran/5166

THE INDY ARGENTINAS ECONOMY

THIS IS AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW TO AN ECONOMIST WHO, AS A FOREGINER HELPS US SEE OURSELVES AS WE WOULDN T LIKE TO BE SEEN BY OTHERS ENJOY IT http://www.argentinaindependent.com/currentaffairs/analysis/understanding-argentinas-economy-an-experts-view/

Awkward Social Situation

A very funny webpage related to the topic we are dealing with this week: "Dramatic Events" (CAE and CPE classes). Visit this site, it well worths reading: http://www.buzzfeed.com/samjparker/9-awkward-life-moments-we-need-rules-for

NARRATIVE ESSAYS EXCERPTS

Essential Elements of Narrative Essays ACTIVITY The following are excerpts of NARRATIVE ESSAYS . TASK 1 Read them and pick out phrases that a) could be used in other essays of the same type, b) show descriptions and sensory images Print and bring to class for discussion TASK 2 Choose one and continue it. You must write a development and an ending The focus of a narrative essay is the plot, which is told using enough details to build to a climax. Here's how: •It is usually told chronologically. •It usually has a purpose, which is usually stated in the opening sentence. •It may use dialogue. •It is written with sensory details and vivid descriptions to involve the reader. All these details relate in some way to the main point the writer is making. All of these elements need to seamlessly combine. A few examples of narrative essays follow. Narrative essays can be quite long, so instead of a full length example of an entire essay, only the beginnings of essays are included: Learning Can Be Scary This excerpt about learning new things and new situations is an example of a personal narrative essay that describes learning to swim. “Learning something new can be a scary experience. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was learn how to swim. I was always afraid of the water, but I decided that swimming was an important skill that I should learn. I also thought it would be good exercise and help me to become physically stronger. What I didn't realize was that learning to swim would also make me a more confident person. New situations always make me a bit nervous, and my first swimming lesson was no exception. After I changed into my bathing suit in the locker room, I stood timidly by the side of the pool waiting for the teacher and other students to show up. After a couple of minutes the teacher came over. She smiled and introduced herself, and two more students joined us. Although they were both older than me, they didn't seem to be embarrassed about not knowing how to swim. I began to feel more at ease.” The Manager. The Leader. The following excerpt is a narrative essay from a story about a manager who was a great leader. Notice the intriguing first sentence that captures your attention right away. “Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.” The Climb This excerpt from the climb also captures your attention right away by creating a sense of mystery. The reader announces that he or she has "this fear" and you want to read on to see what that fear is. “I have this fear. It causes my legs to shake. I break out in a cold sweat. I start jabbering to anyone who is nearby. As thoughts of certain death run through my mind, the world appears a precious, treasured place. I imagine my own funeral, then shrink back at the implications of where my thoughts are taking me. My stomach feels strange. My palms are clammy. I am terrified of heights.Of course, it’s not really a fear of being in a high place. Rather, it is the view of a long way to fall, of rocks far below me and no firm wall between me and the edge. My sense of security is screamingly absent. There are no guardrails, flimsy though I picture them, or other safety devices. I can rely only on my own surefootedness—or lack thereof.” Disney Land The following narrative essay involves a parent musing about taking her kids to Disney Land. “It was a hot sunny day, when I finally took my kids to the Disney Land. My son Matthew and my daughter Audra endlessly asked me to show them the dream land of many children with Mickey Mouse and Snow-white walking by and arousing a huge portion of emotions. Somehow these fairy tale creatures can make children happy without such “small” presents as $100 Lego or a Barby’s house in 6 rooms and garden furniture. Therefore, I thought that Disney Land was a good invention for loving parents.” The Sacred Grove of Oshogbo by Jeffrey Tayler The following essay contains descriptive language that helps to paint a vivid picture for the reader of an encounter with a man. “As I passed through the gates I heard a squeaky voice. A diminutive middle-aged man came out from behind the trees — the caretaker. He worked a toothbrush-sized stick around in his mouth, digging into the crevices between algae'd stubs of teeth. He was barefoot; he wore a blue batik shirt known as a buba, baggy purple trousers, and an embroidered skullcap. I asked him if he would show me around the shrine. Motioning me to follow, he spat out the results of his stick work and set off down the trail.” Playground Memory The first excerpt from, “Playground Memory”, has very good sensory details. “Looking back on a childhood filled with events and memories, I find it rather difficult to pick on that leaves me with the fabled “warm and fuzzy feelings.” As the daughter of an Air Force Major, I had the pleasure of traveling across America in many moving trips. I have visited the monstrous trees of the Sequoia National Forest, stood on the edge of the Grande Canyon and have jumped on the beds at Caesar’s Palace in Lake Tahoe. However, I have discovered that when reflecting on my childhood, it is not the trips that come to mind, instead there are details from everyday doings; a deck of cards, a silver bank or an ice cream flavor. One memory that comes to mind belongs to a day of no particular importance. It was late in the fall in Merced, California on the playground of my old elementary school; an overcast day with the wind blowing strong. I stood on the blacktop, pulling my hoodie over my ears. The wind was causing miniature tornados; we called them “dirt devils”, to swarm around me.” Christmas Cookies The second of the two narrative essay examples is an excerpt from “Christmas Cookies.” “Although I have grown up to be entirely inept at the art of cooking, as to make even the most wretched chef ridicule my sad baking attempts, my childhood would have indicated otherwise; I was always on the countertop next to my mother’s cooking bowl, adding and mixing ingredients that would doubtlessly create a delicious food. When I was younger, cooking came intrinsically with the holiday season, which made that time of year the prime occasion for me to unite with ounces and ounces of satin dark chocolate, various other messy and gooey ingredients, numerous cooking utensils, and the assistance of my mother to cook what would soon be an edible masterpiece. The most memorable of the holiday works of art were our Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, which my mother and I first made when I was about six and are now made annually.” Tips on Writing a Narrative Essay When writing a narrative essay, remember that you are sharing sensory and emotional details with the reader. •Your words need to be vivid and colorful to help the reader feel the same feelings that you felt. •Elements of the story need to support the point you are making and you need to remember to make reference to that point in the first sentence. •You should make use of conflict and sequence like in any story. •You may use flashbacks and flash forwards to help the story build to a climax. •It is usually written in the first person, but third person may also be used. Remember, a well-written narrative essay tells a story and makes a point.

PROPOSALS WRITING PROPOSALS AT C.A.E. LEVEL

WRITING PROPOSALS CA.E. If you want to work on the actual web page go to http://www.englishaula.com/en/cae-writing-part-1-proposal-cambridge-advanced-certificate-in-english.html Instructions After reading the exam question given, answer it by completing the spaces shown. Drag and drop or type the words given, to create the correct document. Exam question: Related document 1: 19:11 min.PROPOSAL Proposal for Improvements to the Library This proposal (1) ................. at how the library facilities at the international college library could be improved, bearing in (2)..................... that money is limited. It considers (3........................... aspects like the opening (4)........................... , the work (5)......................... and the condition of the resources and gives (6)......................... and recommendations as the . Firstly, one of the main (7)............................ with the library are the (8)....................... hours. Students can't always choose the hours they need to study and (9)....................... times they have to study at (10)....................... hours. The opening hours at present are (11)........................ short which makes it (12) for the students to use it. (13)....................... , the work space available is not (14)........................ . Often students have to cramp (15)........................ tight spaces to be (16)........................... to work, or sit on the floor. (7)...................... , the resources are extremely (18).............................. . There are very few computers with limited and out- (19).............................. software and the few books and (20)..................... there are are old and boring. It would (21).............................. great to have some English magazines. (22)........................ conclusion, without spending a lot of (23)...................... , the library could be made (24) more useful by making the opening hours (25)........................ , by making more space available so students can sit and work (26)......................... and if (27)................................... by purchasing a few English magazines and (28).................................... some more computers. Possible answers: moneyproblemspossiblemanycomfortablySecondlyhoursmuchFinallylongerlooksintomindmaybedifferentdatedopeningInsuggestionsspacebevideostoolimitedinconvenientdifficultenoughablefreeinstantlylatestconclusion FILL IN THE BLANKS AND WRITE THE PROPOSAL GO TO PAGE http://www.learnclick.com/cloze/show/2739

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH by Edgard Allan Poe To prepare this short story and the VIDEO CLASS ON AUGUST 23RD YOU CAN CLICK AT http://albalearning.com/audiolibros/poe/lamascara-sp-en.html Don t bother about the audio. Just read the version in English and use the version in Spanish for vocabulary As for the audio , go to you tube

TAKING RISKS 7 ADVANTAGES

TAKING RISKS NEEDN T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED AS BAD READ ABOUT ITS ADVANTAGES http://www.revivallifestyle.com/advantages-of-a-dangerous-life/

LITTER TRASHES THE ENVIRONMENT

Litter Trashes the Environment 

Litter is an eyesore that pollutes the earth and costs a fortune to clean up From Earth Talk .

 Dear EarthTalk: What is the impact of all the littering that individuals do, largely from their cars and on highways? What can I do to help clean it up? How can we strengthen laws to prevent it? – Environmentalists consider litter a nasty side effect of our convenience-oriented disposable culture.

 Just to highlight the scope of the problem, California alone spends $28 million a year cleaning up and removing litter along its roadways. And once trash gets free, wind and weather move it from streets and highways to parks and waterways. One study found that 18 percent of litter ends up in rivers, streams and oceans. Cigarettes a Major Cause of Litter Cigarette butts, snack wrappers and take-out food and beverage containers are the most commonly littered items. Cigarettes are one of the most insidious forms of litter: Each discarded butt takes 12 years to break down, all the while leaching toxic elements such as cadmium, lead and arsenic into soil and waterways.

 Litter Typically Viewed as a Local Problem The burden of litter cleanup usually falls to local governments or community groups. Some U.S. states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia, are taking strong measures to prevent litter through public education campaigns, and are spending millions of dollars yearly to clean up. British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland also have strong anti-litter campaigns. 

 Keep America Beautiful and Litter Prevention Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the group known for its “crying Indian” anti-litter TV ads of bygone days, has been organizing litter cleanups across the United States since 1953. KAB has a strong track record of success in litter prevention, though it has been accused of doing the bidding of its industry founders and supporters (which include tobacco and beverage companies) by opposing many mandatory bottle- and can-recycling initiatives over the years and downplaying the issue of litter from cigarettes. Nonetheless, 2.8 million KAB volunteers picked up 200 million pounds of litter in KAB’s annual Great American Cleanup last year [2007].

 Litter Prevention Around the World 

 A more grassroots-oriented litter prevention group is Auntie Litter, which started in 1990 in Alabama to help educate students there about the importance of a healthy and clean environment. Today the group works internationally to help students, teachers and parents eliminate litter in their communities. In Canada, the nonprofit Pitch-In Canada (PIC), founded in the late-1960s by some hippies in British Columbia, has since evolved into a professionally run national organization with a tough anti-litter agenda. Last year 3.5 million Canadians volunteered in PIC’s annual nationwide Cleanup Week. Only You Can Prevent Litter Doing your part to keep litter to a minimum is easy, but it takes vigilance. For starters, never let trash escape from your car, and make sure household garbage bins are sealed tightly so animals can’t get at the contents. Always remember to take your garbage with you upon leaving a park or other public space. And if you’re still smoking, isn’t saving the environment a compelling enough reason to finally quit? Also, if that stretch of roadway you drive everyday to work is a haven for litter, offer to clean it up and keep it clean. Many cities and towns welcome “Adopt-A-Mile” sponsors for particularly litter-prone streets and highways, and your employer might even want to get in on the act by paying you for your volunteer time.

THE FALKLANDS ARE ARGENTINE

KIDS

THIS IS FOR YOU TO READ AND COMMENT ON IN CLASS   BE READY

ALEX ALTIMIR
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6502227.stm

INFLATION AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Inflation And Economic Recovery February 28, 2012 | Filed Under » Economic Recovery, Financial Crisis, Fiscal Policy, GDP, Inflation, Macroeconomics, Monetary Policy When prices rise for energy, food, commodities, and other goods and services, the entire economy is affected. Rising prices, known as inflation, impact the cost of living, the cost of doing business, borrowing money, mortgages, corporate and government bond yields, and every other facet of the economy. SEE: What You Should Know About Inflation. Inflation can be both beneficial to economic recovery and, in some cases, negative. If inflation becomes too high the economy can suffer; conversely, if inflation is controlled and at reasonable levels, the economy may prosper. With controlled, lower inflation, employment increases, consumers have more money to buy goods and services, and the economy benefits and grows. However, the impact of inflation on economic recovery cannot be assessed with complete accuracy. Some background details will explain why the economic results of inflation will differ as the inflation rate varies. GDP Economic growth is measured in gross domestic product (GDP), or the total value of all goods and services produced. The percentage of growth or decline, compared to the previous year, is adjusted for inflation. Therefore, if growth was 5% and inflation was 2%, GDP would be reported at 3%. As prices rise, the value of the dollar declines, as its purchasing power erodes with each increase in the price of basic goods and services. The Cost of Borrowing Low or no inflation, theoretically, may help an economy recover from a recession or a depression. With both inflation and interest rates low, the cost of borrowing money for investments or borrowing for the purchase of big ticket items, such as automobiles or securing a mortgage on a house or condo, is also low. These low rates are expected to encourage consumption, say some economists. Banks and other lending institutions, however, may be reluctant to lend money to consumers when rates of return on loans are low, which decreases profit margins. The U.S. Federal Reserve, which sets interest rates on government securities - mid- and long-term Treasury notes and shorter-term bills - has promised to keep rates at very low levels until 2014. This assurance of low rates for the next two years is designed to stimulate the economy and keep inflation rates at a guaranteed level. The business community, including large, medium and small operations, know that certain fixed costs will remain constant, at least for that designated time period. Businesses can therefore plan their borrowing, hiring, marketing, improvement and expansion strategies accordingly. Investors, likewise, know roughly what government and corporate bonds and other debt will return, since most of these instruments - if not so-called junk bonds - are pegged to Treasury yields. However, economists differ notoriously in their opinions. Some economists claim that a 6% inflation rate for several years would help the economy by helping to resolve the U.S. debt problem, lifting wages and stimulating economic growth. The Consumer Price Index The standard measurement of inflation is the government's Consumer Price Index (CPI). Components of the CPI, a "basket" of certain elementary goods and services such as food - meat, vegetables and bread, for example - energy, clothing, housing, medical care, education, and communication and recreation. If the average price of all goods and services in the CPI were to go up 3% over the previous year's level, for example, then inflation would be pegged at 3%. This also means that the purchasing power of the dollar would have declined by 3%. Hard assets, such as a home or real estate, often increase in value as the CPI rises; however, fixed income instruments - Treasuries or bank Certificate of Deposits, for example - lose value, because their yields don't increase with inflation. One notable exception, however, are treasury inflation protected securities (TIPS). Interest on these securities is paid twice yearly at a fixed rate as the principal increases in step with the CPI, thus protecting the investment against inflation. The Bottom Line Controlled inflation, no higher than 6% and perhaps somewhat lower, may have a beneficial impact on economic recovery, according to some economists, while inflation at 10% or above would have a negative impact. If the U.S. continues to increase its debt and continues to borrow money via Treasury issues, it may have to deliberately inflate its currency to eventually retire those obligations. Investors, retirees or anyone with fixed income investments will in effect be paying down those obligations, as their holdings decrease in value as prices rise.

"From a distance"...God is watching us! (Bette Midler's Song)

"From a distance" 

... God is watching us! 

Bette Midler (beautiful song)

From a distance, the world looks blue and green, 

And the snow capped mountains white. 

From a distance, the ocean meets the stream, 

And the eagle takes to flight. 

From a distance, there is harmony, 

And the echo through the land. 

It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace, 

It's the voice of every man. 

From a distance, we all have enough, 

And no one is in need. 

And there are no guns, no bombs and no diseases, 

No hungry mouths to feed. 

From a distance, we are instruments, 

Matching in a common band, 

Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace, 

There is the song of every man. 

God is watching us, God is watching us, 

God is watching us, from a distance, 

Ohh God is watching us ....... from a distance. 

Pause

From a distance, you look like my friend, 

Even though we're at war. 

From a distance, I just cannot comprehend, 

What all this fighting is for ? 

From a distance, there is harmony, 

And the echo through the land. 

It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves, 

It's the heart of every man. It's the hope of hopes, 

It's the love of loves, it is the song of every man. 

Oh..God is watching us, 

God is watching us ..... from a distance

published by Marcelo Leporace, FCE Student

THE LIGHTHOUSE by P.D.JAMES Review

THE LIGHTHOUSE by P.D.JAMES

The complete review's Review:

       The Lighthouse is a P.D.James mystery that again features Commander Adam Dalgliesh, ready, it seems, to settle down with Emma Lavenham, a bit worried about growing old -- and particularly concerned that he might be becoming "one more bureaucrat" rather than doing the detective-work that he's meant for. Thank god for a convenient murder !
       The murder is of an author, Nathan Oliver, "acknowledged to be one of the world's greatest novelists", a modern Henry James. He's most acclaimed for how realistic and precise his descriptions of his characters and what happens to them are -- but it's also a character flaw. As his secretary-cum-editor explains:

He's a conduit. Emotion flows through him. He can describe, but he can't feel, not for other people.

       Indeed, Oliver is a great user of people, and not a very nice guy. Not everyone is willing to acknowledge it, but there's almost no one around who regrets his death.
       As significant as the victim is the locale of the murder, Combe Island, a private get-away where important figures are common. One reason Dalgliesh is dispatched there is because the Prime Minister wants to use it in a few month's time, and it wouldn't do for there to be any security or other concerns. It's hard to reach -- there's almost nowhere to land a boat, and helicopters are the preferred method of travel -- safe, and quiet. Guests who want to get away from it all really can.
       There's a motley permanent staff that includes a doctor and priest (both having left the mainland in semi-disgrace), as well as a young waif named Millie that they've taken in for the time being. Oliver was born on the island, and according to the terms of the island's trust, has the right to come whenever he wants -- which he does quarterly, along with his daughter, Miranda, and his editor-lackey, Dennis Tremlett. Among the other guests is a scientist at a laboratory that does animal-testing (and gets lots of flak for it).
       In short order, most of the people on the island have a motive for murder: Miranda and Dennis are in love, and Oliver threatens to cut them off, knowing they have nothing to fall back on. One guest confronts Oliver, angry that the central figure in the writer's next novel is obviously based on him. And Oliver has told the island-administrators that he's planning on moving there fulltime -- and that he wants one of the cottages, in which one of the island's longterm residents is comfortably housed at present. No one wants Oliver around fulltime, but he threatens to change his will, withdrawing his generous bequest to the island if he doesn't get his way. And then there's the helper who loses a blood sample Oliver wanted sent to the mainland: Oliver wants him fired .....
       So Oliver winds up dead, possibly a suicide but more likely a murder, and Adam Dalgliesh is called in. It's a bit inconvenient -- he was planning to spend the weekend with Emma -- but once again P.D.James does everything she can to avoid writing about the two of them actually together, as Emma is again relegated to an entirely peripheral role. Dalgliesh only takes two other officers with him, DI Kate Miskin, and the new man in town (or at least on the team), Sergeant Francis Benton-Smith.
       The island makes for a nice, self-contained locale, and while some comfort themselves with the thought that someone might have snuck in and done the dirty deed, it's pretty clear that there's a murderer among them. When SARS fells one of the islanders and a more (and less) voluntary quarantine is imposed the island's isolation helps add to the sense of menace and concern. Especially as a second person turns up murdered .....
       Adam Dalgliesh has good instincts, but above all he's methodical, and The Lighthouse is a procedural. In leisurely (and expert) fashion James sets the stage and introduces the actors, and then lets the detectives get to work. There are motives galore, and there are hidden facts that get uncovered which paint an even more complex picture. Interestingly, many of the motives remain hidden from the police: quite a few people get away with not being entirely forthright (and a few even with some lies).
       A different sort of complication arises when Dalgliesh himself becomes incapacitated with SARS, and Kate Miskin takes over the reins. Still, it's 'an Adam Dalgliesh mystery' and even on his sick-bed he's the man who connects the most important dots.
       The Lighthouse is a very satisfying read, especially in its build-up. James has a nice touch in presenting the different characters, including the familiar police officers possibly moving on to new stages in their lives. There's a bit much history a few of them (including Oliver) are burdened with, but it does make for a few decent twists along the way.
       Oddly, it's Dalgliesh himself that proves a bit problematic. He's still a commanding figure, but there are considerable concerns -- first imagined, then real -- about his health and advancing age. James putting him to one side as the murder inquiry winds up, as well as her inability to write a scene with him and Emma together covering more than a page or two leaves one with a sense that she's not quite sure what to do with him. And then there's Dalgliesh-as-poet, a central part of his identity but one that's not really glimpsed either -- aside from the alarming but otherwise ignored concern raised early on that if he could no longer actively do detective-work:

If this happened, would he any longer be a poet ? Wasn't it the rich soil of a murder investigation, in shared exertion and the prospect of danger, and in the pitiableness of desperate and broken lives that his poetry put out its shoots >

       The reader is never given any evidence -- not necessarily of his poetry, but even just him in any way being a poet -- to judge.
       So James seems a bit unsure of where Dalgliesh is at at the moment -- but one still hopes he'll be hard at work (and happily married) next time 'round.
       A good, enjoyable read.

PET PRACTICE.
Girls, here you have some exercises to practise narrative tenses.  Do them all and print the first two so that I have a look at your work.

http://www.ice.urv.cat/eoiact/level3/narrativetenses1.htm
http://www.admc.hct.ac.ae/hd1/english/narrate/narrtense.htm
http://elt.oup.com/student/naturalenglish/upp/a_grammar/unit05/neup_grammar05?cc=ar&selLanguage=en
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=414

UPPER ELEMENTARY GRAMMAR PRACTICE

DEAR SWEETIES

CLICK AT

docs.google.com/document/d/1x9GrT8NOqNzQ1QnbPazI8V4SElAPS1ZlJq-kXWaS5tY/edit?pli=1

AND SEE IF YOU CAN DO THESE EXERCISES

YOUR TEACHER YAMILA

P.E.T PRACTICE ACTIVITIES AND EX

WHY WE SHOULD ALL SAY NO THE AGREEMENT YPF -CHEVRON

THE ARGENTINE long sought deal with Chevron Corp. to exploit shale oil reserves in Patagonia was strongly criticized Wednesday by Mapuche Indians, human rights activists, environmentalists and leftists who called it a sellout to the U.S. that could drain and pollute the nation's resources.

The $1.5 billion joint venture with Chevron was made public in a brief announcement by the state-owned YPF oil company Tuesday night. President Cristina Fernandez said the deal will promote energy independence for Argentina, but many of her one-time allies warned that it would do the opposite.

"It's an irresponsibility and a lack of consciousness that the national government hands over these resources to Chevron," said Nilo Cayuqueo, who leads a Mapuche community in Neuquen province, where the Vaca Muerta shale oil basin is. "We're talking about money here, nothing else. They don't talk about the environment, or of future generations."

Mapuches say the land belongs to them and contend they weren't consulted about the deal in violation of international treaties covering indigenous peoples. YPF denied that claim Tuesday.

Adolfo Perez Esquivel, an Argentine rights activist awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980, said the deal would hurt the country.

"We Argentines," he said, "are giving our resources to the United States and converting YPF into a highly polluting company that will use this method known as fracking," which requires millions of gallons of fresh water pumped at high pressure to extract oil and natural gas from otherwise unproductive wells deep underground in shale deposits.

Perez Esquivel said he would file suit demanding to see environmental impact studies and try to block the oil development. But he said he had little hope of success since the court system recently overturned an injunction seizing any Chevron profits in Argentina if the company didn't pay a $19 billion damage judgment won by plaintiffs in Ecuador, where the Texaco oil company since bought by Chevron was judged to have contaminated parts of the Amazon.

The deal reached with Chevron is the biggest foreign investment that Argentina has attracted since expropriating YPF from control of the Spanish company Grupo Repsol last year. Repsol is demanding $10 billion in compensation and threatens to sue any oil company that takes over the wells.

C.A.E. COMPLETE MODEL EXAM

CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS INGLESES C-65 This complete exam is on the web at :http://www.english-online.org.uk/caefolder/caehome.php?name=Practice%20for%20the%20Cambridge%20Advanced%20English

FRANKENSTEIN S STORY A SUMMARY

FRANKENSTEIN S BY MARY SHELLEY

In a series of letters, Robert Walton, the captain of a ship bound for the North Pole, recounts to his sister back in England the progress of his dangerous mission. Successful early on, the mission is soon interrupted by seas full of impassable ice. Trapped, Walton encounters Victor Frankenstein, who has been traveling by dog-drawn sledge across the ice and is weakened by the cold. Walton takes him aboard ship, helps nurse him back to health, and hears the fantastic tale of the monster that Frankenstein created.

Victor first describes his early life in Geneva. At the end of a blissful childhood spent in the company of Elizabeth Lavenza (his cousin in the 1818 edition, his adopted sister in the 1831 edition) and friend Henry Clerval, Victor enters the university of Ingolstadt to study natural philosophy and chemistry. There, he is consumed by the desire to discover the secret of life and, after several years of research, becomes convinced that he has found it.
Armed with the knowledge he has long been seeking, Victor spends months feverishly fashioning a creature out of old body parts. One climactic night, in the secrecy of his apartment, he brings his creation to life. When he looks at the monstrosity that he has created, however, the sight horrifies him. After a fitful night of sleep, interrupted by the specter of the monster looming over him, he runs into the streets, eventually wandering in remorse. Victor runs into Henry, who has come to study at the university, and he takes his friend back to his apartment. Though the monster is gone, Victor falls into a feverish illness.
Sickened by his horrific deed, Victor prepares to return to Geneva, to his family, and to health. Just before departing Ingolstadt, however, he receives a letter from his father informing him that his youngest brother, William, has been murdered. Grief-stricken, Victor hurries home. While passing through the woods where William was strangled, he catches sight of the monster and becomes convinced that the monster is his brother’s murderer. Arriving in Geneva, Victor finds that Justine Moritz, a kind, gentle girl who had been adopted by the Frankenstein household, has been accused. She is tried, condemned, and executed, despite her assertions of innocence. Victor grows despondent, guilty with the knowledge that the monster he has created bears responsibility for the death of two innocent loved ones.
Hoping to ease his grief, Victor takes a vacation to the mountains. While he is alone one day, crossing an enormous glacier, the monster approaches him. The monster admits to the murder of William but begs for understanding. Lonely, shunned, and forlorn, he says that he struck out at William in a desperate attempt to injure Victor, his cruel creator. The monster begs Victor to create a mate for him, a monster equally grotesque to serve as his sole companion.
Victor refuses at first, horrified by the prospect of creating a second monster. The monster is eloquent and persuasive, however, and he eventually convinces Victor. After returning to Geneva, Victor heads for England, accompanied by Henry, to gather information for the creation of a female monster. Leaving Henry in Scotland, he secludes himself on a desolate island in the Orkneys and works reluctantly at repeating his first success. One night, struck by doubts about the morality of his actions, Victor glances out the window to see the monster glaring in at him with a frightening grin. Horrified by the possible consequences of his work, Victor destroys his new creation. The monster, enraged, vows revenge, swearing that he will be with Victor on Victor’s wedding night.

C.A.E USE OF ENGLISH EX

This is an exercise for C.A.E STUDENTS  ON USE OF ENGLISH

http://www.oupe.es/es/ELT/PrivateLanguageSchoolsAdultEducationUniversities/caepracticetests/Recursos%20Destacados/Paper%203_Use%20of%20English.pdf

CAE REPORT WRITING

These are instructions for you to do a REPORT

http://www.oupe.es/es/ELT/PrivateLanguageSchoolsAdultEducationUniversities/caepracticetests/Recursos%20Destacados/Paper%202_Writing.pdf