Koala numbers drop 80pc
"Australian scientists are calling for the koala to be declared an endangered species, warning that populations
have already declined alarmingly and climate change will exacerbate the mammal's plight...
Where Australia once had millions of koalas, the total population was probably no more than 50,000-100,000...
Land clearing for urban development, industry and agriculture has deprived the koala of much of its traditional habitat,
while diseases - particularly chlamydia - are also exacting a toll."
(nzherald.co.nz)
TECHNOLOGY
RepRap 
(owni.fr)
The RepRap project
"is an initiative to develop a 3D printer (RepRap, short for "replicating rapid prototyper") that can print most of its own components...
Due to the self-replicating ability of the machine, authors envision the possibility to cheaply distribute RepRap units to people and communities,
enabling them to create (or download from the internet) complex products without the need for expensive industrial infrastructure."
(Wikipedia)
MURALS
Rio de Janeiro's favelas reflected through art 
"Like an art gallery that has exploded on to the streets, the Museu is made up of a series of huge murals
covering 20 buildings, all commissioned by local artists."
(BBC)
SPECIAL OPERATIONS
Osama bin Laden death: photos suggest use of 'stealth' helicopters
"Blackhawk wreckage reveals previously unseen modifications, seemingly to reduce radar visibility and muffle noise."
(guardian.co.uk)
STEREOTYPES
50 State Stereotypes In 2 Minutes (VIDEO)
(huffingtonpost.com)
+ the TRANSCRIPT
(reddit.com)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
FOOD
Les dernières nouveautés mises en ligne sur Audio-Lingua :
(audio-lingua.eu)
** Robert : food in New York City **
par Robert (New York City, USA)
- 28 mai 2011
Robert, who is from New York City, tell us about what he eats for
breakfast, lunch and dinner.
** Sally : what I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner ** 
par Sally (Manchester, England)
- 28 mai 2011
Sally, an English girl from Manchester tell us about what she eats and
about her favourite dessert.
** Jennifer : typical breakfast in Great Britain **
par Jennifer (Scotland)
- 28 mai 2011
Jennifer, a Scottish girl, tells us about a typical Sunday breakfast in
Great-Britain.
(Permanent link)
_________________________________________________________________________
SCHOOL / UNIVERSITY
** Gabrielle and Lindsey : why we love yearbooks **
par Gabrielle (Michigan, USA), Lindsey (Houston, Texas)
- 28 mai 2011
Gabrielle and Lindsey, two American girls tell us about a very important
object for them : yearbooks. It brings back a lot of memories.
** Gabrielle and Lindsey : my yearbook **
par Gabrielle (Michigan, USA), Lindsey (Houston, Texas)
- 28 mai 2011
Gabrielle and Lindsey, two American girls tell us what is a yearbook, what
you can find inside it. It was a very important object for both of them.
** Gabrielle and Lindsey : university ring **
par Gabrielle (Michigan, USA), Lindsey (Houston, Texas)
- 28 mai 2011
Gabrielle and Lindsey, two American girls tell us about their university
rings.
** Gabrielle and Lindsey : caps and gown **
par Gabrielle (Michigan, USA), Lindsey (Houston, Texas)
- 28 mai 2011
Gabrielle and Lindsey, two American girls tell us about the tradition of
"caps and gown" for graduation at university.
** Gabrielle and Lindsey : University graduation **
par Gabrielle (Michigan, USA), Lindsey (Houston, Texas)
- 28 mai 2011
Gabrielle and Lindsey, two American girls, talk about university in the USA : why was it such an important step for them ?
INTERACTIVE GAME
Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure,
a Flash web game illustrated and voiced by Cassie Creighton, age 5.
- interactive
(untoldentertainment.com)
SCHOOL
School Bans Hugging and High-Fives (28th May, 2011)
- a lesson plan
(breakingnewsenglish.com)
'Don't touch': School bans pupils from handshakes, high-fives and hugs... to beat bullying
(dailymail.co.uk)
Bad example : Children at The Quest Academy have been banned
from copying David Cameron and Barack Obama's high-fiving antics.
OLD LADY / SUPERMARKET / NOISE
Caltex – An old woman needs some oil (commercial)
" A grandma gets in a supermarket Caltex. She is making a lot of noise with her trolley. The shop assistant, who is very caring,
offers her some oil for her to stop the noise… but you realise that it is something else…"
(kewego.fr)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
DETECTOR
Terrorist 'pre-crime' detector field tested in United States - 27 May 2011
"Screening system aims to pinpoint passengers with malicious intentions...
Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST), a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) programme designed to spot people
who are intending to commit a terrorist act, has in the past few months completed its first round of field tests..."
(nature.com)
Law enforcement using analytical tools to predict crime - Dec 22, 2010
"Software helps identify likely spikes in crime, but could it go too far?"
(gcn.com)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
The Queen's speech at the US State Banquet - 24 May 2011
VIDEO + TRANSCRIPT + AUDIO
(sabironlangues.typepad.fr)
GRAMMAR / FUTURE
Savoir exprimer l’avenir - Plusieurs façons de parler de l’avenir....
Présentation + Exercice interactif
(soundguideweb.com)
SPECIAL OPERATIONS
Osama Bin Laden Raid: Navy SEALs Brought Highly Trained Dog With Them Into Compound
"These military dogs are highly trained, invaluable assets in the war on terror.
They are capable of detecting explosives, finding enemies and chasing down anyone who tries to escape."
19 Photos: Meet the Special Forces Dogs That Helped Catch Osama bin Laden
(abcnews.go.com)
SEALs' Dog of War
(YouTube)
VIDEO GAMES
'Gamer' & 'Tron Legacy': Video Games - a lesson plan with movie segments
(warmupsfollowups.blogspot.com)
 |
 |
SPECIAL OPERATIONS
Hero Dog Helped In The Bin Laden Raid
"The war dogs wear ballistic body armor that is said to withstand damage from single and double-edged knives,
as well as protective gear which shields them from shrapnel and gunfire...
These military dogs are used to find explosives, insurgents and drugs, and to help search for missing people. When their careers end after serving overseas canine veterans retire, usually at the age of 8 or 9. They can be adopted through the non-profit Military Working Dog Adoptions."
(thedogfiles.com)
 |
 |
"A specially trained military dog, Cairo (a Belgian Malinois) hit the ground with the Seals to help alert them to any hidden threats.
He’s also the only member of the team to be identified by name."
Incredible Vampire Hunting Kit From The 1800’s
"Travelers in the 19th century would purchase ‘vampire hunting kits’ in preparation for their travels to Eastern Europe.
The kits would contain a wooden stake, Bible, crucifix, pistol with lead bullets, gunpowder, garlic and glass vials
that held various concoctions to ward off vampires..."
(all-that-is-interesting.com)
GRAMMAR / SONGS
LEARN ENGLISH THROUGH SONGS! - Label européen des langues 2011
GRAMMAR IN SONGS
POOR GRAMMAR IN SONGS
VOCABULARY IN SONGS
(grammarinsongs.net)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
RADIOACTIVITY
Marine life soaking up radiation along Fukushima coast - May 26, 2011
"The new data shows that some seaweed contamination levels are not only 50 times higher than safety limits
– far higher than our initial measurements showed – but also that the contamination is spreading over a wide area, and accumulating in sea life..."
(greenpeace.org)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
HOUSE
A townhouse in Tribeca, New York
DESCRIPTION + PICTURES
(townrealestate.com)
Watch the VIDEO 
(wpc.27ae.edgecastcdn.net)
 |
 |
Tribeca (sometimes stylized as TriBeCa)
"is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York in the United States.
Its name is a portmanteau composed of the words "Triangle below Canal Street"..."
See Notable residents
(Wikipedia)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
DAILY ROUTINE
Mike talks about his daily routine.
+ TRANSCRIPT
(elllo.org)
Eli compares two routines
+ TRANSCRIPT
(elllo.org)
PRISONERS
Supreme Court orders California to release tens of thousands of prison inmates
+ Photos: Prison overcrowding
(latimes.com)
California must release prisoners, Supreme Court rules
"Federal judges had ordered 40,000 prisoners be released within two years.
The state says it has 148,000 inmates, in prisons designed for 80,000 people..."
(BBC)
Supreme Court Rules California Must Free Tens of Thousands of Inmates (foxnews.com)
Supreme Court orders California to free up to 46,000 prisoners (telegraph.co.uk)
California to free prisoners (skynews.com.au)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
NYC’s Parks, Beaches And Pedestrian Plazas Are Now Smoke-Free
"Effective today (23/05/2011), smoking is prohibited within New York City’s parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas.
The new law will reduce people’s exposure to secondhand smoke outdoors."
(nycgovparks.org)
Newsy Video: Critics Defy NYC's Outdoor Smoking Ban
"New York City officially prohibits outdoor smoking starting from this Monday." Transcript & sources
LINKS + COMMENT
(jeffreyhill.typepad.com)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
SUMMER / VACATION / MONEY / THEMEPARKS
Summer cartoons
(msnbc.msn.com)
My wallet!
|
We're here!
|
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3) (Permanent link 4)
SALTON SEA
The Accidental Sea + The Salton Sea, A Desert Saga
(YouTube)
The Salton Sea
"is a saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault predominantly in California's Imperial Valley.
The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside Counties in Southern California."
(Wikipedia)
"The sea, now a haven for migratory birds, may become too salty to support current wildlife populations."
(ngm.nationalgeographic.com)
|
 |
Cadbury World,
Linden Road, Bournville, Birmingham. - in the West Midlands county of England
(cadbury.co.uk)
 |
 |
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
The Black Country Living Museum
in Dudley, West Midlands
(bclm.co.uk)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
DOOMSDAY / SIGNS / PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Doomsday cartoons
(cagle.com)
+ GRAMMAR and COMMENT
(jeffreyhill.typepad.com)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
The Queen in the Republic of Ireland - 17-20 May 2011
+ videos
(BBC)
"Next on the Queen's itinerary was an inspection of the Irish guard of honour.
An Irish army band played God Save the Queen and carried out a 21-gun salute."
SUICIDE
Good Charlotte - Hold On
+ the LYRICS under the video :
"This world is cold
But you don't
You don't have to go
You're feeling sad, you're feeling lonely, and no one seems to care
Your mother's gone and your father hits you
This pain you cannot bear...
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know..."
(YouTube)
NUCLEAR
Better Homes & Bunkers: The Fallout Shelter for the Nuclear Family
"The family fallout shelter’s ostensible purpose — to ensure survival during and after a nuclear attack — was impossible to achieve.
That wasn’t why it was created. It was part of the propaganda campaign to convince the American people that they could survive a nuclear war...
In 1959, the government published and distributed millions of copies of a 32-page booklet called The Family Fallout Shelter. It included
step-by-step instructions for building the Concrete Block Shelter, a cube constructed of concrete block and mortar."
(observatory.designobserver.com)
 |
 |
LAW
Bail
"Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail,
on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail (and possibly be brought up
on charges of the crime of failure to appear)."
(Wikipedia)
BULLYING / CINEMA
'Precious', 'Jumper' & 'You Again': Bullying - a lesson plan with movie segments
"Precious is a dramatic, but well-made movie. Jumper is a great adventure. I used these scenes, which show bullying
in different situations and degrees. Bullying must be curbed from schools and talking about it is a great start."
(warmupsfollowups.blogspot.com)
 |
 |
 |
Breakfast in America
"First watch the video then play the games. There are 5 pages to work on."
Created by Renée Maufroid. (Ac. Lille)
RELIGION
Are you a church goer?
(audio-lingua.eu)
I'm agnostic
(audio-lingua.eu)
Religious institutions in the US
(audio-lingua.eu)
The Bible
(audio-lingua.eu)
MEETING and GREETING
Meeting and Greeting - Intermediate Instant Lesson
(english-to-go.com)
ZOMBIES
Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse
"I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this,
and hey, maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency."
(emergency.cdc.gov)
LESSON PLANS with MOVIES
Movie Segments for Warm-ups and Follow-ups
"This blog contains a series of movie segments to be used to brainstorm, warm up, follow up, and activate schemata, preparing the students
for the topic that will be discussed in class. Here you will find the segments, the lesson plans, and varied topics to foster conversation.
You may use the activities for a full two-hour class or they can be used separately to brainstorm or wrap up the topic, focusing
on conversation, vocabulary and listening comprehension."
(l.wbx.me)
ex : Bangkok Dangerous & The Joy Luck Club: Ethnic Food
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
LESSON PLANS with MOVIES
Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals
"Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals contains a series of movie segments and activities to assess or practice grammar points through fun, challenging exercises. Here you will find the movie segments, the lesson plans, printable worksheets with answer key for each activity, and the tips
to develop your own grammar activities with the DVDs you have at home."
(moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com)
ex : Memoirs of a Geisha : compound adjectives
(moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
London 2012 Olympic torch relay route revealed
- with an interactive map
"The London Olympics torch relay begins on 19 May 2012 at Land's End and ends 70 days later at the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium. Explore our map to find out where the relay will stop overnight and the islands it will visit."
(BBC)
POLICE / PRISON
Suicide watch
"is a very intensive monitoring process used to ensure that an individual does not commit suicide.
Usually the term is used in reference to inmates in a prison, hospital, psychiatric hospital, ormilitary bases...
"They may be placed in a special padded cell and be stripped of anything with which they might hurt themselves (including shoelaces and belts,
clothing, and sometimes even bed sheets). They may be under continuous or very frequent watch of a guard (a prison officer or orderly)
who will intervene if they attempt to harm themselves."
(Wikipedia)
The term perp walk
"is an American slang term which refers to the police practice of intentionally parading an arrested suspect
(or "perp", short for "perpetrator") through a public place so that the media may observe and record the event.
The suspect is typically handcuffed or otherwise restrained, and is often dressed in prison garb...
A perp walk can be used with intentional disregard for the privacy of a suspect for the purpose of bolstering the image of law enforcement
or to humiliate a suspect. Perp walks are often done to politicians or businesspeople accused of white-collar crimes
(whose reputations may be susceptible to damage by public spectacle)."
(Wikipedia)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
VIDEO GAMES
Seventy Minimalist Video Game Characters
|
|
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
Mapping History's Pirates - interactive graphics
(online.wsj.com)
Thanks to Renée Maufroid for the tip.
RIKERS ISLAND JAIL
Strauss-Kahn faces tough routine at Rikers Island jail
"In only two days, Dominique Strauss-Kahn has moved from a $3,000-a-night penthouse suite
to a cell - in cell on his own - in one of America's most notorious prisons...
The Rikers jail complex sits on a 400-acre (1.65 sq km) island on the East River,
near LaGuardia airport, between the boroughs of Queens and the Bronx.
Rikers Island is a chaotic maze of cells, holding some 11,000 inmates, many pending trial.
It includes some 10 separate jails where prisoners are segregated by gender and age."
(BBC)
+ a video (video.theaustralian.com.au)
DSK
Strauss-Kahn arrest: IMF head detained at Rikers Island - 17 May 2011
"IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been remanded in custody at New York's notorious Rikers Island jail on charges of sexual assault."
See the charges against him. + New York DA's news release on charges
+ a VIDEO
(BBC)
Strauss-Kahn in court
(video.ca.msn.com)
LAW
A grand jury
"In common law, a grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether there is enough evidence for a trial.
Grand juries carry out this duty by examining evidence and issuing indictments, or by investigating alleged crimes and issuing presentments."
(Wikipedia)
___________________________________________________
JAIL
"The Tombs"
"is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex, a jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street," in New York.
(Wikipedia)
HOTEL
A hotel maid
(i.ehow.com)
$3,000-a-night suite at the Sofitel hotel in New York's Times Square
with "a conference room, living room, foyer, spacious marble bathroom and a bedroom
with a sumptuous king-sized bed and feather and down duvet."
(news.yahoo.com)
The Sofitel Hotel is on West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. (Wikipedia)
+ Official site (sofitel.com)
POLICE
A police lineup (in American English) or identity parade (in British English)
"is a process by which a crime victim or witness's putative identification of a suspect is confirmed to a level that can count as evidence at trial.
The suspect, along with several other individuals (called "fillers" or "foils") of similar height, complexion and build (these can be prisoners, actors
or volunteers) stand both facing and in profile. This is sometimes done in a special room which includes details like a height measurement grade on
the wall to aid identifying the person's height. The person making the identification views from behind a one-way mirror or similar protection to
guarantee the suspect identified by the witness cannot know the identity of the witness."
(Wikipedia)
Police lineup photos et images
(fotosearch.fr)
Forensic test kits
(meditests.com)
Forensic and Special Sample DNA Testing
(dna-worldwide.com)
Handcuffs
He is handcuffed
(1.bp.blogspot.com)
Diplomatic immunity
"is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments that ensures that diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host country's laws (although they can be expelled)..."
(Wikipedia)
An attorney at law (or attorney-at-law) in the United States
"is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients.
Alternative terms include counselor (or counsellor-at-law) and lawyer."
(Wikipedia)
defense attorney
1) the attorney representing the defendant in a lawsuit or criminal prosecution.
2) a lawyer who regularly represents defendants who have insurance and who is chosen by the insurance company.
3) a lawyer who regularly represents criminal defendants. Attorneys who regularly represent clients in actions for damages
are often called "plaintiff's attorneys." (See: defendant, plaintiff's attorney)
(legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com)
The Special Victims Unit (SVU)
"is the name of a specialized division within some police departments. The detectives in this division typically investigate crimes
involving sexual assault, the very young, or the very elderly, as well as any crime loosely connected with any of the three...
The New York City Police Department Special Victims Unit investigates sex crimes.
It is housed in separate Borough Patrols, (i.e. Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens)."
(Wikipedia)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2) (Permanent link 3)
CONDITIONAL
If your house was burning, what would you bring with you?
"It's a conflict between what's practical, valuable and sentimental.
What you would bring reflects your interests, background and priorities..."
(the-burning-house.com)
