"A member of Anima Naturalis holds a sign that reads
"No to bullfighting"
as other activists lie covered in red paint mimicking blood, to protest
against bullfighting in Mexico City as the capital's bullring Plaza Mexico
celebrates its 64th anniversary."
(alertnet.org)
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COLOURFUL AND COLOURLESS WORDS
Other words for :
bad / good / big / small / think /
problem / important / interesting / necessary
(pagesperso-orange.fr/yvanbaptiste)
L'évolution graphique des FPS de 1992 à 2009
(nofrag.com)
F.P.S. = First Person Shooter
"is a video game genre which centers the gameplay around gun- and projectile weapon-based combat through the first person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist."
(Wikipedia)
Listen up, 007, we call it the Puffin
"THE American space agency, Nasa, is to unveil a prototype of a personal
flying machine capable of propelling soldiers behind enemy lines.
The mini aircraft, which can soar 50 miles through the clouds or under radar,
has been named the Puffin, after the small waterbird famed
for being able to land on impossible terrain. "
(technology.timesonline.co.uk)
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A puffin |
(Permanent link1) (Permanent link2)
Posties get new weapon in war with dogs
"Royal Mail delivery staff are being equipped with a device which releases compressed air and makes a hissing sound designed to scare off dogs."
(telegraph.co.uk)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
Fujitsu Automation unveils HOAP-3 robot
"Short in stature at 60cm and weighing in at 8.8kg...
A camera, microphone, speaker, expression LED, audio recognition function,
voice synthesis function, and image recognition function have been added."
(ubergizmo.com)
Dickin Medal awarded to bomb sniffing search dog Treo
"A search dog that sniffed out bombs in Afghanistan is to be
honoured with the animal version of the Victoria Cross...
Treo will be the 63rd animal to receive the medal created
by veterinary charity the PDSA to honour gallantry in war...
A total of 26 other dogs, 32 World War Two messenger pigeons,
three horses and one cat have won the award, introduced
by PDSA founder Maria Dickin in 1943. "
(BBC)
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Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues
"We promote critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship.
Our sites present controversial issues in a straightforward,
nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format."
(procon.org)
Are social networking sites good for our society?
(socialnetworking.procon.org)
| Overview | Pro & Con Arguments | Did You Know? |
| Background | Images & Videos | Take the Survey |
Parents' evening - a poem by Allan Ahlberg 
Page 2
"I’m nervous as can be.
I wonder what she’ll tell ‘em,
I’ll say I’ve got a pain!
I wish I’d got my spellings right.
I wish I had a brain..."
(tyee.vsb.bc.ca)
Logorama - a short film with lots of brands 
(dailymotion.com)
Logorama
"A world colonized by brands is the theme of a new film by French designers and filmmakers H5. Logorama is a slick 17-minute-long animated movie that appears
to lampoon both the Hollywood blockbuster — violent, crude and adrenalized
— and the world of branding, a world where logos festoon every surface and
where it is customary to be exposed to brand activity at every turn."
+ a slideshow
(observatory.designobserver.com)
Mumbling, fumbling, bumbling robber fails twice
"Communication skills were clearly lacking in a woman who police said tried
to rob two Memphis credit unions. She fled empty-handed both times."
(msnbc.msn.com)
to mumble = marmonner
to fumble (handle clumsily) = fouiller
to bumble = cafouiller (parler bizarrement)
Cat owners are 'cleverer'
"Cats have long been thought to be cleverer than dogs
- and now it seems the same is true of their owners...
The combined cat and dog population of Britain is more than 20.8 million..
People with cats are more likely to have university degrees than those with dogs, according to a scientific survey of pet ownership...
The study... also found that cat owners were more likely to be older and female. "
(telegraph.co.uk)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
Teachers 'lack violence training'
"A union calls for compulsory training on dealing with violence in class
as a study suggests new teachers are ill-prepared...
Guidance by the Department for Children, Schools and Families lists
the types of force teachers can use on children.
This can include passive physical contact such as blocking a pupil's path
and active contact such as leading a pupil by the hand or arm.
In more extreme circumstances, "appropriate restrictive holds, which
may require specific expertise or training", may be used, it says."
(BBC)
Snowstorm paralyses Washington DC and eastern US
"An "extremely dangerous" storm has dumped large amounts of snow
in the eastern US, shutting down the capital...
Museums closed, transport was widely disrupted, and residents
were told to prepare for up to five days indoors...
The storm - dubbed "snowpocalypse" and "snowmageddon"
by the local media..."
(BBC)
Heart Attack Grill
in Chandler, Arizona
(heartattackgrill.com)
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The Heart Attack Grill
"is a fast food hamburger restaurant in Chandler, Arizona, United States.
It has courted controversy by serving unashamedly high-calorie menu items
with controversial names. The establishment is a hospital theme restaurant: waitresses ("nurses") take orders ("prescriptions") from the customers
("patients"). A tag is put on the patient's wrist showing which foods they
ordered and a "doctor" examines the "patients" with a stethoscope."
(Wikipedia)
Looking at Portraits 
Click on Art / Planning & Resources
(Primary Resources)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
Rock Star Sting Fights Against Brazilian Dam 
- a lesson plan
WARM-UPS :
THE ENVIRONMENT / PROJECTS / RAINFOREST
(breakingnewsenglish.com)
Sting urges Brazil to listen to tribal dam fears
"Rock star Sting has used his latest visit to Brazil to urge the government
there to listen to the concerns of indigenous peoples
over a proposed new hydro-electric dam in the Amazon."
(BBC)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
The lizard man
"Reptile lover Chris Weller shows off his collection of exotic pets
– including a Caiman crocodile and a lazy monitor lizard."
(telegraph.co.uk)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
'Rabbit jumping' craze takes off in Britain
"The rabbits are trained by owners at home who use treats
to encourage the animals to make a leap of faith over barriers."
(telegraph.co.uk)
Couple in planning row with neighbours after painting house bright pink
in Herefordshire
(telegraph.co.uk)
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(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
COMICS
Videos
(marvelkids.marvel.com)
Students' comics
+ quiz
(grammarmancomic.com)
Superheroes - Games
(British Council)
Animals from America
"Here are six pages about animals that are found in America.
Listen to Stephanie, our American assistant ,
explore the photos, do the activities."
Created by Renée Maufroid.
Niveau 4ème.
A WEBQUEST ABOUT THE 2010 WINTER GAMES IN CANADA
+ Teacher's Notes
Sent by Lydie Dupaquier (Ac. Créteil)
(avec une exploration du site officiel, pour les 4èmes ou 3èmes.)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
(Permanent link 3)
Junk food
"Ce scénario propose une tâche finale de prise de parole en interaction
sur un sujet motivant pour les élèves puisqu’il concerne la "malbouffe".
Le niveau visé est le niveau B1."
(Ac. Toulouse)
Interactive Book - St Valentine’s Day
"Un livre interactif pour se familiariser avec la fête de la St Valentin :
vocabulaire, activités de compréhension orale
(avec notamment une vidéo sur l’origine de cette fête,
ainsi que deux chansons incontournables !)
et écrite
(où trouver le partenaire idéal, célébration de l’amour
dans différents pays du monde)."
Created by Laurence Haquet (Ac. Rouen)
The USA: 50 States Nicknames
" Cette séquence proposée par Laurence Bernard est inspirée de
4 fichiers audio publiés sur VOA News, Special English en 2009.
Il s'agira, au terme de cette séquence de mieux connaitre les 50 états des
Etats-Unis, et d'élaborer une carte géante collaborative illustrant les fichiers
audio étudiés. Cette carte sera également le support d'une prise de parole
en continu devant la classe, et sur les baladeurs des élèves.
Niveau :B1"
(Ac. Martinique)
100 free short English stories for ESL learners
with listening , grammar, comprehension,
dictation exercises, and crossword puzzles
(rong-chang.com)
Winter Olympics: Sport By Sport
with animations and descriptions for each sport
(espn.go.com)
Site recommended by Larry Ferlazzo
Jil Is Lucky - The Wanderer
"And I’m walking all damned day
Day after day
But it’s okay
I’m on my way
Wandering again from the West to the East
I try to resist
But it’s so hard not to fall"
Vocabulary :
drag oneself - walk - wander - wanderer - steps - on my way - leave
(greatsong.net)
+ the VIDEO
(YouTube)
EXOTIC PETS
Crocodile bites and scorpion stings treated by NHS doctors
"Exotic animals, many of which can be kept as pets in Britain, caused a number
of unusual injuries and maladies last year according to NHS figures.
As well as six crocodile or alligator bites, doctors treated 18 victims of poisonous spiders or scorpions, 52 snake or lizard bites and 50 jellyfish stings."
NHS = The National Health Service
(telegraph.co.uk)
Man keeps 24 crocodiles in back garden
"Shaun, 30, keeps 24 crocodiles and alligators
in the semi-detached home in Oxford."
(telegraph.co.uk)
My furry client bleats not guilty
"SWITZERLAND is going to new extremes in the battle to improve life for
its animals. The country of Heidi and cuckoo clocks will hold a referendum
in March on whether domesticated creatures should have the right
to be represented by lawyers in court...
If the referendum is approved, every canton in Switzerland will be obliged
to appoint a lawyer to act for pets as well as farm animals
and defend them from abuse."
(timesonline.co.uk)
Winter Olympics - interactive with AUDIO
Normal speed or slow speed.
- with activities
(weeklyreader.com)
Site recommended by Larry Ferlazzo.
An interactive biography of Nelson Mandela
"Here are 4 listening activities with gap-fill exercises."
(soundguideweb.com)
VOCABULARY
A big-box store
(also supercenter, superstore, or megastore)
"is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store. Examples include large department stores such as Wal-Mart and Target."
(Wikipedia)
Marijuana megastore opens in Oakland CA 
"Imagine, 15,000 square feet of warehouse store that's a one stop
shopping center for everything you need to grow cannabis.
No prescription, no problem, doctors are on site!
However, there's one item that won't be on the shelves at iGrow - the plants. "
(rackjite.com)
Marijuana Megastore Plants Roots in Oakland, California
"The 15,000-square foot warehouse is a one-stop shop for everything cannabis cultivation — from lights and fans to fertilizer and additives. An on-site doctor
will issue recommendations and technicians will be on-hand to teach
prospective growers how to get their roots into the business."
(puppetgov.com)
Children spend 7 hours a day in ‘electronic life’
"A new generation of “multimedia” children are spending an average of seven
hours a day glued to smartphones, iPods, TVs and video games. Research has
found that youngsters aged between eight and 18 now spend almost every
waking minute outside school using some electronic device...
Experts are divided on the impact of such heavy usage on children’s health,
emotional wellbeing and social skills. Not everyone is pessimistic...
What they (children) are doing is often quite creative and quite interactive.”
(timesonline.co.uk)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
A new page :
Pictures - Vocabulary - Information - Posters - Listening -
Interactive activities - Activities to print - Lesson plans -
Interactive games - Games to print - Cartoons - Videos - Songs
Royal Society meet to discuss if extra-terrestrials are here on Earth
"The conference will also address the social implications of the search for alien life. Albert Harrison, from the University of California, Davis, will discuss how
human beings might respond to the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence."
(timesonline.co.uk)
Is there anybody out there?
"What will aliens look like if we find them?...
These are just some of the questions that will be discussed at a two-day
conference starting today (Monday 25 January) at The Royal Society in London.
The discussion meeting The detection of extra-terrestrial life and the
consequences for science and society is the first to take place
in the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary year.
Astronomers are now able to detect planets orbiting stars other than the Sun
where life may exist, and living generations could see the signatures
of extra-terrestrial life being detected. "
(royalsociety.org)
NASA Beams Beatles' 'Across the Universe' Into Space
"The transmission was aimed at the North Star, Polaris,
which is located 431 light years away from Earth."
"I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe," she (Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono) said."
Listen to the song and watch the video.
(nasa.gov)
The Beatles - 'Across the Universe'
"Words are flying out like
endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
are drifting thorough my open mind
Possessing and caressing me"
(lyrics007.com)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
FOOD / RECIPE / INSTRUCTIONS
What's for dinner ? - interactive game
- with food vocabulary
(candystand.com)
Recommended by Larry Ferlazzo.
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)
Madame Tussaud's pays tribute to Michelle Obama
(msnbc.msn.com)
Madame Tussauds
"is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities.
It was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud.
It was formerly spelt "Madame Tussaud's",
but the apostrophe is no longer used."
(Wikipedia)
History of Madame Tussauds
- with a VIDEO
(madametussauds.com)
Up Helly Aa in pictures: Viking festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands
"Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian Vikings in the
Shetland Islands and has employed this theme since 1870. Up Helly Aa is
held on the last Tuesday in January every year, whatever the weather."
(telegraph.co.uk)
Up Helly Aa
"refers to any of a variety of fire festivals held in Shetland, in Scotland,
annually in the middle of winter to mark the end of the yule season.
The festival involves a procession of up to a thousand guizers in Lerwick
and considerably lower numbers in the more rural festivals, formed into squads
who march through the town or village in a variety of themed costumes...
The procession culminates in the torches being thrown
into a replica Viking longship or galley."
(Wikipedia)
(Permanent link 1) (Permanent link 2)