New IMF head (video)

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Facebook hires hacker (audio)

Greeks protest against austerity measures (short audio)

Chinese business in USA (video)

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Venezuelan Government Dismisses Reports

Photo: AP/Granma

In this June 17, 2011 photo released by Granma newspaper, Cuba's former President Fidel Castro, left, and brother, Cuba's President Raul Castro, right, speak with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez at a hospital in Havana, Cuba

• These are the facts

Yesterday Venezuelan officials dismissed reports that President Hugo Chavez could be seriously ill. His opponents demand information about his health, more than 2 weeks after he underwent surgery in Cuba.

President Chavez has not been seen in public since the June 10 operation for what authorities say was an abscess in his pelvic area. Mr. Chavez's voice was last heard publicly June 12, when he called a television network

Officials say the president is recovering well. The president's opponents say Mr. Chavez and his aides should be more straightforward.

Chavez should be back for a regional summit beginning July 5 that coincides with the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence from Spain.

Some opposition politicians say Vice President Elias Jaua should replace Mr. Chavez until he recovers.. Jaua does not agree

The 56-year-old president's Twitter stream is active. On Saturday, Mr. Chavez posted messages, including one mentioning visits by his daughter and grandchildren.

• Let's include some linkers now. Choose the right option.
  

Yesterday Venezuelan officials dismissed reports that President Hugo Chavez could be seriously ill. (However - Although - So - Despite) his opponents demand information about his health, more than 2 weeks after he underwent surgery in Cuba.

(However - Although - So - Despite) officials say the president is recovering well, the president's opponents say Mr. Chavez and his aides should be more straightforward.

Some opposition politicians say Vice President Elias Jaua should replace Mr. Chavez until he recovers. (However - Although - So -Despite) Jaua does not agree

(However - Although - So -Despite) the absence of the 56-year-old president, his Twitter stream is active. On Saturday, Mr. Chavez posted messages, including one mentioning visits by his daughter and grandchildren.

• The colored words are the answers. Could you please think of suitable questions?

1. Yesterday Venezuelan officials dismissed reports that President Hugo Chavez could be seriously ill.
2. Yesterday Venezuelan officials dismissed reports that President Hugo Chavez could be seriously ill.
3. His opponents demand information about his health
4. He underwent surgery in Cuba .
5. He underwent surgery more than 2 weeks ago.
6. The president's opponents say Mr. Chavez and his aides should be more straight forward .
7. Chavez should be back for a regional summit .
8. The regional summit will begin on July 5 .
9. Some opposition politicians say Vice President Elias Jaua should replace Mr. Chavez
10. Vice President Elias Jaua should replace Mr. Chavez until he recovers.
11. No, Juau does not agree .
12. Chavez is 56 years old .
13. On Saturday Mr. Chavez posted messages
14. He mentioned visits by his daughter and grandchildren.

Asian Air Pollution (video)

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Supreme Court backed Wal-Mart (audio)

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Russia's exports (video)

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Internet addresses (audio)

Please click on the Play Button, listen to the audio file at least twice and get ready to answer these questions

What? Why? What for? When? Where?





Listen to the audio file once again and try to identify the context in which these words are used

major
available
yet
run out of
because of
sort of like
currently and since
new house
more than enough
designers
someday
would ever need
yet now
not just
plenty of
feature
seems like
undecillion
get the world
purpose
sponsored
a means of
can’t drag
switching
costly
explain why
upgrade




And now, please try to get the questions for these answers

1. IPv6
2. on their websites
3. for years
4. very few
5. because of all the growth in online devices
6. four billion
7. 1998
8. an unlimited number of IP addresses
9. to get the world to use it
10. because it's complex and costly
11. 400

Mom Sentenced For Spanking Child Sparks Debate On Discipline

Back in December Rosalina Gonzales was arrested for injury to a child after her daughter's paternal grandmother found some red marks on the child's buttocks.

On Friday, a Texas judge sentenced Rosalina Gonzales to five years probation and ordered her to take parenting classes, after she admitted that she had spanked her child. Prosecutors said the woman used her hand and did not leave bruises on the 2-year-old.

Gonzales currently does not have custody of the two-year-old victim or her other two children.

According to the Texas Attorney General's website, spanking is not illegal. "Texas law allows the use of force," it reads, "but not deadly force, against a child by the child's parent, guardian, or other person who is acting in loco parentis."

The website goes on to describe where the line between spanking and abuse might be. It seems the AG's opinion is that if it's in the buttocks, the parent uses their open hand, a brush or a belt and doesn't leave a "bruise, welt, or swelling," it's likely OK.

But Gonzales' case and especially what seemed like the judge's complete ban on spanking has ignited a great debate among parents on the Web.



Nancy French wrote:
As the mother of a toddler, I think it's important for moms to come forward and quit being afraid of discipline that's been tested by time. Moms tend to keep this a private matter, to avoid conflict or hard discussions with other parents. However, the Gonzales case should cause us to speak out in protest of an overreaching court.
That's why I'm saying that I've spanked all three of my kids, and they aren't raised yet. Spanking is far less emotionally manipulative than twenty nagging reprimands, it's fast, and it's certainly effective. And by the way, it's legal.
So, Judge Longoria, come and get me

P L (lamorpa) wrote:
Psychological punishment can be more cruel and damaging, than physical punishment. A well-timed swat can teach a child which behaviors to avoid. I received spankings when I was a kid, and to be truthful, I deserved every one of them. One in particular taught me a life lesson that has served me very well. After the age of 7, I got perfect attendance awards pretty much every year. Thanks,Dad.

Camela Mastors (imtgu) wrote:
Never, never, ever hit a child. Ever

joan johnson (jmj77) wrote:
I was once told by my children's doctor that any more that one slap was not for correction it was for the parents anger. While I have to admit I did spank my children. It was never more that once, which would never hurt them but more intended to gain their attention. So while I am for spanking anyone who bruises or knocks their child down. To me this is abuse. Besides spanking with an open hand can hurt your hand just and much as their butts. So I feel that the judge took a family matter to an extreme. Kids do need to be disciplined and if a parent chooses this path then, unless it is abusive the law needs to butt out.


Matthew Johnson (Landerrugby) wrote:
No child needs to be spanked , all they need is an attentive parent willing to pay attention and be consistent.


george busch (GuitReal) wrote:
She must have been really laying it on the kid if they arrested her for spanking her child in Texas. And they took all 3 of her children. There must be more to this story than what is said here.


Colourless Green (thedr9wningman) wrote:
Just because things have traditionally been awful doesn't mean they should persist. Should we re-introduce the Black Plague because, you know, that was something that happened in the good old days? What about a 72 hour work week? Anyone? How about child labor, witch trials, stoning, public hangings?! REINSTATE THE KING! Take away women's rights to vote!


Kathleen Volcjak (KSV) wrote:
Growing up, my siblings and I were all spanked. One reacted by refusing to use corporal punishment on his children, two of us felt no injustice and judiciously spanked our own. Whether it is abusive or not comes down to the relationship between the spanker and the spankee.


Dave Howard (Valhakar) wrote:
How can she be charged with something that is not a crime?


Elwin Lindke (EHL) wrote:
There is a difference between spanking a child and beating a child. At times the only way to reach the brain is through the seat. If in fact the mother spanked the child I really don't think the judge used good judgment when passing sentence. We have already had one generation of Dr. Spock children with the don't spank them and that has been enough.

Holly Smith (HollyNE) wrote:
I'm a little confused as to why this woman was even arrested if 'spanking' is not illegal per Texas law. Here's the deal, folks, you cannot use the term spank because it conjures up the most extreme circumstances. A swat done without anger and with explanation to the child shows them that you care deeply about their safety. Some children do not need this sort of discipline. And most children over the age of 6 do not either. However, for small children who cannot reason, pain is a very good way to convince them to change their behavior. That's just reality. We have pain receptors all over our body as a way to tell us that something is wrong. Frankly, emotional manipulation, bribery, is far more abusive than an occasional spank.

Clifton Harty (Legalsnow) wrote:
I'll be honest. I have never spanked my kids and it has worked out just fine. However, the judge was completely wrong on this as it appears that what the mother did actually wasn't even against the law. Also what are the prosecutors doing prosecuting this case. I think this actually may be abuse of prosecutorial power since they even admit that it isn't actually a crime. For a parent to be separated from her kids for this is ridiculous. But honestly did she have a public defender? I mean what kind of lawyer would actually allow her to plead guilty to this. If she did that person should be disbarred. This would have been overturned on appeal. Hard to do when she pleads.

Sean S (Foop) wrote:
Kids are not born well behaved. People always say "oh you are so lucky to have such a well behaved child." It isn't luck, it took LOVE,HARD WORK, and DEDICATION. Luck has nothing to do with it, and it isn't easy.

adapted from The two-way

Irregular Plural Quiz

Click on Quiz or HERE to check how many irregular plural nouns you know.

From each menu, select the plural noun that best completes the sentence. You can compare your response to the correct answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.

A 110-year-old light bulb??? (video)

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2011 Olympics of Coffee Making (video)

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Most embarassing dad?

Rain Price will never forget the first day of his sophomore year of high school. On the bus, packed with classmates from his suburban Utah school, Rain peered out the window, mortified.

"The school bus for the first time ever came down our street this year," explains Rain’s dad, Dale. "Later I overheard him talking to his mother, 'Mom, don't let Dad go out there again.' What a challenge."

So it began. Since the fall, Dale waved at his son in 180 different outlandish costumes. The second day of school he wore a football helmet and jersey, and in the months that followed he opened the front door dressed as a blushing bride, a superhero, a Star Trek fan, Michael Jackson, and a giant chicken. One day he even lugged an old toilet bowl onto the street and sat on it reading a newspaper, stopping to wave as the bus rolled by.

"The first day of high school I have my dad waving at the bus," Rain said. "It was really embarrassing. But the last couple of months it turned into fun and entertainment."

The father of three, a stay-at-home dad, raided the family’s Halloween costume collection, borrowed outfits from neighbors, and managed to spend under $50 over the year to make his son’s bus ride the highlight of the day. To preserve the memories, his wife, Rochelle, photographed each day's outfit and posted it on their blog called waveatthebus.blogspot.com.

Dale developed a system. His son left to catch the bus at 7:10 A.M. Then he had 4 minutes to transform. Sometimes his son, Riot, a second grader, joined in the fun. On day 26, he played Batman to his dad’s Robin.

On the last day of school, Dale gave Rain a final send-off dressed as a "peg-leg" pirate, an alter-ego he's reinvented throughout the year, as a nod to his own prosthetic leg.

No one envisioned the notoriety that would come. They have been contacted by major TV networks, both in the United States and abroad. Their phone rings many times an hour with requests for appearances or interviews, or congratulations from those who have seen them.


"At the beginning we had 53,000 hits on our website," Price said, referring to when the blog started getting media attention. "We thought that was good, but now it has grown to 5.6 million. There are so many comments in other languages."

"Some people have commented that Rain will need therapy for years," Price said. "We put a note that people could contribute to his therapy fund/college fund as a joke. Some people have actually used it and said they couldn't contribute much, but were putting in two or three bucks."

Rochelle, Rain's mother, is putting it in a special account to use for his college education.

Dale has been advised to contact a public relations firm and define his goals - television appearances, books or something else. However, he's not interested and expects the interest to decrease.

"If I do this, what does that do to our life as a family?" he said. "If I happen to be on the road a lot, I don't want to lose the closeness that we currently have. I don't know how to balance it. I don't know where the middle is.."

Despite all the fun and encouragement, Dale said he doesn't plan on doing again next year.

"I will sleep like a baby the first day of school," he said.

The Prices

180 outfits in 53 seconds

Beatles' Business Model (audio)

Business advice is available from many sources - books, workshops, the Internet but - the Beatles???

Authors George Cassidy and Richard Courtney have written "Come Together" and explain why they believe the Fab Four followed a classic business model on their way to success.



Click HERE to listen to the audio

• After listening to the audio file at least twice, please describe the business model The Beatles followed as described by the authors

• Listen to the audio file once again and check how these words are used

available
on their way to
picking
gifted
set a goal
in their field
even though
focus on
achieving their goal
refused to
instead of
a common purpose
accomplish
they all were in sync
work ethic
two weeks off
in place of them
developed
in no small measure
on their own
create an image
aware of
shared with
had so much fun
overlooked
in a new light

e.Coli Outbreak Wake Up Call (video)

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The 2011 "20 under 20" Thiel Fellows (audio)

Peter Thiel

Please click here to listen to Peter Thiel.

After listening to the audio at least twice, can you answer the following questions:

• Who?
• What?
• Why?
• What for?
• Where?
• When?

Go back to audio and find synomys for the following words

• 1. Share
• 2. Rich
• 3. Intelligent
• 4. Give up
• 5. Chose
• 6. Coming years
• 7. Prolong
• 8. Ended
• 9. Starts
• 10. It is not the same
• 11. 25 years
• 12. Almost

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German Restaurant and E.Choli (video)

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German organic sprouts likely source of E.Coli outbreak

Read the article and try to spot as many instances of Probability as you can. Good luck!

Health Minister Daniel Bahr

HAMBURG (Reuters) - Vegetable sprouts grown on an organic farm in Germany could be the source of the deadly E.coli outbreak that has killed 22 people, made more than 2,200 ill and led Russia to bar EU fruit and vegetable imports, officials said on Sunday.

The Lower Saxony state agriculture minister, Gert Lindemann, told a news conference that investigators have traced the rare, highly toxic strain of the bacteria to a farm in the Uelzen district. Media reports said the farm was near the town of Bienenbuettel, 70 km south of Hamburg.

Health facilities in Hamburg, Germany's second city and the center of the outbreak that began three weeks ago, are struggling to cope with the flood of victims, Health Minister Daniel Bahr said.

Lindemann, speaking after three weeks of mysterious deaths and widespread consumer fears, said there appeared to be clear links between vegetables from the farm and food eaten by some victims.

The health scare has strained ties between two EU members and led Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to say "I not "poison" Russians by lifting an embargo on EU fruit and vegetable imports."

Lindemann said that beansprouts and some other sprouts from the farm might be connected to the outbreak. Raw sprouts are popular among Germans and often mixed in salads or added to sandwiches.

Lost sales have cost Spanish farmers 200 million euros a week, and Spanish officials might claim compensation. The crisis could put 70,000 people out of work in Spain, which already has the highest unemployment in the EU.

The farm was shut down Sunday and all its produce recalled, including fresh herbs, fruits, flowers and potatoes. Two of its employees were also infected with E. coli, Lindemann said. He said 18 different sprout mixtures from the farm were under suspicion.

Lindemann noted that the sprouts are grown with steam in barrels at 38 degrees Celsius - an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply.

Officials, however, are not sure if the farm is the only source. Lindemann said the contaminated produce might have found its way into a variety of foods.

German officials said the produce from the farm was delivered to restaurants and food operations in five northern states.

Hospitals in Hamburg have been moving out patients with less serious illnesses to handle the surge of people stricken by the rare strain of bacteria. Hospitals outside Hamburg could be used to make up for "insufficient capacity."

At a news conference with Bahr in Hamburg, state health minister Cornelia Pruefer-Storcks said local officials were facing a shortage of doctors.

"We want to discuss with doctors whether those who recently retired can be reactivated," she said, adding that medical staff in Hamburg were battling exhaustion. Doctors and nurses in northern Germany have been working overtime for weeks since the crisis began May 2.

On Saturday officials identified a restaurant in the northern port of Luebeck as a place where the bug might have been passed to humans, saying at least 17 people infected with E.coli had eaten there and one later died from complications.

adapted from The Chicago Tribune

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Spanish cucumbers not behind EU outbreak. So what is?

Spanish cucumbers are not the cause of an E.coli outbreak linked to 16 fatalities and some 1,200 infections in Europe, German authorities conceded Tuesday.

But that admission, five days after Germany warned its citizens not to eat Spanish produce, has only deepened the mystery surrounding the virulent outbreak, centered in Germany, and has come too late for Spanish cucumber growers.

The industry now faces a plunge in sales that can take months or even years to recover from. Besides Germany and at least six European nations are not accepting Spanish produce. Germany is now threatening to extend the prohibition to the entire European Union.

Spanish farms are laying off workers and losing some 200 million euros ($286 million) per week in lost sales. Spain's agriculture minister said her country will be asking for extraordinary compensation.

The bigger question remains unresolved: What caused the source of the virulent strain of bacteria, known as Shiga toxin-producing E.coli?


adapted from The Christian Science Monitor and Reuters