Big anniversary for moon mission

One of the most important moments in the history of science and technology happened 40 years ago on Thursday.
On 16 July 1969 a space mission called Apollo 11 blasted off from Earth to take men to the moon.
Five days later, two of the men aboard Apollo 11 - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin - became the first men to walk on the moon.

Check it out!

Some people still don't believe it happened. Do you?

What does the future hold for space exploration?

I'd love to go on a space trip. What about you?

Posted by Yone Santos - teacher - Flamengo

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Would you give up your iPod for a Walkman?

Giving up my iPod for a Walkman

When the Sony Walkman was launched, 30 years ago this week, it started a revolution in portable music. But how does it compare with its digital successors? The Magazine invited 13-year-old Scott Campbell to swap his iPod for a Walkman for a week.

Click on the link below

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8117619.stm

Posted by Marcelo Duhá, Teacher, Leblon, Rio de Janeiro.

Lil´ red riding in da hood

A little girl on a daunting quest, a basket of goodies and a shortcut full of perils; a cunnig wolf, a sick granny. A savior, an axe; a happy ending and a moral.

Click on the link below to watch an animatd version of this classic fairy tale:

http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/little-red-riding-hood-in-animated-infographics/

Did you enjoy it? Why(not)?

Do you have a favourite fairy tale? If so, would you like to see a modern version of it?

Let´s share!!!

Pensioner drinks nothing but Coke for 40 years in promise to mother

Pero Ajtman, 71, said he promised his mother he would stop drinking alcoholic beverages four decades ago.
"She made me promise never to drink again and Coke was the only thing that tasted as good as wine so I started drinking that."
"Now I have a glass in the morning, before and after lunch, with my dinner and then before I go to bed. I never drink anything else."

Suggested by Letícia Falcão - Student - Cultura Express 6 - Flamengo

Her classmates would like to hear from you:

What consequences do you think this will bring to him?
Would you be able to do the same?
Have you got any addiction?

While watching this clip, reflect carefully on what you have been doing to keep our planet safe and healthy. It starts at home. Think about it. How would you feel if the marvellous things shown here were gone... Oops! There is "something" in the clip that has already been extinct. What?

Tomorrow, June 5th, we are celebrating the World Environment Day and for this reason we are inviting you to read some suggestion that can change the planet. Remember that our home, Planet Earth, has been threatened by its own inhabitants: You and Me! (And all Mankind!) for such a long time.

What can we do? How can we help ?

The United Nations has got a programme, UNEP, which enables nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising the future generations.

Click on its address, read and think about your role in this world. I am sure we can become a little GREENER!

http://www.unep.org/wed/2009/english/content/tips.asp

Isaac Gonzaga de Oliveira, Copacabana.

RIO FORBIDS GADGETS IN STATE SCHOOLS

What used to be just a question of good manners and common sense is now a law issue all over the State of Rio de Janeiro. The use of cameras, MP3 players, smartphones and the like is forbidden in state schools, so has decided Governor Sérgio Cabral. The gadgets are not to be used in classrooms, libraries, and other meeting and study premises. Cellphones will only be allowed in patios after lessons or during breaks, and not only students, but teachers and administrative staff will have to abide the new law. If they don't, school administration may issue fines or confiscate the gadgets, and further procedures may go from warnings to expulsion (in the case of students) or firing (in the case of personnel and teachers).

(Alexandre Siqueira, teacher - Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro)

Have you ever stopped to consider just how many technological gadgets you deal with every, single day? Computers, televisions, cell phones, video games, in-car DVD players and the ever present iPod. Do young people deal with it more than adults? According to Dr. Gary Small, author of "iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind," the average young person spends eight and a half hours a day exposed to digital technology. Are people addicted to technology?

Teenagers in Los Angeles in the US have taken part in an experiment to find out how they would cope without their electronic gadgets for a week. The 15 and 16-year-olds gave up their mobile phones, mp3 players, TV, radio and other electronic luxuries, and discovered that it was like to trying to kick an addiction.

Watch the video and check out what they said about it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8054891.stm

I’m not sure I’d call it an addiction, maybe because I’ve come to the conclusion that I would find it very hard to live without technology. What do you think?

How many technological gadgets do you deal with every day?

What would it be like to spend a week without them?

How much technology is too much technology?

“We’ve reached a point of no return. Technology is definitely part of our lives.” Do you agree?

Yone Santos - teacher - Flamengo

Love is in the Air

I am a singing teacher as my students say. Whenever they exchange glances or tease each other, I sing 'Love is in the air". So in order to celebrate Valentine's Day I invite you all to sing along at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AH7e3qK0EA

In many countries Valentine's Day is celebrated on 14th February, the day of Saint Valentine but in Brazil it is celebrated on 12th June, one day before Saint Anthony's Day.

In the English-speaking countries, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending cards, presenting flowers or chocolate.

Let's exchange LOVE GREETINGS by filling in the blanks: LOVE IS ...

By Andrea Silva - Cosme Velho Branch - Rio de Janeiro

Pillow Fight

A FLASH MOB is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term FLASH MOB is generally applied only to gatherings organized via social media or viral emails , rather than those organized by public relations firms or for a publicity stunt.

Take a look at this one in Trafalgar Square, London, UK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orukqxeWmM0&feature=related

FLASH MOBS began as a form of performance art. While they started as an apolitical act, FLASH MOBS may share superficial similarities to political demostrations.

And here is another one also in London: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM

But you can find them all over the world like this one in Antwerp, Belgium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k

Worldwide Pillow Fight Day (or International Pillow Fight Day) was a pillow fight FLASH MOB that took place on March 22, 2008. Over 25 cities around the globe participated in the first "international FLASH MOB", which was the world's largest FLASH MOB to date. On 4th April this year, approximately 200 people went to Largo do Machado for a pillow fight.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MABH5VqsMNM&feature=related

You can check the You Tube for more FLASH MOBS.

Now, would you like to take part in a pillow fight?

Do you think FLASH MOBS can be fun in Rio or it could be too dangerous?

Do you have any amazing idea for a FLASH MOB?

By Andrea Silva - Cosme Velho Branch - Rio de Janeiro

Missouri University School Of Journalism Demands iPhone

Journalism students at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism are going to be getting a taste of Apple, whether they like it or not: According to the university’s Website, journalism students starting classes in the fall will be required to purchase an Apple iPhone or an iPod touch. The requirement has been imposed to allow for the delivery of “freshman-orientation information” as well as course material.A release from Mizzou states students will be able to electronically download material to either of the devices from iTunes University, a no-cost component of the iTunes Store. The university said students who do not yet own an iPod touch, classified as “the minimum requirement,” or an iPhone should contact the school’s computer store.
Many, many schools are starting to do this. We will start recording lectures so that students may review them before exams,” the Web page states. “Students also will have ready access to critical information on where to find help to solve various problems thanks to material we will deliver in conjunction with freshman orientation.”

What do you think about it? Would you use your iPhones and iPods for academic purposes?

Posted by Tatiana Madureira - Teacher at Flamengo Branch, RJ

Bank robber helpfully leaves wallet behind

Monday, May 11, 2009

Robbers: often not very good at robbing

In the latest example of criminals making it very easy for the cops, police in the US didn't have to dust for fingerprints to find a robbery suspect - they just looked through the wallet he left behind at the scene.

Albert Vincent Perkins is charged with robbing First Federal Bank in Kansas City, Missouri. Police say he walked into the bank, handed the teller a plastic bag and ordered her to give him all of the 100 dollar bills.

Then he walked out of the bank - but left his wallet sitting on the counter.

Posted by Marcelo Duhá, teacher at Leblon, Rio de Janeiro

A New E-book Reader

Amazon is introducing a new electronic reader called "Kindle DX", which has a screen twice as big as the previous model. It has a complete keyboard and memory enough to store 3,500 e-books, besides the 3G download feature, available only in the US. The suggested price is US$489.

By Ana Maria de Araujo, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro

What are YOU like?

The BBC site is offering a personality test so that we can know a little bit more about ourselves, friends and family members.

Are you a leader or a peacemaker? A go-getter or a realist? To take the test click on the link below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml

After having taken the test, were you happy with the results? Do you enjoy taking this sort of test? How accurate do think they are? Let´s share our ideas!

Marcello Caldas - Teacher at Botafogo, RJ

Do you twitter?

Twitter is for staying in touch and keeping up with friends no matter where you are or what you’re doing. For some friends you might want instant mobile updates—for others, you can just check the web. Invite your friends to Twitter and decide how connected you want you to be. Twitter members can display a widget showing their twitter feed.

Following (no pun intended!) the trend of programmes/softwares that are used for social networking (e.g orkut, facebook, msn messenger etc), now comes a tool which enables you to know whatever your friends and/or co-workers are doing - in real time! Here is what some users had to say about it:

"I learn something new several times a day and stay connected with people that form my most valuable network. This is the one tool I would choose if I could only keep one (as long as everyone else kept it also!)." Barry Dahl

"This has become another important tool for me over the last 6 months. I read all the tweets of the people I follow in the Firefox add-in, Twitterfox, and I use Twitterfeed to send my own RSS feeds into my Twitter accounts." Jane Hart

"Another one I'm addicted to! I can keep up to date with what lots of people are doing in my area (elearning, community and social media): the links and comments people post and the discussions they have are invaluable. It can really be a community." Helen Whitehead

If you would like to know more about Twitter, simply click on the link below:

http://twitter.com/

What do you think about this innovative tool? Could it be really helpful or is it just a fun way to keep track of someone else´s routine? Looking forward to your comments!

Marcello Caldas - Teacher at Botafogo Branch, RJ

Worried about swine flu?

* Swine flu (swine influenza) is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease normally found in pigs. It spreads through tiny particles in the air or by direct contact. According to WHO(World Health Organization) it tends to infect large numbers of a given pig population, killing between 1 and 4 percent of those affected. Not every animal infected displays symptoms.

"A swine flu outbreak that appears to have caused fatalities in humans in Mexico and nonfatal cases in the United States prompted the World Health Organization this weekend to urge countries around the world to be alert for suspicious cases of influenza.

WHO chief Margaret Chan says the global body is taking the outbreak very seriously, though comparisons with the 1918 epidemic are premature.

The U.S. has declared a public health emergency after identifying 20 cases of swine flu around the country. 81 deaths in Mexico have been called "likely linked" to the virus, and officials around the world are encouraging people to take standard precautions such as frequent hand washing and avoiding work or school if ill.

Are you worried about swine flu, or do you think it’s much ado about nothing? Do you think this illness – which has affected a relatively small number of people so far – is something we should be concerned with at this point? Or is all the media coverage creating unnecessary panic?"

(CNN)

Renata, teacher at Ipanema - RJ.

The Future is here and now!

According to Scientific American:

"The exoskeleton detects—via a sensor attached to the wearer’s skin—brain signals sent to muscles to get them moving. The exoskeleton’s computer analyzes these signals to determine how it must move (and with how much force) to assist the wearer. The company claims on its Web site that the device can also operate autonomously (based on data stored in its computer), which is key when used by people suffering spinal cord injuries or physical disabilities resulting from strokes or other disorders."

So, yes, this IS an exoskeleton. Just like the ones you see in Japanese series like Jaspion or Power Rangers (technically Power Rangers are american, but who really cares?). With a difference: this one seems to work. I just hope it doesn't get snatched up by a group of evil terrorists so they can try to rule the world or something, because we are really out of superheroes at the moment.

Not trying to alarm any of you, but the japanese company (of course it was them! Who do you think was going to invent one of these?) which created this prototype is called Cyberdyne. The sci-fi movie fans will remember that this is the name of the company of the Terminator's series which becomes Skynet, the evil robot company that builds the terminators and end up taking over the world.

Seriously now, what you think about this: Should scientific labs worry about things as fancy as these or we just have a lot of other problems to solve first? Please, comment below.

Carlos, teacher at Copacabana. RJ.

Welcome!

Welcome!

We are happy (and quite proud) to announce that the Blog of the branches of Zona Sul is indeed on-line!

In order to celebrate this initiative I'd like to invite teachers and students to comment on their views on blogs: What kind of blog you would like to see here, what your favorite blogs are.

Not really a blog reader? No problem, it's always time to take up a new hobby!

Some tips and rules for our folowers:

- In order to comment on this blog you must have a Google account. It's very easy and quick to create one: just go to www.gmail.com and create an e-mail account. Voi-lá! It takes no more than 3 minutes.

- If you want to know whenever there is a new post, this blog has a RSS feed. This means that if you use Google reader or a similar tool it will tell you about new posts and you can follow all the updates without having to log-on on a daily basis.

That's it for now! I hope everybody will enjoy this new tool.

Carlos. Teacher at Copacabana