Even spiders can be fun!

TV news vs Priorities

MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell interrupts former Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) who is urging the NSA to stop spying on citizens to report breaking news regarding the arrest of popstar Justin Bieber. Aired on Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC, 22 January 2014.

It's interesting to see that the above video lasts 1mn. It has only 14 views but in the link below, the 26 seconds extract was seen 6 324 017 times! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH68bSJXGE8
Youtube watching can be like TV. Too bad the 6 million + didn't get to hear Harman say what was indeed crucial...
This reminds me of Fukushima NPP ongoing disaster ... if you get my drift.
Well, as we are studying an article about that Bieber story with the 2nde A, food for thought;-) First pupil of this class to make some comment will have a mega bonus..!

Bilingual Brains are Better!

Well... trilingual, multilingual! I once heard a man on France Culture who could read more than 40 languages and spoke more than 20!
I've just discovered Trace Dominguez. You can have more of him here: scroll down to the vids: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/13/my-dc-discovery-news-trace-dominguez_n_2863188.html#slide=2209405

A young girl and her scientific experiment

A child's experiment turns into a lesson on the toxins in our food supply.  
 

What makes a hero?

What makes a hero? by Matthew Winkler

War vocabulary

A great way to learn War vocabulary... still a current issue in many countries of the world.
Some of our soldiers are at war too. Let us not forget it.
Part 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/specials/cojo/conflict1/Course/asset/main.html
Part 2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/specials/cojo/conflict2/Course/asset/main.html

2014!

I wish you all, my students and the visitors, a year of discoveries and enlightenments. Hope 2014 will keep you safe and that you'll make the most of it. Work well, rejoice with your beloved, seize the day.
 (Grammar note: the only time when most can be preceded by the article!) 

As a gift for the New Year, I thought you might enjoy doing this short test to discover which brain you use most. 
So... are you left-brained?  Of or relating to a person whose behavior is dominated by logic, analytical thinking, and verbal communication, rather than emotion and creativity 
Or are you right-brained? Of or relating to a person whose behavior is dominated by emotion, creativity, intuition, nonverbal communication, and global reasoning rather than logic and analysis.

http://en.sommer-sommer.com/braintest/

Michio Kaku

His own family mirrors the history of the nuclear age. From 8:45 if you can't spare 13 minutes now. Otherwise, watch it later!

Let's educate ourselves.

Carl Sagan [ˈseɪ.ɡən] 1934-1996 Professor at Cornell University "We live in an age of science and technology with formidable powers. If we, the general public don't understand it, then who is making all the decisions about science and technology?" He also quotes Thomas Jefferson, the US Prez at the beginning of the 19th century who laid stress on the fact that it was not enough to enshrine some rights in the constitution and the bill of rights. People have to be educated and they have to practise their skepticism and their education. Otherwise, we don't run the government, the government runs us.

Help Father Christmas

The arctic is in danger.

ACLU vs NSA's unlawful spying programs

The NSA is Coming to Town dressed in Father Christmas outfits. The American Civil Liberties Union has had a lot to do lately... Don't you like this video? Making fun of that dreadful reality? Why not? A very human thing to do: laugh! Hope it raises public awareness to this crucial issue.

Brands are not gods

The Bullying Experiment

Wrong is being committed in front of your eyes. What do you do? I've always hated the phrase: "Don't be a hero." It's not being a hero. It's just being human to at least say something. What do you think? update: Thanks Cecile for her comments and this link: http://www.maentis.com/

Mmmm...

I think Ben has something here. I mean below.
 

Thanks @JoeMomasNuts for the great link(s). Your avatar rocks twitter

Truth is the 1st casualty of war.

British Soldier Slams fighting for Queen And Country                                                             Benjamin Griffin (born 1977) is a former British SAS soldier who refused to return to Iraq and left the Army, citing not only the "illegal" tactics of United States troops and the policies of coalition forces but also that the invasion itself was contrary to international law

 Here is how he ends Benjamin ends his truly heroic words.
"I am a human being. My allegiance is not to Queen and country but to the whole of humanity.
I no longer accept the lies that perpetuate war.
I no longer accept that violence can lead to peace.
Never again will I be complicit in the killing and torture of my brothers and sisters.
Never again will I accept the vile religion of patriotism.
I refuse to pull on that rancid uniform and I refuse to fight for Queen and country"

Thanksgiving 2013 #transparency

Grace': PETA's Banned Thanksgiving Ad                                                                                                                                  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ...
And a video to show you what she's talking about. That's #transparency
http://vimeo.com/73234721

Japanese legislators make a wrong move.

BBC Japanese Secrecy Bill
The lower house of the Japanese parliament has approved a state secrecy bill that imposes stiffer penalties on civil servants who leak secrets and journalists who try to obtain them.Japanese people protest in the following video:

Another Banksy-oriented post

And if you want these other posts, type Banksy in the searchbar of the blog!
And visit http://banksy.co.uk/ and to follow Banksy's October NYC tour,
you can go to this interactive map: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/10/interactive-map-banksy-tour-of-nyc.html?mid=twitter_nymag or keep updated here: http://animalnewyork.com/
Don't you love it?

#REMEMBERDAIICHI

Six and a half thousand times higher in 2 days ... 6,500 times higher...
You may know that my precious daughter arrived in Tokyo on Saturday. Wish her well...
And there is a another typhoon coming.
Watch this and pay attention to the above figure at the beginning of the video.
Indeed... "Two and a half years to admit the painful truth: JAPAN NEEDS HELP"

Ex NSA Edward Snowden

KMSP-TV