In its purest form, it's odorless, nearly colorless and tasteless. It's in your body, the food you eat and the beverages you drink. You use it to clean yourself, your clothes, your dishes, your car and everything else around you. You can travel on it or jump in it to cool off on hot summer days. Many of the products that you use every day contain it or were manufactured using it. All forms of life need it, and if they don't get enough of it, they die.
Water is the only substance that occurs naturally as a solid (ice), a liquid and a gas (water vapor). It covers about 70 percent of the Earth for a total of approximately 332.5 million cubic miles (1,386 million cubic kilometers) [source: U.S. Geological Survey]. If you're familiar with the lines "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink" from the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," you'll understand that most of this water -- 97 percent of it -- is undrinkable because it's saltwater. Only 3 percent of the world's water supply is freshwater, and 77 percent of that is frozen. Of the 23 percent that is not frozen, only a half a percent is available to supply every plant, animal and person on Earth with all the water they need to survive [source: National Geographic].
Looking at water, you might think that it's the most simple thing around. Pure water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. But it's not at all simple and plain and it is vital for all life on Earth. Where there is water there is life, and where water is scarce, life has to struggle or just "throw in the towel."
So what is it about water that makes it so important to us? And what is it about water that makes it water?
Find out all about water at the US Geological Service Water Science page.
We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should drink water, it's not a habit that many people form.
But there are some very powerful reasons to drink lots of water every day, and forming the habit isn't hard, with a little focus.
Without access to clean water, Kenya's Kakamega Forest village is particularly vulnerable to disease and hardship. Vestergaard Frandsen's landmark CARBON FOR WATER initiative has provided more than 1 million free Lifestraw family water filters to locals. Learn how clean water is helping a community in Kenya thrive, one drink at a time.
Many items that we buy come in containers. Containers may have a specific name depending on their shape and the material they are made of.
Look at the lesson on containers on elearnenglishlanguage In this lesson, you will learn the vocabulary for various containers and you can click on each link to listen to the sound file. Further down, find the same vocabulary with corresponding photos.
Recycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its useful life and using all or part of it to make another product. The internationally recognized symbol for recycling includes three arrows moving in a triangle. Each arrow represents a different part of the recycling process, from collection to re-manufacture to resale.
But what does all this have to do with you? Well, recycling is a simple way that you, as a consumer, can help out the environment, create a profitable market for recycled goods and help preserve natural resources from being depleted. So… let’s get involved!
Trash or garbage is a major form of environmental pollutant, with many types taking hundreds of years to properly decompose when thrown away. The truth is shocking, yet it’s something we can all try and do something about. Here are 10 facts about trash to consider, plus some practical tips for ways of reducing your garbage, recycling it and helping the environment....read more at hotfact.com.
Welcome to theN3TWORK. I'm Jane Baek. In this episode of yourTruth, we are going to talk about food! You like to eat, I like to eat…we all love to eat food. But did you know that you have been eating genetically modified (GM) food for the past ten years? We didn't. And it's in 70-75% of our nation's food! A long list of documented health complications associated with eating GM foods includes increased risk of certain types of cancer and fertility complications. What exactly are GM foods?
Simply put, scientists wanted to make crops more resilient to environmental factors. Suppose you grow tomatoes: at night it gets so cold that half of your tomatoes are frozen in the morning and you can't sell them anymore. Scientists were able to combat this problem with genetic modification. They figured out a way to take DNA from one organism and put it inside another organism to achieve a desired characteristic. Recognizing the Arctic flounder's ability to withstand extremely cold temperatures, bioengineers isolated that specific DNA trait in the fish to implant in tomatoes. The result: tomatoes highly resistant to cold and substantially greater crop yields.
The driving motivation for genetic modification was bringing 100% of your crop yield to the market; biotechnology was the answer to ending world hunger. Ironically, we unearthed studies that indicate just the opposite, showing instances where GM crops produce fewer yields. In some countries with high starvation rates, journalists documented cases of people burning GM food in protest.
Let's return to how GM food is created. Our friends at Lily Films and Deborah Koons Garcia made a documentary called The Future of Foods that explains it best.
We wanted to know what else agroengineers were capable of with this new technology. As The Future of Foods indicated, Monsanto, the largest biotechnology company in the world, successfully engineered seeds resistant to their Roundup herbicide. This allowed farmers to spray as much herbicide as they wanted without fear of their crops dying. But it didn't stop there. Scientists found they could engineer seeds that would mature into pesticide-producing crops, crops that literally emit pesticide as they grow.
How did they do this? Scientists found bacteria in soil that is lethal to many species of insects, called Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT), which they inserted into crops. What could the effects be when a bacteria once confined to soil becomes airborne? We will get into that later.
Instead of just making drugs in labs, scientists have been growing crops that produce their own pharmaceutical drugs, like research chemicals, blood proteins, antibodies, and vaccines. These are called pharma crops. According to the Society for Diabetic Rights, thousands of diabetics have experienced bad reactions and many have died as a result of genetically engineered insulin, called "human" insulin. Also, the Union of Concerned Scientists has been urging the United States Department of Agriculture to ban all outdoor production of pharma crops because of the potential to contaminate the nation's food supply.
How safe do you think GM foods are? The consensus is that there are some dangers associated with eating GM foods, but where is the proof? Through our investigation we found that many countries in Europe have taken action by either banning or labeling GM foods. Wait a minute, we're eating them while they are banning them? What does everyone else in the world know that we don't? Here is one of the many conclusive studies we came across in our quest for truth.
This study was conducted by Dr. Ermakova of the National Association of Genetic Security in Russia. Dr. Ermakova wanted to find out what eating GM foods did to pregnant rats and their offspring. The experiment had two parts. In part one there were three groups with three rats each. Let's call them Group A, Group B, and Group C. She fed each group of rats food two weeks before conception: Group A rats received no soy products; Group B received soy flour; Group C was fed GE soy flour.
The next phase of the experiment introduced two new groups with three rats each. We will call them Group D and Group E. She fed Group D food with no soy products and Group E GM soy flour. In total, Group A and Group D ate no soy products and those rats gave birth to 44 babies. Group B ate regular soy products and those rats gave birth to 33 babies. Group C & E ate GM soy products and these rats gave birth to 45 babies. Three weeks later, the results were a little shocking. In the group with no soy at all, three baby rats died. In the groups with regular soy three baby rats died. In the groups who ate GE soy, twenty five baby rats died! According to Dr. Ermakova, the reason why this is so shocking is because "the biochemical structure of rats is very similar to the biochemical structure of humans."
What are some of the other effects? Unfortunately, animals were tested in the process of these experiments… Sorry PETA! Also remember that these animals were fed GM food for every meal during the course of the study. Experiments performed on other animals resulted in pre-cancerous cell growth, smaller brains, livers and testicles, damaged immune systems, liver malfunctions, lesions in the liver, stomach and kidneys, inflammation of certain organs, cell malfunctions, higher blood sugar levels, fertility problems, and unexplained increases in death rates.
We also found that avoiding the consumption of GM food is still no guarantee for good health. What do we mean? Remember when we mentioned that the BT toxin is now airborne? In the Philippines, people living next to a GE cornfield developed recurring skin, respiratory and intestinal problems. Blood tests done on 39 of the Filipino residents revealed that their immune systems had been compromised by the BT toxin.
What are the consequences for the environment? Crops pollinate as they grow, and allergy sufferers everywhere can testify that pollen spreads everywhere. Some scientists are frantically trying to save natural seeds because when GE crops pollinate, they infect surrounding natural plants. Once they mix, there is no turning back. An example of the result of cross pollination is the super weed. What is the super weed? We mentioned earlier that some plants were engineered to resist herbicides, but pollination contamination has caused surrounding natural weeds to develop herbicide resistance. But it doesn't stop there: every species in the animal kingdom is at risk. Ever heard of the butterfly effect? Cornell University did a study and found that the BT toxin released from the crops is lethal to monarch butterflies. And that's just one study on one species! We also found that natural fish and marine life are threatened because GE fish have been accidentally released into the wild.
At this point you are probably wondering if we can make informed decisions to buy GM and non-GM products. Unlike many other countries in the world, there is no law in the United States that requires GM foods to be labeled. How could this be? In 1992, George Bush Sr. signed an executive order that deemed GM food as equal to non-GM food. This executive order permitted biotech companies to present GM foods as "substantially equivalent" to non-GM foods. Doesn't the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate products in the food supply? Actually, because they are "substantially equivalent," the FDA classifies GM foods under the "Generally Recognized as Safe" category. Under this category, the government does not require additional testing or labeling. Also, every GM seed has its own patent. If seeds are unique enough to patent, how can they be substantially equivalent to other crops? To learn more about seed patenting and testing, check out our separate video about Monsanto on our chapter guide.
Is there anything being done? We found an organization taking initiative to give consumers a choice in the matter, called the non-GMO project. The non-GMO Project provides an independent verification process to food distributors who don't use GM foods to put a "GMO-free" label on their packaging, thus allowing consumers to know if their food is GM or not. We sat down with director Meghan Thompson to hear more.
Some of our elected officials have begun standing up for consumer rights. Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced H.R. 3377, The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act in November of 1999, but the bill was never voted on and eventually expired. Still persevering, Kucinich introduced three similar bills in July of 2008, designed to protect consumers and food safety while defending farmer rights. H.R. 6635, 6636, and 6637 are still in the infancy stages of the legislative process. If you want to make an impact, inform your friends and family of these resolutions and lobby our representatives to work on behalf of conscious food consumption.
Labeling is the only way to make safe food purchases. When polled, 93% of Americans said that they want GM food labeled! We should follow in the footsteps of Japanese activists who pressured their government to label GM foods after years of struggle. From 1996 to 2001, Japan's "Down with Genetically Engineered Food campaign" pressured the government to label GM foods, even presenting a 2,000,000-signature petition to the Japanese Health and Ministry in 1998. In Europe, citizens from all different countries started to fight for consumer rights in 1996. Since then, 43 European regions have taken measures to regulate, label or ban GM foods.
What progress has been made in America? In Mendocino County, California, citizens mobilized an effective grassroots campaign. Their efforts resulted in the passage of Measure H, which states "It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to propagate, cultivate, raise, or grow genetically modified organisms in Mendocino County." A spokesperson for the Campaign for a GMO-Free Mendocino County said, "The only thing we set out to do was educate people what GMOs are, who makes them and why. Once people figured that out, they wanted to learn more, and had a tendency to reject them."
People all over the world are making their voices heard. We encourage you to get involved and you can start by checking out our Tools of Actions. The world is watching, so how will you make a difference?
In "Harvest of Fear," FRONTLINE and NOVA explore the intensifying debate over genetically-modified (gm) food crops.
Read through "Should We Grow GM Crops?" and vote to express your opinion after reading each argument.
You release greenhouse gases as a result of using energy to drive, using electricity to light and heat your home, and through other activities that support our quality of life like growing food, raising livestock and throwing away garbage. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced through simple measures like changing light bulbs and properly inflating your tires. This site provides over 25 easy steps you can take to not only reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, but also reduce air pollution, increase the nation's energy independence and save money.
On NASA's Global Climate Change page you'll find the latest statistics on the Arctic Sea Ice Minimum, Carbon Dioxide levels, Sea Levels, Global Temperature and Land Ice.
Take a look at the special features, such as the Sea Level Viewer (where you can visualize the effects of Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004, El Niño and La Niña), The Climate Time Machine (where you can explore Earth's recent climate history), the Global Ice Viewer, and the Eyes on the Earth interactive 3D feature which allows you to track the satellites that gather data on the atmosphere, the sea and the land. Here is a video introduction to Eyes on the Earth.
UCAR is The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. It serves as a hub for research, education, and public outreach for the atmospheric and related Earth sciences community.
You can also watch Clips of recent programs and read comments
8:48 PM 8/8/2011 by Kimberly Nordyke
The U.S. Department of Education has teamed up with Nickelodeon to teach kids about global warming via the network's popular character SpongeBob SquarePants, and the folks at Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends aren't too happy about it.
The government agency recently showed a video and handed out books to children in Washington, D.C., that "blamed man for global warming, but they did not tell kids that is actually a disputed fact -- oops," host Gretchen Carlson told viewers on a recent telecast.
The show's Steve Doocy also chimed in, adding, "What happened was, the Department of Education invited a bunch of D.C. kids in and they had this festivity and they handed out these particular Nickelodeon books where clearly Nickelodeon is pushing a global warming agenda. While there is no disputing the fact that the Earth is getting a little warmer, the big questions is, is it man-made or is it just one of those gigantic climactic phases?"
Fox's Dave Briggs added that global warming is "unproven science."
"This is a public education system that we all pay our tax dollars for and the SpongeBob book says that it's a man-made problem that requires human intervention," he said.
He also argued that the Department of Education should be focusing its priorities elsewhere.
"The schools there -- I mean, we're talking about 14th in the world in reading, 17th in the world in science, 25th in math. So we're forcing an issue that is not yet proven -- we can't even teach our kids the adequate math, reading and science at this point," he added.
While the Fox hosts don't acknowledge global warming as proven to be caused by humans, the mainstream scientific community has generally accepted that belief as fact.
Watch these trailers for new shows on ABC - then write you own reviews. Which shows would you like to watch?
ONCE UPON A TIME
Welcome to a world where fairytales are real. Anna Swan is like any other 28 year old, until she discovers she's a lost princess destined to save her world from darkness. Experience the passion project of executive producers/creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Lost, Tron). Once Upon A Time is a thrilling twist of our most beloved stories.
CHARLIE'S ANGELS A remake of the classic TV show turned movie.
SUBURGATORY A comedy about a young girl whose father moves her from Manhattan to the suburbs, to keep her safe.
REVENGE Wealth, beauty and status define the people in this town, but one woman is willing to destroy everyone for the sake of revenge.
Emily Thorne (Emily Van Camp) is new to the Hamptons. She's met some of her wealthy neighbors, has made a few new friends and seemingly blends into the town. But something is a little odd about a young girl living in a wealthy town all on her own, and the truth is that Emily isn't exactly new to the neighborhood. In fact, this was once her old neighborhood, until something bad happened that ruined her family and their reputation. Now Emily is back, and she's returned to right some of those wrongs in the best way she knows how -- with a vengeance.
from the Infendo page - one of the video world's catchiest phrases
Think about it: Before this campaign, people mocked the Wii’s name. Fans thought Nintendo execs had lost their minds. Then came five simple, clever, friendly words, “Wii Would Like To Play.”
BING. Suddenly the world “Got it” and understood what Wii was about. The little machine’s name got mocked no more (well, not as much). People who hadn’t bought a console in years wanted one. I’d seriously call this the most successful video game ad campaign of all time.
Average time kids spend watching TV each day: 4 Hours
Children spend more time watching television than in any other activity except sleep. - Huston and Wright, University of Kansas. "Television and Socialization of Young Children."
Excessive is the watchword here, but take a look at the health effects reported from TV watching at LimiTV
LimiTV recommends little-to-no TV viewing for children four-and-under and less than 10 hours per week (about 1 ½ hours per day) for children in grades K-12. These recommendations parallel similar guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Here is a list of English words for some popular types of television shows (or TV genres). When you have finished reading, scroll down the page to do a quiz.
Many exercises to check reading comprehension (vocabulary, word selection, multiple choice, sequencing, conclusions) and practice writing reactions (Your Turn)
Test-Taking Enhances Learning, from useit.com links the test taking study to strategies for learning from web materials
What is your experience? Do you learn more through studying for and taking tests? Would you study as much if you weren't going to be tested?... if the test didn't count towards your grade?
Write a comment on your opinion about academic testing.
One way to practice your English skills is to take sample tests on line. ExamEnglish.com offers different types of tests which cover Listening, Academic English, Speaking, Writing, Reading, Grammar, vocabulary, etc.
They also provide basic information on the different standardized tests such as the TOEFL and the TOEIC.
Make up a schedule for yourself and take one or two tests a week. Your results will let you know which areas you should work on to keep up your English.
Each year nearly a million individuals take the TOEFL test to show their English language proficiency. Over 25 million people from all over the world have taken the TOEFL test since it was founded.
More than 8,000 universities and colleges in over 130 countries accept TOEFL test scores. In addition, agencies and institutions rely on TOEFL scores as well:
Immigration departments use them to issue residential and work visas.
Medical and licensing agencies use them for professional certification purposes.
Individuals use them to measure their progress in learning English.
For more than 30 years, the TOEIC® test has set the standard for assessing English language skills used in the workplace. Today TOEIC® test scores are used by over 10,000 companies, government agencies and English language learning programs in 120 countries, and more than 6 million TOEIC tests were administered last year.
According to the Educational Testing Services homepage for the TOEIC tests -
TOEIC test scores provide accurate, reliable measurement of English proficiency — they can be compared regardless of where or when the test is administered. For example, last year's scores of a test taker in Japan can be compared with this year's scores of a test taker in Korea. Because test takers of any background can be compared fairly, companies can use the TOEIC tests to make the most informed decisions and build a more diverse workforce.
ETS ensures standardized test conditions give test takers equal opportunity to demonstrate proficiency.
Test administrations adhere to strict guidelines to ensure a consistent and fair test-taking experience.
A scoring process held to the highest quality-control standards results in the most reliable and valid scores available.
What do you think about standardized tests? Do the benefits make it worth the expense? How do they help employers to judge candidates more fairly?
One of the best known English Language programs ELS is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Watch this video brochure about ELS and the benefits it offers.
Structure of Conditional Sentences The Zero Conditional is used for actions that are always true when the conditions are satisfied. The structure of the conditionals is straightforward. There are two basic possibilities in terms of order in the sentence:
IF
Condition
Result
If
it rains,
we will get wet
Result
IF
Condition
we will get wet
If
it rains,
* Notice that we only use a comma in the first example.
Conditionals: Time and Probability Table
Probability
Conditional
Example
Time
Certain
zero conditional
If you heat water to 100 degrees celsius, it boils
any time
Likely
first conditional
If it rains, I will stay in.
future
Unlikely
second conditional
If I won the lottery, I would retire.
future
Impossible
second conditional
If I had the money, I would lend it to you
present
Impossible
third conditional
If I had seen him, I would have given him the message.
wiseGeek offers some advice to those studying Enslish as a second language:
Learning English as a second language can be a challenge, but there are several things a student can do to make it easier. Taking a second language course, or signing up at a second language school, can be a good first step. Reading novels, watching movies and listening to music in English can also be helpful. A person who is learning English as a second language can benefit from speaking only in English for about 15 minutes a day, even if he or she is only talking out loud to himself or herself.....read more
There have been many future predictions which never really panned out - some by well-known people. The Disovery Channel gathers together a few of these famous mistakes.
"Man will not fly for 50 years."
- Wilbur Wright, co-inventor of the airplane, 1901
"The more important fundamental laws and facts of physical science have all been discovered, and these are now so firmly established that the possibility of their ever being supplanted in consequence of new discoveries is exceedingly remote."
- Physicist Albert A. Michelson, 1894
"By 2000, politics will simply fade away. We will not see any political parties."
- Inventor R. Buckminster Fuller, 1966
"By the turn of this century, we will live in a paperless society."
- General Motors chairman Roger Smith, 1986
But despite past failures, we keep predicting.The latest Discovery Channel series NextWorld reveals the science, the inventions and the innovations that seem impossible now, but will be a reality in our lifetimes. Imagine cities under the oceans, bionic suits, space tourism, superspeed trains, cyborg moths, windships, hoverbikes, somatic sensors, virtual reality, people living to 150 years old -- these may be just the dreams of today but they will shape the NextWorld.
Look there to find predictions about climate, brain surgery, politics, investments, video games, .... and much more. You can even sign up to have future predictions sent to you by email.
Welcome to the future! Here you will find a speculative timeline of future history. Part fact and part fiction, the timeline is based on detailed research that includes analysis of current trends, projected long-term environmental changes, advances in technology such as Moore's Law, future medical breakthroughs, and the evolving geopolitical landscape. Where possible, references have been provided to support the predictions. FutureTimeline.net is intended to be an ongoing, collaborative project that is open for discussion - we welcome ideas from scientists, futurists, inventors, writers and anyone else interested in the future of our world.
Apartment Therapy reports the results of a once-in-a-decade survey of members of the International Furniture and Design Association about how home life will change in the USA from now through 2020.
See what they have to say. Do you agree? Do you think the ideas represent progress? Would you be comfortable in this version of 2020?
Do you know exactly what you want to do with your life? Lucky you, if you do. For most people planning their future can be a bit overwhelming.
This article on WikiHow may help you get things in perspective:
"I really want to make it in life, but I don't know how!" Not knowing how to set yourself up for a successful future can be frustrating. Here are a few suggestions.
Get into your bedroom and close the door. Make sure your siblings are watching TV in the living room or playing out side.....read more
Time for a little comic relief, and a review of echo questions in an interview setting -
A way to keep up your English skills closer to home is by taking advantage of internet sites which permit you to practice listening and speaking. We've used quite a few video s from the Elllo site through the course of these blogs. They have a large library available for your use.
Another good site for conversation practice is Learn English Conversation. You can read along as you hear conversations on everyday topics - and then speak along as well. You can Like them on Facebook, or subscribe to be notified by email when a new conversation is posted. Here is one of their latest posts about a rain delay at a baseball game.
